USMC tests M320 grenade launcher
The US Marine Corps is testing the M320 grenade launcher module at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, the corps announced on 9 June.
One of the first USMC unit to be issued with the M320 - Bravo Company, 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion - is carrying out the firing and handling testing. The M320 has already been in use with the US Army.
The M320 offers a number of capabilities superior to that of its predecessor, the M203. The M320 can be fired as a separate weapon system without being attached to a host weapon, and the sights on the M320 are more user friendly and flexible, increasing the chances of the projectile landing on target with the first shot.
Loading of the M320 barrel from the side allows for longer projectiles with increased velocity. This is different from the M203, which limits the size of projectiles the operator can use, due to the placement of the barrel on the bottom of the weapon system.
The M320 is designed to engage groups of enemy personnel, vehicles, bunkers, provide suppression and obscuration on objectives and mark targets to aid in direct fire. The weapon allows maximum coverage in sectors of fire that direct-fire weapons cannot engage.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Land Warfare
-
![Germany signs multi-billion-dollar deals for 6x6 CAVS and GDELS Eagle vehicles]()
Germany signs multi-billion-dollar deals for 6x6 CAVS and GDELS Eagle vehicles
The order is a further boost for the Common Armoured Vehicles System programme which has notched notable successes in the past 12 months. The first vehicle, made in Finland, will be delivered next year with local production expected to ramp up in 2027.
-
![Rheinmetall and KNDS tank tie-up narrows trans-European options]()
Rheinmetall and KNDS tank tie-up narrows trans-European options
The French and German governments signed an agreement in June 2018 to cooperate on the development of a new main battle tank under the Main Ground Combat System programme but the effort has struggled. This new agreement may damage it further.
-
![Hungary set to begin using Hero 400 loitering munitions]()
Hungary set to begin using Hero 400 loitering munitions
Developed by Israel's Uvision and with systems being sold in the thousands to multiple European NATO countries and the US, the Hero family of loitering systems is also in production in the US and Italy, the latter through Rheinmetall.
-
![Light Reconnaissance Strike – enabling a vital mission set (Studio)]()
Light Reconnaissance Strike – enabling a vital mission set (Studio)
A new system-of-systems concept will unlock digital integration of sensors and weapons for Light Forces, allowing them to shape the battlefield environment on their own terms and upgrade legacy platforms.
