M04
40 mm Illuminating Parachute Underbarrel Round
40 mm parachute illuminating round for underbarrel launchers, burning 20 s at 80000 cd from 182 +/- 30 m when fired at 85 degrees.
- Calibre
- 40 mm
- Delay time
- 2.5 to 3.5 s
- Burning time of star
- 20 s
All grenades and launcher rounds
Smoke, illuminating and practice underbarrel launcher rounds
Three 40 mm underbarrel rounds carry a payload other than a high explosive charge. The M04 smoke round emits for 30 s in white, red, green or yellow at ranges of 50 to 400 m; the M04 illuminating round deploys a parachute star burning 20 s at 80000 cd; and the M03 practice round carries a rubber head of 80 Shore hardness and matches service ballistics to 400 m. All three records name the 40 mm GP-25, GP-30 and BGP-40 underbarrel launchers and an operating range of -30 to +50 degrees C.
- Line items
- 3
- Calibres
- 1
- Natures
- 3
- Standards
- Eastern
By calibre
Models and specifications
M03
40 mm Practice Underbarrel Grenade Round
40 mm practice round for underbarrel grenade launchers with rubber head of 80 Shore hardness, matching HE ballistics to 400 m.
- Max range
- 400 m
- Muzzle velocity
- 78 m/s
- Calibre
- 40 mm
M04
40 mm Smoke Underbarrel Grenade Round
40 mm smoke round for underbarrel launchers producing 30 s of white, red, green or yellow smoke at 50 to 400 m.
- Muzzle velocity
- 76 m/s
- Calibre
- 40 mm
- Round mass
- 232 g
Each entry written around the moment the payload acts
Each entry is written around the moment the payload acts. The smoke round quotes a delay of 3 to 6 s before 30 s of smoke; the illuminating round quotes a delay of 2.5 to 3.5 s, a height of 182 plus or minus 30 m when fired at 85 degrees and a middle wave length of 587 plus or minus 5 nm; the practice round quotes precision instead, Vp and Vv at 0.5 m or less on a vertical target at 100 m.
What the M04 and M03 records state and what they leave out
Two families are present: M04 for both the smoke and the illuminating round, and M03 for the practice round. Mass and length are quoted for the smoke round at 232 g and 110 mm and the practice round at 230 g and 106 mm, while the illuminating record gives no mass. Muzzle velocity is 76 m/s for the smoke round and 78 m/s for the practice round.
Questions about these line items
Which colours of smoke does the source record?
The M04 smoke round is listed as white, red, green or yellow, with a smoke duration of 30 s and a firing range of 50 to 400 m. The other two rounds in this group carry no smoke colour: one is an illuminating round and the other a practice round.
How are these rounds packed?
The illuminating M04 quotes one round per polyethylene bag, 138 bags in a wooden case and 16 cases on a pallet. The smoke M04 and the practice M03 records state no packing quantity; their entries close with weapon compatibility and the operating temperature range.