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Bur small-sized grenade launcher entered in service with Russian anti-terrorist units 12906162

Military Defense Industry Technology - Bur

Bur small-sized grenade launcher entered in service with Russian anti-terrorist units.

Russia`s counter-terrorist units have brought into service Bur multipurpose grenade launcher developed by Tula-based Instrument Design Bureau (Russian acronym: KBP, a subsidiary of the High-Precision Weapons holding), according to the Izvestia newspaper.

Russian-made Bur small-sized grenade launcher system

Bur is supposed to be the most compact grenade launcher in the world. It will allow providing fire support during close quarter battles (CQB). "There was a task to design the most compact grenade launcher, being able to fire at any time of day. KBP was developing Bur on its own initiative. The grenade launcher has successfully passed all trials. It is brought into service with Russia`s counter-terroristic units", a KBP`s official spokeperson told Izvestia.

Bur has been developed as a light support weapon intended for dismounted soldiers. It is based on RPO-M Shmel (Bumblebee) reactive flamethrower, but features reduced combat weight. The grenade launcher includes a reusable firing mechanism with stock and integrated Picatinny rail system for various optical/red-dot/infrared sights and a tube that contains the projectile and propellant. Bur can be armed with either high-explosive (HE) or thermobaric rockets.

According to the data provided by KBP, Bur has a caliber of 62 mm, a combat weight of 4.8 kg (including a firing mechanism of 1.3 kg and a tube with projectile of 3.5 kg), a length of 742 mm, a maximum firing range of 950 m and a firing mechanism service life of no less than 500 shots. The grenade launcher has an operating temperature from -40 °C to +60 °C. The Bur grenades` blast effect is equal to a 122 mm HE round. The reduction of back blast area allows troops firing Bur from confined spaces.

According to Russian defense analysts, Bur is extremely effective in urban environment and in rugged terrain, where armoured vehicles could hardly provide fire support to dismounted soldiers. Previously, Russia`s Ministry of Defense (MoD) and law enforcement agencies were very sceptical over the combat usage of such compact grenade launchers. However, the experience of CQBs during the recent conflicts apparently revealed the applicability of Bur and its effectiveness against enemy`s manpower, light armoured vehicles and engineer installations.

At present, Bur`s ammunition range lacks an anti-tank (AT) grenade. According to a source in Russian defense industry, KBP might develop such munition to counter hostile medium armoured vehicles and even main battle tanks (MBT). "At the same time, all modern AT hollow-charge tandem warheads feature huge weight. The combat weight of an anti-tank munition for Bur is supposed to be no less than 8 kg. Such heavy grenade eliminates the idea of light and compact man-portable weapon, being able to fire from confined spaces. Moreover, Russia`s Armed Forces operate anti-tank grenade launchers that do not fall short of modern requirements", the source said.