Will Vietnam replace the M79 with a domestically produced MGL?

After 1975, Vietnam acquired a considerable amount of M79 grenade launchers as war trophies.

The M79 40mm grenade launcher (personal mortar) is a formidable weapon, possessing advantages such as ease of use and high destructive power. It is a very effective fire support tool for infantry squads, often assigned to the "number 5" soldier in tactical formations.

However, the M79 also has drawbacks, such as depriving a squad of an AK rifleman, and its relatively slow rate of fire sometimes leads to a loss of advantage on the battlefield.

M79 40 mm grenade launcher (personal mortar).

Currently in the US Army, the M79 has been replaced by the M203 underbarrel grenade launcher of the same caliber, a weapon that Vietnam also produces and mounts on the Galil ACE assault rifle.

Although the M203 overcomes the M79's drawback by not sacrificing an assault rifle, attaching it to the barrel creates a new problem: a reduced grenade ammunition capacity.

Another solution to mitigate the limitations of both forms is to equip semi-automatic rotary grenade launchers to increase the speed and density of fire support for infantry squads.

A Vietnamese-made MGL grenade launcher is on display alongside an M79 grenade launcher.

The Milkor MGL (Multiple Grenade Launch) semi-automatic rotary grenade launcher originated in South Africa and was adopted in 1983 by Armscor. It was the first handheld weapon capable of continuously firing 40 mm grenades.

The MGL provides significantly more fire support than older single-shot grenade launchers like the M79. Its maximum rate of fire of up to 6 rounds per 3 seconds is crucial in ambush situations or urban combat environments. The muzzle velocity of the grenade fired from the MGL reaches 76 m/s, with an effective range of 375 m and a maximum range of 400 m.

According to a report broadcast on VTV1, Vietnam has now successfully produced a domestic version of the MGL, which will be a necessary addition to the Galil ACE with the attached M203 grenade launcher in platoon-level combat formations.

It is highly likely that in the not-too-distant future, the domestically produced MGL semi-automatic rotary grenade launcher will completely replace the M79 in the Vietnam People's Army.

According to Baodatviet