Grenade Launcher

A Grenade Launcher (GL) is a weapon designed to launch small Shells (informally called "GPs"), about 40mm in diameter. The shell may be filled with an HE, HEAT or HEDP warhead for attack purposes; or with Smoke or Flare warheads for concealment/illumination respectively, giving the weapon a wide versatility.

The Grenade Launcher provides the ability to fire shells at a much longer range than they can be thrown by hand, at a much greater velocity and shallower angle than any Thrown Grenade. There are multiple situations where such a weapon comes in handy, depending on which warheads are available. In general, explosive GPs are useful against clusters of Enemy Infantry, infantry behind cover or inside buildings, or against light vehicles (up to and including lighter APCs, with some luck).

Grenade Launchers come in several different varieties, most of which are carried by Infantry. All leaders, including Fireteam Leaders, Squad Leaders and Platoon Leaders carry a Grenade Launcher to support their troops. In modern scenarios, the Grenade Launcher is part of the player's main weapon, and can be switched to almost instantly. In low-tech scenarios such as Vietnam and World War II, the launcher is a separate weapon normally carried on the player's back, which can be switched to when necessary. Hand-held GLs have an effective range of about 150-200 meters, and their users are often supplied with multiple shell types.

Some American vehicles carry the AGS - an Automatic Grenade Systems - which can fire a barrage of grenades. This is a powerful offensive weapon in real life, but in ArmA it is slightly underwhelming, causing relatively small explosions that are unlikely to kill except on near-direct hits. It has a significantly longer range than any hand-held Grenade Launcher, but cannot fire anything other than explosive grenades. AGS systems are found on the AAV, the AGS HMMWV, certain models of the Stryker, and one model of Boat.

Specifications
A Grenade Launcher is any weapon firing low-velocity Shells of about 40mm diameter in a shallow arc. Weapons matching this definition can be quite different from one another, though their effect is generally similar.

The arc and velocity are the factors distinguishing this weapon from Autocannons, which fire much higher-velocity shells directly towards the target, and thus cannot be fired over obstacles (though their range and effect is usually substantially higher as a result).

The shells fired by a Grenade Launcher are called "Launched Grenades", but in ShackTac they are almost always referred to as "GPs". This is an informal name based on the primary OPFOR under-barrel Grenade Launcher, called the "GP-25", and is used even for BLUFOR grenades. The term GP generally refers to explosive grenades only, but is sometimes also applied to Smoke and Flare grenades.

Models
ArmA and the ShackTac Modset provide several models of Grenade Launchers that are very different from one another. BLUFOR has several available models, while OPFOR generally uses only one. All Grenade Launcher models used in ShackTac fire 40mm Shells, though they are usually not interchangeable between models.

Hand-Held GLs

 * M203: The most common GL model, seen in most ShackTac missions. This is an under-barrel grenade launcher that was designed specifically for the M-16 Assault Rifle family early in the Vietnam war. The M203 can fire an HEDP shell for offense, as well as Smoke grenades of various colors and Flares when available. Players can switch from firing bullets to firing the M203 almost instantly, by flipping open its special sight. Switching back is similarly quick. Several other BLUFOR Assault Rifles can also fit the M203, including the Steyr AUG and Tavor.
 * Other members of NATO have under-barrel grenade launchers designed for their own Assault Rifle models. This includes the German AG36 (for the G36 Assault Rifle) and its British variant the L123A2 (for the L85A2 Assault Rifle), et cetera. These launchers cannot fire the M203's HEDP grenade, instead using HE grenades which are less effective against armored vehicles. They can otherwise use the same Smoke and Flare grenades as the M203, if available.
 * GP-25: The OPFOR equivalent to the M203. The term "GP" for launched grenades is named after this model. This weapon is nearly identical to the M203 in performance, and has a similar variety of grenades it can launch. The GP-25 is designed to fit the AK-74 family of Assault Rifles, and cannot fit any other weapon.
 * M79: A stand-alone Grenade Launcher, typically seen in low-tech missions where Infantry players carry main weapons that were not designed to fit the M203 or other under-barrel launchers, such as the FAL Battle Rifle. The M79 is slung over the player's back, to be pulled out whenever it is needed. This means that to fire grenades the player has to switch out their main weapon for the M79, and then switch back when they're done. This is a lengthier process than when using an under-barrel launcher. The M79 is also heavier than the M203 or GP-25.
 * M320: This launcher is currently in the process of replacing the M203 in several armies. The M320 is unique in that it can appear as both an under-barrel attachment or a stand-alone weapon. It fires the same shells as an M203, including HEDP shells.

All hand-held Grenade Launcher models listed above have a "break-open" configuration, meaning that reloading the weapon requires opening it up and sliding a new grenade in manually, then closing the weapon back up. The weapon can only be loaded with a single grenade at a time, resulting in a very low rate of fire. Hand-held Grenade Launchers have an effective range of about 200 meters, and a maximum range of over 300 meters.

Heavy GLs
The AGS - "Automatic Grenade System" - is a very different weapon from the ones listed above. It fires larger 40mm shells that are not interchangeable with any of the other grenade launchers. Furthermore, it is an automatic, belt-fed weapon which fires HE grenades in bursts, over much longer distances. The AGS is much heavier than any hand-held model, and can only be found on BLUFOR vehicles or as a static weapon.

Usage
'' This section describes the use of hand-held Grenade Launchers. The AGS is used similarly to an Autocannon.''

All Infantry leaders - including Fireteam Leaders, Squad Leaders and Platoon Leaders - carry a hand-held Grenade Launcher. The weapon is used to support the troops, and is essentially a way to lob grenades at a much longer distance than Thrown Grenades.

Explosive Grenades are fired primarily at concentrations of Enemy Infantry, since a single grenade can take out multiple enemies. The explosive effect also allows the grenade to hurt enemies without knowing exactly where they are - e.g. when they are behind concealment. Launched Grenades are not quite as capable at hitting troops behind cover, since their angle of flight is rather shallow; Nevertheless they can be very effective when fired into windows, exploding as soon as they hit a wall and potentially hurting anyone inside. As a bonus, it is practically impossible to determine where a grenade was launched from - providing the Leader a way to attack enemies without exposing his position to return-fire.

Explosive Grenades are also useful against lighter vehicles. Together with Machine Gun fire, they are the most useful tool for quickly getting rid of enemy Trucks and Scout Cars. An HEDP grenade has the potential to hurt an APC, with some luck; while an HE grenade can only harm lightly-armored targets such as Armored Cars. Firing any kind of explosive grenade at a vehicle's wheels (if any) is a good way to disable that vehicle and convince the crew to abandon it. Occasionally, repeated grenade attacks against an armored vehicle can slowly damage its inner systems to the point where the crew will bail it. GPs are typically used against armored vehicles only if Light Anti-Tank is not available. For anything heavier than an APC, grenades will only be used in desperate circumstances.

Smoke grenades are very commonly used in several different ways. The first is to conceal a friendly position from enemy fire, such as when Breaking Contact or when attempting to provide Medical Attention to a player shot down in open terrain - though thrown Smoke Grenades are more commonly used for this purpose, if available. Another method to use smoke is to block an enemy unit's firing line by firing the grenade directly at them, or between them and friendly forces; This is usually done when Assaulting an enemy position. Finally, smoke GLs are occasionally used to mark an enemy or friendly position to Aircraft, letting them know where to shoot (or where not to shoot), or marking a Landing Zone for them. Other (more situational) uses for smoke grenades are also featured from time to time.

Launched Flares are the primary method for lighting up an area at night. They are only provided to the players during missions expected to take place fully or partly at night. Flares are typically fired directly upwards or at a high angle, and will trigger as soon as they reach the top of their flight arc; They then parachute slowly to the ground, illuminating the area for up to a minute until landing on the ground and finally dissipating. Flares can also be used to signal a unit's position to friendly Aircraft.

Players tend to keep their Grenade Launcher loaded at all times with an HE or HEDP shell, just in case a target suddenly appears. Some players prefer keeping a smoke grenade in the barrel (if available) for safety's sake, as firing a smoke round by mistake is generally better than firing an explosive round by mistake.

Note that most explosive GPs are fitted with a mechanism that only arms the grenade once it has traveled a certain distance out the barrel. This prevents a user from blowing themselves up by accidentally firing a grenade at a close target - putting themselves in the lethal radius. Such grenades will simply fail to explode at all if fired at below their minimum arming range. Smoke and Flare grenades to do not have any minimum range, and can even be fired right at the floor in front of the user, if necessary.

Distribution
In ShackTac, Grenade Launchers are distributed to each and every player in a Leadership role. This includes the following:
 * Fireteam Leaders
 * Squad Leaders
 * Weapon Team leaders
 * Platoon Leaders
 * Company Commanders

Each is provided an under-barrel GL (if their primary weapon allows one), or a stand-alone GL (otherwise). They are also provided a number of HE or HEDP grenades and a selection of Smoke grenades of various colors (primarily white smoke). During night missions, Leaders may or may not be provided with Flare grenades of one or more colors, depending on the difficulty and parameters of the mission.

Additional GPs may be acquired from certain Resupply Crates, particularly Fireteam Crates. Enemies rarely if ever carry the same grenades as friendlies, so looting is not a viable resupply option.

When a player carrying a Grenade Launcher is killed, other players may recover the weapon and the grenades if they feel competent with their use.