The Mk-19 is a belt-fed, blowback-operated, air-cooled, crew-served,
fully-automatic weapon that is designed not to cook off. It fires 40 mm
grenades at a cyclic rate of 325 to 375 rounds per minute, giving a
practical rate of fire of 60 rounds per minute and 40 rounds per
minute.
The weapon operates on the blowback principle, which uses the chamber
pressure from each fired round to load and re-cock the weapon.
The Mk-19 can launch its grenade at a maximum distance of 2,212 meters, or
(2,419 yd). though its effective range to a point target is about 1,500
meters, or (1,600 yd). Since the large rear leaf sight is only graduated as
far.
The nearest safe distance to launch the grenade is 310 meters in training
and 75 meters in combat. The primary ammunition for it is the high-explosive
dual-purpose M430 grenade.
On impact, the grenade can kill anyone within a radius of five meters, and
wound them within a radius of 15 meters. It can also punch through 2
inches, or (5.1 cm) of rolled homogeneous armor with a direct hit
(0-degree obliquity), which means it can penetrate most infantry fighting
vehicles and armored personnel carriers. It is especially effective when
used against enemy infantry formations.
The ammunition comes in cans that hold a 32- or 48-grenade belt weighing
42 and 60 pounds, or (19 and 27 kg), respectively.
Due to its low recoil and comparatively light weight, it has been adapted
for use on many different platforms, including small attack boats, fast
attack vehicles such as the Humvee, AAV and Stryker, military jeeps, and a
large variety of naval mounts.
The Mk-19 automatic grenade launcher replaced the earlier Mk 18
hand-cranked multiple grenade launcher. The 40 mm ammunition used (40×53
mm) is not interchangeable with that used in the M203 (40×46 mm).
The M203 ammunition develops a lower chamber pressure, and resultant lower
muzzle velocity and range, compared to ammunition loaded for the
Mk-19.
The Mk-19 fires from an open bolt. The rounds are mechanically fed onto
the bolt face with the pull of the charging handles. When the trigger is
pressed, the bolt closes, and the firing pin is released. The recoil blows
back the bolt, feeds a new round onto the bolt face, which pushes the
expended casing off the bolt face.
Though the Mk-19 has a flash suppressor, it serves only to save the
eyesight of its operator, not concealing the weapon's position. For night
operation, a picatinny rail quadrant sight can be added for thermal and
night vision optics.
The Mk-19A is a man-portable crew-served weapon that can fire from a
tripod-mounted position or from a vehicle mount, with the latter being the
preferred method, as the weapon alone weighs 77.6 pounds, or (35.2
kg).
Production of the Mk-19 is managed by Saco Defense Industries, (now a
division of General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems). In November
2014, General Dynamics entered into an agreement with Advanced Material
Engineering Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Singapore Technologies Kinetics, to
manufacture 40 mm high-velocity airburst ammunition for the U.S.
military.
The 40 mm airburst grenade uses a programmable, time-based fuse that
computes and programs the detonation time into it, which counts down once
fired to zero to detonate at the intended target point.
The airburst ammunition is compatible with the Mk-19, which would give it
greater effectiveness and lethality, particularly against concealed and
defilade targets.
The downside is the weight of the Mk-19. It weighs 77 pounds, so it’s not
very portable for individual soldiers or marines. Most of the time it is
mounted on vehicles.
The Mk-19 can be integrated with the Common Remotely Operated Weapon
Station, or (CROWS). This is a vehicle mount that allows users to stay
inside the vehicle and run the Mk-19 with a remote-controlled system.
That’s the modern aspect of the Mk-19, one of the downsides is that it is
over 50 years old. Some prefer the updated Mk-47 automatic grenade
launcher.
The Mk-47 weighs in at under 40 pounds, so it is more portable. The Mk-19
has maximum effectiveness when paired with another vehicle that has an M2
50 caliber machine gun. The M2 makes the enemy duck for cover and then the
Mk-19 can launch grenades overhead that destroy the cover.
The vehicles can them swarm the enemy troops in the open. Having a mobile
Mk-19 and an M2 is also helpful if a convoy gets ambushed and has to
change direction or retreat. Both weapons systems can then provide cover
for a withdrawal, so soldiers can live to fight another day.
The Mk-19 grenade launcher has been a mainstay of American operations
since its introduction in the late 1960s during the Vietnam War. Though
still in widespread use today among the United States military as well as
a number of North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or (NATO) member
countries, it wasn’t the first grenade launcher used in service with the
United States.
