NATO currently uses three standardized 40 mm grenade families: 40 mm low-velocity (LV), 40 mm medium-velocity (MV), and 40 mm high-velocity (HV). Low- and medium-velocity cartridges are used for different hand-held
grenade launchers, while the high-velocity cartridge is used for
automatic grenade launchers.
40×46 mm LV (40 mm low velocity) attached to an
M16A1 40×46 mm LV (
low velocity)
high–low grenade launcher cartridge meant for hand-held grenade launchers, such as the
M79,
M203,
Milkor MGL,
Heckler & Koch AG36 and
M320 Grenade Launcher Module. The propellant has low pressure and gives the projectile an average velocity of depending on the ammunition type. Going against Swedish military tradition, the 40 mm low-velocity cartridge currently lacks a specified indigenous designation in Swedish service. Although the SAGM sensor does not need a laser rangefinder or any pre-fire programming sequence, it does require some skill by the user to aim and fire the round correctly so that it can detect the wall or obstruction to detonate in the air. The SAGM was to undergo evaluation in July 2015 and, if successful, transition into an official Army
Program of Record by the end of the year. Not only does the fuze burst over walls, but it can detonate when passing cover like trees, bursting just as it senses and passes the trunk. The sort of
sensor SAGMs use to differentiate clutter from triggering obstacles is highly classified, but shows airburst reliability of 76 percent.
40×51 mm MV (40 mm medium velocity) 40×51 mm MV (medium velocity), is a
NATO-standard high–low grenade launcher cartridge meant for hand-held
grenade launchers. Its purpose is to serve as an intermediate cartridge between the 40×46 mm low-velocity and 40×53 mm high-velocity cartridges and is thus referred to as the 40 mm medium-velocity cartridge. Rheinmetall answered by developing a new family of 40 mm grenades named 40 mm medium velocity Going against Swedish military tradition, the 40 mm high-velocity cartridge currently lacks a specified indigenous designation in Swedish service. Instead only the projectile types have designations. Currently, these projectile types can be found in Swedish service manuals. Mockups and inert types also exist for loading exercises and educational purposes.
Green ammunition The MK281 is a new type of 40 mm target practice grenade ammunition that has been accepted for use by the
United States Marine Corps and the
United States Army. It is "green" because it is non-toxic and non-dud-producing (since it is a training round), meaning that there is no unexploded ordnance left to clean up on the range, and
heavy metals in the fuze do not leak into the ground. The MK281 was introduced into parts of the U.S. Armed Forces due to an executive order mandating the purchase of green ammunition. The MK281 is manufactured by an American subsidiary of the
Rheinmetall Group. The United States Army requires a non-dud producing 40 mm training ammunition in both high- and low-velocity variants. The Army awarded four contracts to three United States companies to test designs. The resulting ammunition will not contain explosive energetics and will have day-and-night visible, infrared, and thermal signatures. == Other ==