Hawk MM-1
| Hawk MM-1 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Grenade launcher |
| Place of origin |
 United States |
| Production history | |
| Number built | Unknown |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 5.7 kg unloaded |
| Length | 635 mm |
|
| |
| Caliber | 40x46mm |
| Rate of fire | semi-automatic |
| Effective firing range | 150 m point targets, 350 m area targets |
| Feed system | 12 round rotating-drum |
The MM-1 is a 40x46mm semi-automatic grenade launcher manufactured in the USA by the Hawk Engineering Company. The manufacturer claims that it has been used by US Special Forces units, as well as the military forces of several South American and African countries. Relatively heavy and bulky, the MM-1 can provide considerable firepower, with practical rate of fire as high as 30 rounds per minute. It can be useful in ambushes and other fast-paced close combat situations.
While MM-1 may look much like a Milkor MGL grenade launcher with a larger cylinder, it was adapted from the Manville machine projector, a revolver-type 18-shot tear gas gun, developed in USA for police use before the Second World War. Michael Rogak, maker of the Rogak P-18 pistol, upsized the Manville design to 40mm and made certain design changes. One innovation was Rogak's development of a button rifling procedure for the aluminum barrel. This increased the speed of production while reducing costs. Subsequently, Rogak and a few others formed Hawk Engineering and began production of the MM-1.
The MM-1 is a revolver-type weapon, with the heavy cylinder being rotated for each shot by the clockwork-type spring. The spring is wound manually during the reloading. To reload the cylinder, the rear part of the gun is released and rotated sideways to expose the rear of the cylinder, which is connected to the front part of the frame and barrel.
See also
- List of individual weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces
- List of crew served weapons of the US Armed Forces
- Salvadoran Army
- Weapons of the Salvadoran Civil War