The Type 89 grenade discharger, commonly known as the "knee mortar" was a Japanese light infantry weapon introduced in 1929 which blurs the lines between grenade launcher and mortar. Like a mortar, it fires propelled explosive bombs in a high-angle indirect fire role, but it has a rifled barrel a...

This week's weapon tells two juxtaposing stories. The first is one born out of the troubles in Northern Ireland, while the second deals with an intergalactic lizard assassin. Join Jonathan Ferguson as he reveals both stories behind this fascinating firearm.

One of the most remarkable combination weapons in the Royal Armouries collection, this 19th century musket-come-grenade launcher can be fired in both directions.

Attaching a highly explosive attachment to a short range weapon may at first glance seem like a recipe for disaster. However, for certain applications having such a capability could be of real tactical use and indeed the ISTEC 200 series of launchers did see adoption with different nations during...

While most nations opt for a modular grenade launcher on the underside of a rifle barrel, Russia is one of a select few nations that opted for a standalone design. The GM-94 used both in a civil and military context has seen extensive use over the last 30 years, including most recently during the...

This is very much an anti-riot gun that's had two lives. That of which it was intended from it's development in the late 70s, and then it's popular culture life as a wholly different weapon altogether. Join Jonathan as he examines both of these stories as well as some incredible promotional foota...

To mark the 100th episode of What is this Weapon, the Royal Armouries hosted a special live episode at our flagship museum in Leeds in the UK. Befitting such a prestigious landmark for the series, our 100th weapon is one of Jonathan's all time favourites and has a back story immersed in the stale...

Signal flares were an important communications tool for aircraft during World War Two, and a multitude of flare pistol types exist with mounting brackets for aerial use. The introduction of pressurized fuselages made this a much more difficult proposition, however. These two flare pistols were de...

In our final segment on the SA80 family of weapons, we are looking at a selection of underbarrel grenade launcher adaptations of the L85 rifle. Specifically, we will see a prototype XL60 series launcher, a prototype Enfield XL70 series system, an adaptation of the Colt M203, and the final adopted...

The Hungarian AMP-69 is, I think, the undisputed ugliest military AK variant ever fielded. It is truly an example of function over form, designed specifically for the role of dedicated rifle grenade launcher. To this end, the muzzle is fitted with a grenade spigot, a side rail mounts a high-angle...

The Smith & Wesson company was purchased by the Bangor Punta conglomerate in 1964, and BP also owned one of the early pioneers in police tear gas products, the Lake Erie Chemical Company. Once it had both companies under single ownership, the decision was made to rebrand the tear gas product line...

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Want early access to our videos and be entered to win a monthly raffle?! Considering giving to our Patreon. Link below! https://www.patreon.com/legacycollectibles Check out our Podcast "Flak & Fubar" https://flakfubar.buzzsprout.com/ Legacy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legacy_collectibles...

Want early access to our videos and be entered to win a monthly raffle?! Considering giving to our Patreon. Link below! https://www.patreon.com/legacycollectibles Check out our Podcast "Flak & Fubar" https://flakfubar.buzzsprout.com/ Legacy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legacy_collectibles...

Want early access to our videos and be entered to win a monthly raffle?! Considering giving to our Patreon. Link below! https://www.patreon.com/legacycollectibles Check out our Podcast "Flak & Fubar" https://flakfubar.buzzsprout.com/ Legacy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legacy_collectibles...

After the problems with the Colt XM-148 under barrel grenade launcher were discovered in service in Vietnam, the US military was eager to quickly find a better alternative. The idea of replacing the standalone M79 grenade launcher with an under barrel unit was very appealing, and the development ...

Combat experience with the bazooka rocket launcher in World War Two and its larger versions in the Korean War convinced the US military that a better weapon was needed to give front-line troops a direct-fire way to attack enemy strong points. The bazooka was bulky, not particularly accurate, and ...

When Polish workers held massive protests in Poznań against the communist Polish government in 1956, the Army was sent in to quell the unrest. In the aftermath of these events, the government decided to create a riot police squad to handle any future such situations. When this unit was put to use...

When Polish workers held massive protests in Poznań against the communist Polish government in 1956, the Army was sent in to quell the unrest. In the aftermath of these events, the government decided to create a riot police squad to handle any future such situations. When this unit was put to use...

When Polish workers held massive protests in Poznań against the communist Polish government in 1956, the Army was sent in to quell the unrest. In the aftermath of these events, the government decided to create a riot police squad to handle any future such situations. When this unit was put to use...

Tony Neophytou developed this for Denel Land Systems, which has completely fallen apart as a company and left it now as his own independent design, with no manufacturer. I filmed this video in 2018, to show the prototype version of the Strike, which has since been improved and further developed. ...

The Kresimir is honestly the most bonkers weapon I have come across in a long while. Made by IM Metall in Croatia at the beginning of the Croatian Homeland War circa 1991, this is a semiautomatic grenade launcher. Most grenade launchers fire a big cartridge with an explosive warhead, but not this...

Today we are looking at the Winchester company's entry into the 1964 SPIW (Special Purpose Infantry Weapon) trials. The SPIW program was an attempt to increase small arms lethality by increasing hit probability with ideas like hyper-velocity flechette cartridges and burst fire trigger mechanisms....

After finishing his work on the PPSh-41 submachine gun, Georgiy Semyonovich Shpagin was tasked with creating a simplified flare or signal pistol for the Red Army. They had entered the war with a 1930 pattern type, which was quite nice, but more expensive than really necessary. Shpagin first creat...