Will Vietnam replace M79 with domestic MGL?

After 1975, Vietnam captured a large amount of war trophies, including M79 grenade launchers.

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

However, the M79 also has the disadvantage of making the squad lose an AK gunner, and the rate of fire is quite slow, sometimes leading to a loss of advantage on the battlefield.

M79 40mm grenade launcher (personal mortar).

Currently in the US Army, the M79 has been replaced by the M203 barrel-mounted grenade launcher of the same caliber, which Vietnam can also produce to mount on the Galil ACE assault rifle.

Although it overcomes the M79's weakness of not having to sacrifice an assault rifle, if the M203 is attached with a barrel clamp, a new problem arises: the number of grenades is reduced.

Another solution to overcome the limitations of the two forms above is to equip semi-automatic revolver grenade launchers to increase the speed and density of supporting fire of infantry squads.

A Vietnamese-made MGL grenade launcher is displayed next to an M79.

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

The MGL provides significantly more firepower than older single-shot grenade launchers like the M79. The maximum rate of fire of up to 6 rounds/3 seconds is essential in ambush situations or urban combat environments. The initial velocity of the grenade when fired from the MGL is 76 m/s, the effective range is 375 m, the longest is 400 m.

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

It is very likely that in the near future, the domestic MGL semi-automatic revolver grenade launcher will completely replace the position of the M79 in the Vietnam People's Army.

According to Baodatviet