Type Grenade Launcher Designer Tony Neophytou [2] | Place of origin South Africa Designed 1999- present | |
Manufacturer Gemaco Elbree PTY LTD [3] (former), Denel PMP (current) Produced in limited production by Denel PMP as of late 2015, under the name Inkunzi | ||
The Neopup PAW-20 (Personal Assault Weapon, 20 mm) is a grenade launcher designed by Tony Neophytou and as of 2015, is both produced and marketed by Denel.
Contents
Overview
The PAW-20 is a hand-held, semi-automatic grenade launcher that fires a 20 mm point detonating round. It holds up to seven rounds in a conventional box magazine, with an effective range of 300–400 meters. It was designed mainly as an anti-personnel grenade launcher for use against opposition closely grouped together or behind light cover. However, it is also compatible with less-than-lethal ammunition. The PAW-20 is in direct competition with the more complicated and expensive joint American-German XM25 CDTE.
The PAW-20 has attracted some criticism due to the location of the ejection port; these allegations have largely been proven false, as the spent casings are ejected no closer to the operator's face than in a conventional assault rifle being fired from the left hand. Due to the unique location of the pistol grip on the side of the weapon, it can be fired from the left shoulder for a right-handed operator by simply placing the butt on the left shoulder, with no hand swapping necessary.
This allows the user the advantage of being able to fire from around or under cover, with little time required to change the grip on the weapon. The right-handed location of the pistol grip also allows the weapon to recoil unimpeded into the shoulder of the operator, allowing for a much more manageable recoil than most weapons of this class.
20x42 mm cartridge
The 20x42 mm cartridge was specifically developed for the PAW-20 by Denel PMP, decreasing the overall weight and size of the weapon, and enabling it to hold more rounds in the magazine. It has a muzzle velocity of 310 m/s (1,000 ft/s), and a much flatter trajectory than the more common 40mm grenade launcher round. A number of less-than-lethal rounds are also available for the PAW-20. The effect of this cartridge can be seen on this promotional video.