Mk 19 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mk 19 grenade launcher |
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A Mk 19 40 mm grenade launcher mounted on an M3 tripod
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| Type | Automatic grenade launcher |
| Place of origin |  United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1968–present |
| Used by | 20 countries including: Afghanistan Argentina Australia Bangladesh Brazil Canada Croatia  Egypt Greece Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Lebanon Malaysia Mexico Pakistan Poland Spain Sweden Taiwan Thailand Turkey United States |
The Mk 19 (or Mark 19) is a special kind of machine gun that fires grenades instead of regular bullets. It's like a super-fast grenade launcher! This weapon can shoot one grenade every second. It was first used by the U.S. Navy on river patrol boats during the Vietnam War. Later, the U.S. Army also started using and improving it.
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What is the Mk 19 Grenade Launcher?
The Mk 19 is an automatic grenade launcher. This means it can fire many grenades very quickly without needing to be reloaded after each shot. It shoots special 40mm grenades. These grenades are small explosive devices.
How Fast and Far Can It Shoot?
The Mk 19 can fire between 325 and 375 grenades every minute. That's a lot of grenades in a short time! It can hit targets up to about 2,212 meters away. That's more than 2 kilometers, or about 1.4 miles! For closer targets, it's very accurate up to 1,200 meters.
How Is It Used?
The Mk 19 is a crew-served weapon. This means it needs more than one person to operate it. It's quite heavy, weighing about 75 pounds (around 34 kilograms) by itself. Because it's so heavy, it's usually set up in two main ways:
- On a tripod: It can be placed on a special stand called a tripod. This makes it stable for firing from the ground.
- On a vehicle: Most often, the Mk 19 is mounted on a vehicle, like a military truck or a Humvee. This is the easiest way to move it around and use it, since the vehicle carries its weight.
What About the Ammunition?
The grenades for the Mk 19 come in large boxes. These boxes hold either 32 or 48 grenades. A box with 32 grenades weighs about 42 pounds (around 19 kilograms). A box with 48 grenades is even heavier, at about 60 pounds (around 27 kilograms).
