Miniature Artillery: Inside The AGS-17 Automatic Grenade Launcher

By Lynndon Schooler

AGS-17 (Serbian BGA-30) dissasembled. Photo credit Lynndon Schooler

The AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher has been used in many conflicts around the globe and is employed by both sides in the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war. In this article, we’ll dive into the history and design of this iconic miniature artillery piece.Automatic Grenade Launchers @ TFB: Polish Companies Working to Produce Automatic Grenade Launcher Colt CZ Buys Mk 47 40mm Grenade Launcher System Russia to Adopt the AGS-40 “BALKAN” Automatic Grenade Launcher in 2018 Belarusian 30mm Handheld Full-Auto Grenade Launcher

The Soviet Union was the first to create an automatic grenade launcher with the 40.8mm AG-2, designed by Yakov Taubin in 1934. Tragically, Taubin’s life ended similarly to that of many prominent Soviet military specialists of his time; he was arrested on fabricated charges of anti-communist activities and sentenced to death by firing squad in 1941. Investigations later revealed that the charges against him included claims of mothballing unfinished weapons and prematurely launching technically incomplete systems into mass production.This development would have significantly enhanced Soviet company-level support and may have had

Source: The Firearm Blog