SL40 Austrian 40mm Grenade Launcher

The 40x46mm low-velocity SL40 grenade launcher has been in Australian Defence Force service for some time now, serving primarily as a modular under-barrel grenade launcher attached to the 5.56x45mm NATO F90 service rifle within the infantry at the squad or section level. It was first chosen to accompany the F90 family of rifles in 2014, a derivative of the Austrian Steyr GL40 launcher (the SL40 being a derivative of the GL40). The original design competition was between the Steyr GL40 and the Madritsch Weapon Technology ML40AUS, another Austrian armaments company. The Steyr design was selected for integration. The SL40 grenade launcher was developed in parallel with the F90 rifle. Munition compatibility, system integration and ergonomics were nominated as the driving considerations for design. The completed prototypes was tested alongside the F90 as a critical element of the mission system, and successfully passed the same arduous test and evaluation trials as the rifle itself. The pairing of the SL40 grenade launcher and F90 rifle represents one of the most elegant system integrations available on the market. Co-located triggers allow operators to react instantly to emerging threats by dual firing the SL40 and F90 rifle. Complementing this, the SL40 grenade launcher Intuitive Grenade Launcher Sight enables rapid and accurate engagement of targets even while the firer is on the move. At just 1185 grams with sight, the SL40 is lighter than any comparable competition. Despite this low weight the SL40 is still equipped with a robust hammer forged steel barrel.