Hawk MM-1 MGL

Hawk MM-1 MGL History

During the decades of the Cold War, automatic grenade launchers became a viable weapon system on the battlefield, replacing earlier reliance on grenade projectiles with rifles or field mortars in the class. While most of Milk's classic designs came from South Africa, some were born in the Soviet Union and the United States. For the latter, one of the products became the Hawk MM-1 developed by the Hawk Engineering Company. It is loaded with 40x46mm howitzers, fired semi-automatically and fed by a 12-round drum assembly.

The type is believed to have served with some African armed forces and was reportedly operated by US special forces for some time.

The technical classification of weapons like the MM-1 is "Multiple Grenade Launchers" (MGLs) because of their bulkiness, repetitive-firing nature, and relative portability. In the hands of the infantry, this weapon would replace the main service rifle due to the weight and size of the ammunition used. Nonetheless, the inherent lethality and firepower of MGL weapon systems are welcome sights on the modern battlefield, where grenadiers can destroy light fortifications and vehicles, fire suppression fire, or drive entrenched enemy forces away far away. The MIM-1 reportedly has an effective range (to point target) of 500 feet and a target range of up to 1,150 feet. For the 40x46mm shell - the same used by the Vietnam War-era M79 and the M203 below it - the MM-1 can accept other shells of the same caliber, using the standard high-explosive (HE) variant.

In fact, this This weapon has its roots in World War II-era tear gas weapons, not weapons of war. The MM-1 gained some rifle-like features, most notably a separate pistol grip on the rear and a foregrip on the front of the cylinder.

Internally, the MM-1 received a spring mechanism that was manually wound on reload. The gun has a brake and opens at the rear to reveal the waiting cylinder chamber. The semi-automatic action of the weapon is used to rotate the cylinder while firing (providing a grenade projectile to the striker). The lengthy reloading process combined with the bulky nature of the weapon made it a system of limited value for many frontline armies of the time.

Many major powers choose to pair single-shot grenade launchers with their existing assault rifles such as the M203 and M16 assault rifles.

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