The UAG-40 is a Ukrainian belt-fed automatic grenade launcher chambered for 40 x 53SR mm high-velocity ammunition. Developed and manufactured by Kuznya na Rybalskomu, it emphasizes low weight for a crew-served launcher; public sources document UAG-40s supplied to Ukraine's Defense Forces after 2022 and a captured example displayed by Boko Haram after an April 2016 ambush in Nigeria.
ArmyInform reported that 39th Brigade fire-support troops disassembled, carried, and reassembled a UAG-40 on Russian territory to support Ukrainian infantry assault actions; Come Back Alive separately lists 70 UAG-40 launchers among infantry weapons supplied to Ukraine's Defense Forces since 2022.
Role detailsARES documented a UAG-40 among weapons Boko Haram displayed after an April 2016 ambush on a Nigerian Army 155 Task Force component; the same report notes another UAG-40 documented in service with Nigerian forces during the offensive against Boko Haram around Maiduguri and Yola.
The UAG-40 is built around NATO-standard 40 x 53 mm high-velocity grenades fed from an M16 metal belt, with ARES describing the ammunition box on the left side of the receiver. The same launcher is documented in tripod, combat-module, vehicle, and boat contexts.
Official and reference sources describe belt feed from M16 metal links for NATO-standard 40 x 53 mm grenades.
SpetsTechnoExport and Ukrainian Military Pages describe a friction bolt damper, muzzle brake, and three-stage rifling as recoil and accuracy-related design features.
ARES describes foldable iron sights and a rear Picatinny rail for optical or night sights.
Sources: UAG-40 - SpetsTechnoExport; Ukrainian UAG-40 automatic grenade launcher; UAG-40 state tests completed.
Public sources describe the UAG-40 as a common launcher adapted to tripod, combat-module, vehicle, and boat installations rather than a large family of distinct marks.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tripod-mounted UAG-40 | Crew-served infantry configuration | The official exporter page describes the launcher as fired from a light tripod, with the tripod design allowing use from unprepared positions. Sources: UAG-40 - SpetsTechnoExport |
| Combat-module and vehicle-mounted UAG-40 | Vehicle or remote-module installation | ArmyInform says the launcher can be installed in combat modules and separately on vehicles; ARES also describes vehicle mounting beyond the standard tripod. Sources: Ukrainian UAG-40 created to NATO standards, Ukrainian UAG-40 automatic grenade launcher |
| Boat-mounted UAG-40 installations | Naval and assault-craft fit | ARES describes the UAG-40 as part of the Kentavr fast assault craft armament and an option for Gyurza-M; Ukrainian Military Pages also links it to light modules for Project 58503 Kentavr-LK. Sources: Ukrainian UAG-40 automatic grenade launcher, 40-mm automatic grenade launcher UAG-40 |
ARES describes UAG-40 as usable beyond the light tripod, including vehicle mounts and selected Ukrainian small-craft installations.
| Carrier | Carrier type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Armored artillery boat | ARES identifies UAG-40 as an option for the Gyurza-M armored artillery boat, a Ukrainian small combat craft from the same manufacturer as the launcher. |
ArmyInform and Ukrainian Military Pages report that experimental production of the UAG-40 began in 2010.
Sources: Ukrainian UAG-40 created to NATO standards, 40-mm automatic grenade launcher UAG-40
ARES reports that design work on the UAG-40 began in 2011 at Kuznya na Rybalskomu, then still widely known by its Soviet-era Leninska Kuznya name.
Sources: Ukrainian UAG-40 automatic grenade launcher
Ukrainian Military Pages reports public presentation at Arms and Security 2013 in Kyiv, followed by serial production.
Sources: 40-mm automatic grenade launcher UAG-40
The conflict in eastern Ukraine accelerated UAG-40 development, according to ARES, although that source does not by itself document UAG-40 battlefield use in that conflict.
Sources: Ukrainian UAG-40 automatic grenade launcher
ARES later documented a UAG-40 among weapons Boko Haram displayed after an April 2016 ambush on a Nigerian Army 155 Task Force component.
Sources: Boko Haram with UAG-40 automatic grenade launcher in Nigeria
ARES states that the Ukrainian military began acquiring UAG-40 systems in 2016 and had obtained about 500 systems by the time of the 2019 technical profile.
Sources: Ukrainian UAG-40 automatic grenade launcher
Ukrainian Military Pages reported completion of state tests in 2017, while ArmyInform says the launcher was officially accepted by the Armed Forces of Ukraine that year.
Sources: UAG-40 state tests completed, Ukrainian UAG-40 created to NATO standards
Come Back Alive lists UAG-40 automatic grenade launchers among infantry weapons purchased with donations and provided to Ukraine's Defense Forces from the beginning of 2022.
Sources: Come Back Alive Front Edge Weapons
ArmyInform reported that Ukrainian 39th Brigade troops carried a disassembled UAG-40 into Russian territory, reassembled it, and used it to support infantry assault actions.
Sources: ArmyInform UAG-40 cross-border operation
