Recently, a few videos appeared on the web featuring Ukrainian soldiers using M32A1 grenade launchers from Milkor. These are the shoulder-fired semi-automatic gas plug-operating grenade launchers with revolving action.
The cylinder takes up to 6 grenades of 40 mm caliber which can be fired in three seconds, according to the manufacturer. The overall rate of fire performance is 18 to 21 rounds per minute, as stated by Militarnyi.
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One of the Air Assault Forces’ troops described this gun as a "very good, well-performing, hefty one". It came in handy when a scouting group of russian invaders "approached far too close" to his location, about 150 m away in the forest line.
Global Security says, at the range of 150 m, the Milkor M32 gets increased accuracy, whereas its maximum range is 400 m. The manufacturer claims that the effective range of this launcher is 375 m with Low Velocity (LV) munitions, but raise up to 800 m with Medium Velocity (MV) munitions, produced by Rheinmetall.
This model of the grenade launcher was specifically designed for the US Marines Corps to meet the requirement for an area fire weapon with a high rate of fire and a maximum range of 400 meters, easy to carry by one operator over rough terrain or in urban environments. It is also compliant with the Pentagon's and NATO standards.
Here is the latest "review" of this grenade launcher, from a Ukrainian soldier fighting on the frontline:
The designer company is South African Milkor, but the launchers themselves are produced by the US-based Abrams Airborne Manufacturing. Thus we can cautiously presume that these grenade launchers were provided to the Ukrainian military by the United States.
The fact is, there are no indications that these weapons were used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces before the russian full-scale invasion. The first evidence appeared in May, when one of the Ukrainian soldiers was caught on a video firing from a Milkor gun.
Next, there was a precedent, reported by Ukrainian Military Pages, when one social media user spotted an identification code of Mk 19 automatic grenade launchers on one of the military aid batches provided to Ukraine by the United States a few weeks before the russian invasion.
Though the United States weren't particularly hiding the fact they supply this type of weapons. According to the US Department of Defense, the United States has provided Ukraine with over 10,000 grenade launchers and small arms as of July 8.
Either way, considering the tempo of the Ukrainian military learning to handle modern Western weapons, there is no wonder they easily got acquainted with this novelty, too.
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