Grenade Launchers

      Grenade Launchers were a common heavy weapon carried by infantry support powered armor during the middle of the 21st century. As the years wore on and advancements in weapons technology grew, however, this type of armament all but disappeared. The reasons are numerous but one can imagine that the primary reason would be financial. Grenades of all types are expensive, especially in the useful 40 mm category. Hard metal slugs used in rail guns are cheap. Ramjet rounds are cheaper yet still. Even the 20 mm cannon shells used in rapid fire field cannons are cheap by comparison. Purely for their efficiency however, a small handful survived to see the last days of Project Archive in Salt Lake City.

S-Mart GL-1 40 mm Grenade Launcher Pistol: This is the standard weapon carried by the S-Mart Gorilla. It is most often used in conjunction with 40 mm High Velocity AP Grenades, making it the equal of the SAMAS's C-40R Rail Gun though shorter ranged. Unlike the C-40R and even the popular Wellington Industries WI-GL21, this is a semi-automatic weapon capable of firing only single shots. What it gains through it's modest blast radius it loses in it's capacity to provide suppression fire.

S-Mart GL-2 40 mm Grenade Launcher: This is a secondary weapon carried by the S-Mart Goliath. Unlike the GL-1 which is a carried weapon, the Goliath is mounted within powered armor. Typical placement for this type is in the forearms or in the shoulders. As a secondary system it is most often used in the anti-personnel role, however, typical loadouts are 40 mm High Velocity Frag Grenades. (Though any variety may be used.)

S-Mart GL-3 40 mm Automatic Grenade Launcher: This is the pre-cataclysm automatic grenade launcher the Wellington Industries WI-GL21 (Described on pg. 105 of RIFTS Mercenaries, and pictured on pg. 104 of RIFTS: World Book 10: Juicer Uprisings.) is based upon. The difference between the two designs, however, resides within the ammo feed. While Wellington Industries' design uses an oversized clip for ammunition, this variety utilizes an overhead wrap around ammo drum that holds fifty rounds.



Name R.O.F./Attack Range S.R. Cost Weight M.D.C. Payload
GL-1 1 2,200' N/A 35,000 15 Lb. 25 5/Clip
GL-2 1 1,800' 20 30,000 18 Lb. 30 20/Drum
GL-3 See Above See Above N/A 120,000 See Above 50 50/Drum


Utility Data
Type Reload S.R. Cost Per Empty Container Loaded Container Weight Container M.D.C.
GL-1 2.5 per clip 500 per clip 7 Lb. 10
GL-2 20 per drum 23,000 per drum 42 Lb. 30
GL-3 30 per drum 42,000 per drum 75 Lb. 50


      For details pertaining to the capabilities of the 40 mm grenades marketed by S-Mart, please refer to the S-Mart Munitions page. Please note that since some of these 40 mm rounds are in effect identical to those manufactured by Wellington Industries, I was unable to include the statistics on this site. For details pertaining to those particular rounds (The AP & Frags), please refer to the Mercenaries Book, page 105. Note also that the grenades fired by the NG-LG6 & S-Mart's own GL-4 are also 40 mm grenades - however they are NOT compatable with these types of grenade launchers. These weapons mentioned are Low Velocity 40 mm Grenade Launchers. The GL-1 through GL-3 mentioned above deal with grenades that pack a LOT more propellant, called High Velocity 40 mm Grenades.



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