Neopup PAW-20

PAW-20 “Neopup”
Type Grenade launcher
Place of origin South Africa
Production history
Designer Tony Neophytou[1]
Designed 1999- present
Manufacturer Gemaco Elbree PTY LTD (former), Denel PMP (current)
Produced in limited production by Denel PMP as of late 2015, under the name Inkunzi
Specifications
Weight 5.9 kg (12.9 lb), empty
Length 845 mm (33.3 in) (deployed),
770 mm (30.3 in) (stowed)
Barrel length 355 mm (14.0 in)
Width 115 mm (4.5 in)
Height 185 mm (7.3 in)
Cartridge 20mm x 42mm point-detonating rounds developed by PMP Denel[2]
Action Inertial operation with a rotating bolt
Muzzle velocity 310 m/s (1000 ft/s)
Effective firing range 600 m for point targets. 800 m for suppressive fire (soldiers in a group.) 1000 m for area targets.
Feed system 7-round box magazine (discontinued for accuracy issue) or 6-round rotary magazine
Sights red-dot type collimating sight, but others available.

The Neopup PAW-20 (Personal Assault Weapon, 20 mm) is a grenade launcher designed by Tony Neophytou and as of 2015, is produced and marketed by Denel.

Overview

The PAW-20 is a hand-held, semi-automatic grenade launcher that fires a 20 mm point detonating round. It holds six rounds in a detachable rotary magazine, with an effective range of 300–400 meters. It was designed mainly as an anti-personnel grenade launcher for use against opposition closely grouped together or behind light cover. However, it is also compatible with less-than-lethal ammunition. The PAW-20 is in direct competition with the more complicated and expensive joint American-German XM25 CDTE.

The PAW-20 has attracted some criticism due to the location of the ejection port; these allegations have largely been proven false, as the spent casings are ejected no closer to the operator's face than in a conventional assault rifle being fired from the left hand. Due to the unique location of the pistol grip on the side of the weapon, it can be fired from the left shoulder for a right-handed operator by simply placing the butt on the left shoulder, with no hand swapping necessary.

This allows the user the advantage of being able to fire from around or under cover, with little time required to change the grip on the weapon. The right-handed location of the pistol grip also allows the weapon to recoil unimpeded into the shoulder of the operator, allowing for a much more manageable recoil than most weapons of this class. Moreover, the weapon uses the recoil to operate, instead of more traditional gas operated systems and is an interesting example of an inertial operated weapon.[3]

20x42 mm cartridge

The 20x42 mm cartridge was specifically developed for the PAW-20 by Denel PMP, decreasing the overall weight and size of the weapon, and enabling it to hold more rounds in the magazine. It has a muzzle velocity of 310 m/s (1,000 ft/s), and a much flatter trajectory than the more common 40mm grenade launcher round. A number of less-than-lethal rounds are also available for the PAW-20.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-01-02. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
  2. ↑ "Denel". Pmp.co.za. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
  3. ↑ McCollum, Ian. "Inkunzi PAW aka Neopup - 20mm Direct-Fire Grenade Launcher". Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  4. ↑ "Neopup 20mm". YouTube. 2011-01-02. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
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