On Saturday, February 8, 2025, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense shared on social media a photograph of a Ukrainian soldier with a 40mm RGP-40 revolver grenade launcher, produced by Zakłady Mechaniczne Tarnów (ZMT), part of the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ).
On the left, the RGP-40; on the right, the 84mm Saab M136 AT-4 anti-tank grenade launcher from a U.S. donation / Photo: Ukrainian Ministry of Defense
On February 4, 2022, the then Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, visited Zakłady Mechaniczne in Tarnów. The main purpose of the meeting was to determine the details of providing support to Ukraine in the form of LMP-2017 light infantry mortars and RGP-40 repeating grenade launchers.
Referring to the international situation at the time (less than three weeks before Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine), he announced that the first shipment of defensive weapons would be sent to Ukraine the following week. Today, we know that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have received over 200 grenade launchers, fully equipped, including a collimator sight. Feedback indicates that they are highly valued and widely used by Ukrainian soldiers.
In May 2023, a French delegation of local authorities from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region visited Zakłady Mechaniczne Tarnów. In the published photos, newly produced RGP-40 revolver grenade launchers could be seen, suggesting that the Tarnów plant had resumed serial production specifically for Ukraine’s needs.
It is known that Ukraine initially received a batch of 200 grenade launchers that had not been collected by the Polish Armed Forces. These were originally ordered on February 11, 2016, under a two-year contract, with deliveries of 100 units each scheduled for October 2016 and August 2017. Later, additional deliveries likely followed.
RGP-40 not for the Polish Armed Forces
On February 2, 2018, the then Armament Inspectorate of the Ministry of National Defense informed the editorial team of the MILMAG portal about the withdrawal from the contract due to the product not meeting the requirements of the Armed Forces. Upon receiving the statement of contract termination, ZMT became obligated to pay a contractual penalty specified in the agreement, amounting to 20% of its value. The RGP-40 grenade launchers were ordered for 8,903,913.34 PLN, meaning the penalty amounted to 1,780,782.66 PLN.
The main issue arose during the qualification (state) tests, which required the use of ammunition officially adopted into service by the armed forces (preferably within NATO). Unfortunately, at the time of testing, there was no 40mm Medium Velocity (MV) ammunition officially adopted by NATO armies.
>>>A decade of RGP-40<<<
The RGP-40 grenade launcher is a weapon designed for incapacitating and neutralizing enemy personnel, destroying technical equipment, buildings, firing positions, and lightly armored vehicles, as well as deploying smoke screens and other non-lethal effects. The RGP-40 is a semi-automatic, six-shot design that fires 40mm x 46 NATO grenades. It features an integrated six-chamber rotary drum magazine, each chamber measuring 140 mm in length, allowing the use of a wide range of ammunition, including specialized rounds. The barrel shroud is equipped with three rails for mounting additional accessories. The firepower of the grenade launcher enables covering an area of 20×60 meters at a distance of up to 400 meters (600-800 meters in some cases) without the need to reload.
Ready to greet 'uninvited guests'.
📷: @GeneralStaffUA pic.twitter.com/XxLaddtww7
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) February 8, 2025
