SA80 History: Underbarrel Grenade Launchers

Armament Research Services (ARES) is a specialist technical intelligence consultancy, offering expertise and analysis to a range of government and non-government entities in the arms and munitions field. For detailed photos of the guns in this video, don’t miss the ARES companion blog post: In our final segment on the SA80 family of weapons, we are looking at a selection of underbarrel grenade launcher adaptations of the L85 rifle. Specifically, we will see a prototype XL60 series launcher, a prototype Enfield XL70 series system, an adaptation of the Colt M203, and the final adopted H&K AG SA80 grenade launcher mounted on the L85A2. These various types include a variety of different loading, mounting, and sighting systems, and make a very interesting composite picture of the ways in which underbarrel grenade launchers can be designed. Cool Forgotten Weapons mer