GP-25

Development of a grenade launcher for the AKM assault rifle began in 1966 at the Sporting and Hunting Arms Central Design and Research Bureau. Development continued into the 1970s, and in 1978 it was accepted into service.

The GP-30 first entered service in 1989, and is intended for use with the AK-100 series of assault rifles.

The GP-34 is designed to be a universal service model that can be fitted to the AKM / AKMS, AK-74 / AKs-74, AK-74M, AK-101, AK-103, and AN-94 rifles.

• 
  GP-25 grenade launcher
• 
  GP-30M grenade launcher
• 
  GP-34 grenade launcher

The grenade launchers are similar in appearance and fire the same 40 mm caliber ammunition together.

The GP-30(M) is a stripped-down model grenade launcher, consisting of a very short, 40 mm rifled barrel in front of a basic trigger mechanism with minimal hand grip. On top of the barrel is mounting gear to attach the weapon under the barrel of an AK-series assault rifle, from where it is designed to be fired.

The barrel has a service life of about 400 rounds.

40 mm VOG-25 7P17 round of GP-25 grenade launcher

The ammunition family consist of 40 mm internal propellant caseless ammunition, cartridges containing the propellant inside the warhead instead of a cartridge case, based on the same High-Low System developed by Germany in late World War II to keep recoil forces low without a rocket or other type of recoilless weapon back blast. The rounds feature a special type of driving band which allows for muzzle loading, featuring a sub-caliber diameter when loading, which flanges outward to full-caliber and engaging the rifling inside the barrel when fired. This differs from the more traditional two piece casing-and-projectile design of the comparable American 40x46mm LV cartridge used in breech-loaded grenade launchers, such as the M203.

When firing, a round is first muzzle loaded into the barrel, the weapon is aimed, then the self-cocking trigger is pulled to fire the weapon. This fires the percussion cap at the base of the round which triggers the internal nitrocellulose propellant. The hot expanding gas from the propellant is forced through vents at the base of the shell, propelling it through the barrel and at the same time forcing the driving band to flange outwards to engage with the twelve rifling grooves. The rifling imparts stabilizing spin to the projectile.

•  Angola
•  Algeria[4]
•  Botswana[5]
•  Brazil: Used by Caatinga infantry[6]
•  Bulgaria: Made under license by Arsenal AD as the UBGL[7] and the UBGL-1.[8]
•  Burundi[9]
•  Congo-Kinshasa
•  Cyprus
•  Georgia: Made by STC Delta.[10][11]
•  Greece: Used for the AK-74M.
•  India[12]
•  Indonesia: Mobile Brigade Corps[13]
•  Iran : Used by IRGC
•  Lithuania: Lithuanian Armed Forces[14]
•  North Korea[12][15]
•  Pakistan
•  Russia[12]
•  Serbia: Made under license by Zastava Arms as the PBG – 40 mm[16] and the PBG 40 mm M70.[17]
•  North Macedonia
•  Syria: Uses both GP-25s and GP-30Ms.[18]
•  Ukraine[12]
•  Vietnam

• BS-1 Tishina
• QLG-10
• RGM-40 Kastet grenade launcher is a stand-alone version of GP-30 grenade launcher
• Wz. 1974 Pallad grenade launcher

• Koll, Christian (2009). Soviet Cannon – A Comprehensive Study of Soviet Arms and Ammunition in Calibres 12.7mm to 57mm. Austria: Koll. p. 397. ISBN 978-3-200-01445-9.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to GP-25.

• Modern Firearms
• Technical data, instructional images and diagrams of the GP-25 (in Russian)
• Differences between GP-25, GP-30, GP-30M and GP-34 (in Russian)