Infantry Weapons

Balkan 40 mm automatic grenade launcher

Also known as
  • AGS-40 Balkan
  • AGS-40
  • 6G27 Balkan
  • 6G27
  • 6S19 Balkan
  • 6S19
  • TKB-0134
  • Balkan

The Balkan 40 mm automatic grenade launcher, also known as AGS-40 or 6G27, is a Russian tripod-mounted automatic grenade launcher developed by TsKIB SOO and Pribor/Tecmash to replace older 30 mm AGS-family systems. It uses 40 mm 7P39 caseless ammunition, a 20-round drum, and a seated tripod layout, giving Russian infantry a heavier grenade-launcher round with a reported 2,500 m maximum range.

Balkan 40 mm automatic grenade launcher, 40 mm automatic grenade launcher, Infantry Weapons
Image source: 6S19 40mm grenade launcher.jpg

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Specifications

Caliber
40 mm caseless
Feed
20-round drum magazine
Weight
46 kg combat weight; 32 kg launcher body
Action
Gas piston, open bolt
Rate of fire
400 rounds per minute
Range
2,500 m
Ammunition
7P39 caseless high-explosive grenades
Mounting
Tripod-mounted
Caseless 40 mm System

The Balkan is built around the 40 mm 7P39 caseless grenade rather than the 30 mm VOG-pattern rounds used by AGS-17 and AGS-30 launchers. Source descriptions emphasize the heavier round, 20-round drum feed, open-bolt gas-operated action, and a tripod with a rear seat intended to use the gunner's weight for steadier firing.

Ammunition family

7P39 high-explosive caseless grenade, with practice 7P39P and 7P39U rounds identified in exhibition reporting.

Feed and mount

The launcher is described with a 20-round drum or belt container and a tripod-mounted firing position.

Replacement role

Rostec and TASS frame the system as a more powerful 40 mm successor to Russian 30 mm automatic grenade launchers.

Carrier Boats

Army Recognition reported that BK-10M assault boats can be fitted with the Balkan launcher.

CarrierCarrier typeCarriage evidence
BK-10 family high-speed assault boats, High-speed transport-assault rigid inflatable boat family, Naval SystemsBK-10 family high-speed assault boatsHigh-speed assault boat

Army Recognition reported that the BK-10M variant can be fitted with a Balkan 40 mm automatic grenade launcher.

Sources: BK-10 and BK-16 boats enhance Russia's Black Sea defense against unmanned threats

Timeline

Balkan 40 mm automatic grenade launcher Key Events

  1. 40 mm replacement concept begins

    Modern Firearms traces the Balkan concept to a Soviet effort that began around 1980 to build a more powerful automatic grenade launcher and matching 40 mm caseless ammunition.

    Sources: Balkan - Modern Firearms

  2. Balkan codename revives the stalled program

    Modern Firearms says the early TKB-0134 work stalled around the Soviet collapse and was revived in the early 1990s under the Balkan codename.

    Sources: Balkan - Modern Firearms

  3. 6G27 prototype and 7P39 ammunition shown

    Modern Firearms says GNPP Pribor demonstrated a prototype 6G27 launcher and associated 7P39 caseless ammunition at IDELF-2008 in Moscow.

    Sources: Balkan - Modern Firearms

  4. Operational-evaluation batch produced

    Rostec reported that six 40 mm Balkan launchers and 4,000 rounds were produced in 2016 for experimental troop operation after state-test work.

    Sources: Rostec small-caliber history

  5. Combined-arms operational use begins

    Rostec said combined-arms operation of the 40 mm Balkan grenade-launcher complex began in 2017, with further work on the day-night sight, ammunition belt, loading machine, and other elements.

    Sources: Rostec Vladimir Lepin interview

  6. Tecmash displays AGS-40 at IDEX

    EDR Magazine reported that Tecmash displayed the AGS-40 Balkan at IDEX 2019 and identified the 7P39 high-explosive fragmentation round plus 7P39P and 7P39U practice rounds.

    Sources: IDEX 2019: Tecmash unveils AGS-40 grenade launcher

  7. State trials reported complete

    TASS reported that the Balkan had successfully passed state trials and was recommended for introduction into Russian service.

    Sources: TASS Balkan state trials

  8. First serial batch produced

    TASS reported that the first serial batch of Balkan 40 mm grenade launchers had been produced after Russian defense authorities accepted the design documentation for serial production.

    Sources: Defense firm delivers first serial batch of latest grenade launchers to Russian troops

Media

Balkan 40 mm automatic grenade launcher Images

Balkan 40 mm automatic grenade launcher, 40 mm automatic grenade launcher, Infantry Weapons - view 1
Source: AGS-40 grenade launcher - Oboronexpo2014part4-46 (cropped).jpg
Balkan 40 mm automatic grenade launcher, 40 mm automatic grenade launcher, Infantry Weapons - view 2
Source: Grenade launcher 6G27 Balkan MVSV-2008.jpg
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Sources

Russia tests the AGS-40 Balkan 40mm automatic grenade launcher in operational situation TASS 82004172Publisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports the Balkan launcher's operational-evaluation background and the Russian-source technical specifications reported in the article, including weight, feed, range, rate of fire, and service life. | Accessed: 2026-07-01IDEX 2019: Tecmash unveils AGS-40 grenade launcherPublisher: EDR Magazine | Note: Supports the AGS-40 Balkan designation as a Tecmash Concern product presented at IDEX 2019. | Accessed: 2026-07-01AGS-40 Balkan 40mm Automatic Grenade LauncherPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports Russian origin, TsKIB SOO development in Tula, and the launcher's role as a replacement for the AGS-17 and AGS-30 family. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Balkan - Modern FirearmsPublisher: Modern Firearms | Note: Supports the Balkan development history, TKB-0134/6G27 background, 7P39 caseless ammunition context, feed arrangement, gas-operated/open-bolt design notes, and specifications. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Rostec small-caliber historyPublisher: Rostec | Note: Supports the 6S19 Balkan designation, Pribor context, 2016 operational-evaluation batch, 40 mm caliber, firing modes, ammunition boxes, and state-trial / operational-evaluation status. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Rostec Vladimir Lepin interviewPublisher: Rostec | Note: Supports the 2017 combined-arms operation statement and planned follow-on work on sighting, ammunition-belt, loading-machine, and service-adoption elements. | Accessed: 2026-07-01TASS Balkan state trialsPublisher: TASS | Note: Supports the March 2021 state-trials milestone, Tecmash executive attribution, Russian-service recommendation, and replacement role for older 30 mm AGLs. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Defense firm delivers first serial batch of latest grenade launchers to Russian troopsPublisher: TASS | Note: Supports the 6S19 Balkan designation, first serial-production batch, Pribor / Technodinamika / Rostec context, and expanded operational-evaluation status. | Accessed: 2026-07-01RIA Novosti Rosoboronexport SVO weaponsPublisher: RIA Novosti | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict use: RIA reported Rosoboronexport's statement that the 6G27 Balkan was among Russian weapons whose battlefield effectiveness during the Ukraine operation helped drive export interest. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Rostec Rosoboronexport battlefield demandPublisher: Rostec | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War conflict-use context by attributing export demand for the 6G27 Balkan to battlefield effectiveness, while also supporting Rosoboronexport / Rostec background. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Omega fighter Kyiv defense interviewPublisher: Interviews from Ukraine | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict use: the interview describes an AGS-40 Balkan captured near Irpin from Russian airborne troops and used by the Ukrainian Omega unit until the weapon was lost. | Accessed: 2026-07-016S19 40mm grenade launcher.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for a Balkan launcher photo taken at Milex-2021 in Minsk. | Accessed: 2026-07-01AGS-40 grenade launcher - Oboronexpo2014part4-46 (cropped).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for an AGS-40 Balkan photo from Oboronexpo 2014. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Grenade launcher 6G27 Balkan MVSV-2008.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for a 6G27 Balkan launcher and ammunition display photographed at MVSV-2008. | Accessed: 2026-07-01BK-10 and BK-16 boats enhance Russia's Black Sea defense against unmanned threatsPublisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports the BK-10M fit relationship reported by Army Recognition: BK-10M can be fitted with a Balkan 40 mm automatic grenade launcher. | Accessed: 2026-07-01