The Mk 19 (pronounced Mark 19) is an American 40 mm automatic grenade launcher that was first developed during the Vietnam War. Entered military service since 1968. It replaced the earlier hand-cranked Mk 18.
The Mk 19 is a belt-fed, blowback-operated, air-cooled, crew-served, fully-automatic weapon that is designed not to cook off. It fires 40 mm grenades at a cyclic rate of 325 to 375 rounds per minute, giving a practical rate of fire of 60 rounds per minute (rapid) and 40 rounds per minute (sustained). Though the Mk 19 has a flash suppressor, it serves only to save the eyesight of its operator, not concealing the weapon's position. For night operation, a picatinny rail quadrant sight can be added for thermal and night visionoptics.
Due to its low recoil and comparatively light weight, the weapon has been adapted for use on many different platforms, including small attack boats, aircrafts, fast attack vehicles such as the Humvee, AAV and Stryker, military jeeps, and a large variety of naval mounts.
