UAG-40 automatic grenade launcher

Conflict Usage

Boko Haram Insurgency

Side: Boko Haram and ISWAPRole: Captured crew-served grenade fire supportstrike

ARES documented a UAG-40 among weapons Boko Haram displayed after an April 2016 ambush on a Nigerian Army 155 Task Force component; the report describes the launcher as captured equipment and notes a separate UAG-40 previously documented with Nigerian forces during operations around Maiduguri and Yola.

UAG-40 automatic grenade launcher Images

Related Weapon Systems

Infantry Weapons.50-caliber / 12.7mm Heavy Machine GunCrew-served heavy machine gun.50-caliber and 12.7 mm heavy machine guns give infantry, vehicle crews, and security forces longer-range automatic fire than rifle-caliber machine guns. The best-known Western example is the M2 Browning family, a belt-fed, recoil-operated heavy machine gun used from ground mounts, vehicles, boats, and aircraft mounts. In the Battle of Marawi, Philippine reporting documents a caliber 50 heavy machine gun used by government forces for suppressive fire during urban fighting, while Nigerian reporting from the Boko Haram Insurgency documents a .50 inch Browning machine gun recovered from Boko Haram terrorists at Gombi in 2015.

Infantry WeaponsFN MAG general-purpose machine gun7.62x51mm NATO general-purpose machine gunThe FN MAG is a Belgian belt-fed 7.62x51mm NATO general-purpose machine gun designed and originally manufactured by FN Herstal. In the Boko Haram Insurgency archive, it is represented through a 2021 report of Boko Haram deserters near Bama surrendering weapons that included an FN MAG, evidence of the gun's presence in insurgent small-arms stocks rather than a documented state transfer.

Infantry WeaponsQLZ-87 automatic grenade launcher35 mm automatic grenade launcherThe QLZ-87 is a Chinese 35x32 mm automatic grenade launcher built for unusually portable infantry fire support, with light bipod and heavier tripod configurations. In the Boko Haram Insurgency, Small Arms Survey documented one QLZ-87 among materiel captured by Boko Haram during the 2016 Bosso military camp attack in Niger, making the evidence strongest for battlefield capture rather than sustained use.

Infantry WeaponsFN Minimi light machine gun5.56x45mm NATO light machine gunThe FN Minimi is a Belgian belt-fed light machine gun developed by Fabrique Nationale for squad automatic fire, with 5.56 mm NATO models widely fielded as national variants such as the U.S. M249, Canadian C9, and Australian F89. In the Yemen Civil War, Amnesty International reported Belgian Minimis deployed by The Giants Brigades, tying the weapon to UAE-backed coalition-aligned ground forces around the Hodeidah offensive.

Infantry WeaponsMachine gunAutomatic small arm / crew-served firearmMachine guns are automatic small arms built for sustained rapid fire, ranging from light squad automatic weapons to medium, general-purpose, and heavy crew-served guns. This catalog entry is intentionally broad and tracks directly sourced machine-gun use or recovery in the Colombian FARC Dissident Conflict and the post-October 2023 Israel-Hezbollah fighting.

Infantry WeaponsAR-10 Super SASSSemi-automatic sniper rifleThe AR-10 Super SASS is an ArmaLite 7.62x51 mm NATO semi-automatic sniper rifle built around the AR-10 platform with a precision barrel, adjustable stock, and suppressor-tunable gas system. In the Boko Haram Insurgency, open-source reporting and arms-control research identify the Super SASS as a rare rifle associated with Boko Haram and ISWAP-linked materiel, probably entering the conflict through Nigerian military procurement and subsequent capture, diversion, or recovery evidence.

Sources