2-2nd Avn. Regt. Soldiers fire new M320 grenade launchers

Photo By Pfc. Chung Il Kim | A range safety with the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Aviation Regiment, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade directs a Soldier where he is to fire his next M320 grenade launcher round Jan. 29 at the Short Range Complex in South Korea. The Soldiers completed the qualification table for the M320.  

PYEONGTAEK, 41, SOUTH KOREA

01.30.2015

Story by Sgt. Jesse Smith 

2nd Combat Aviation Brigade

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea – The M320 grenade launcher has a maximum firing range of 400 meters. It can be attached to the bottom of a rifle or it can stand alone. The M320 has many new features compared to the old M203 model, but what can a Soldier do with it without the proper training?

That’s where the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Aviation Regiment M320 range qualification on Jan. 29 at the Short Range Complex in South Korea comes in.

2nd Lt. Emily Monk, the officer in charge of the range, said the Soldiers that fired the M320 went through the entire qualification table for the weapon system to include the nuclear, biological, and chemical section which meant that the Soldiers fired with their protective masks on at certain points of the range.

“The Soldiers need to become proficient on the weapon system, so they can overcome any situation they are put in,” Monk said.

Another 2-2nd Avn. Regt Soldier that helped run the range was Staff Sgt. Maurice Erickson, the range safety officer.

Erickson said that the best feature of the new M320 compared to the M203 was the ability to have the weapon system stand alone instead of attached to a rifle. It allows for your rifle to be easier to handle and for the grenade launcher to be more compact.

Spc. Homg Xiao Zhang, a UH-60 Blackhawk crew chief with the Co. A, 2-2nd Avn. Regt., was one of the Soldiers that fired the M320.

“It is a very compact and advanced weapon system,” Zhang said. “It actually kicks harder than the M203.”

Zhang said that the weapon was great because you chamber the grenade round on the side instead of the bottom which makes it easier to see what you are doing.

Over 20 Soldiers from 2-2nd Avn. Regt. went through the qualification which means that over 20 Soldiers are ready to fight tonight with this new and more advanced weapon system.

• Date Taken: 01.30.2015
• Date Posted: 01.30.2015 01:56
• Story ID: 153105
• Location: PYEONGTAEK, 41, KR