View source for M79 grenade launcher

{{Infobox weapon
| name               = Launcher, Grenade, 40 mm, M79
| image              = M79 Grenade Launcher (7414625716).jpg
| image_size         = 300
| caption            = M79 with the ladder-type sights unfolded.
| origin             = United States
| type               = [[Grenade launcher]]
| is_ranged          = yes
| service            = 1961–present
| used_by            = See ''[[M79 grenade launcher#Users|Users]]''
| wars               = [[Vietnam War]]<br />[[Cambodian Civil War]]<br />[[Laotian Civil War]]<br />[[Communist insurgency in Thailand]]<br />[[Dominican Civil War]]<ref>{{cite book|title=Power Pack: U.S. Intervention in the Dominican Republic, 1965-1966 |series=Leavenworth Papers, Number 15|last=Yates|first= Lawrence A. |date=July 1988|page= 123|publisher= [[United States Army Command and General Staff College]]|url= https://history.army.mil/html/bookshelves/resmat/dom_republic/Power_Pack-US_Intervention_Dominican_Republic_1965-1966.pdf|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150906182310/http://www.history.army.mil/html/bookshelves/resmat/dom_republic/Power_Pack-US_Intervention_Dominican_Republic_1965-1966.pdf|url-status= dead|archive-date= September 6, 2015}}</ref><br />[[Communist insurgency in Malaysia (1968-89)|Communist Insurgency War]]<br />[[The Troubles]]<br />[[Araguaia Guerrilla War|Operation Marajoara]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tropasearmas.com/guerrilha-contraguerrilha-araguaia.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210619002342/http://tropasearmas.com/guerrilha-contraguerrilha-araguaia.html |archive-date=2021-06-19 |url-status=usurped |title=GUERRILHA E CONTRA-GUERRILHA NO ARAGUAIA}}</ref><br />[[Lebanese Civil War]]<br />[[South African Border War]]<br />[[Sino-Vietnamese War]]<ref name="浴火重生——对越自卫反击战对我国轻武器发展的影响">{{cite web|title=浴火重生——对越自卫反击战对我国轻武器发展的影响|url= https://m.fx361.com/news/2014/0923/3130795.html |date=23 Sep 2014|access-date=5 Aug 2022|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213100317/https://m.fx361.com/news/2014/0923/3130795.html|archive-date=February 13, 2023}}</ref><br />[[Salvadoran Civil War]]<br />[[Falklands War]]<br />[[Bougainville Civil War]]<br />[[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)]]<br />[[Iraq War]]<br />[[Cambodian–Thai border dispute]]<br />[[2010 Burma border clashes]]<br />[[Syrian Civil War]]<br />[[Battle of Marawi]]<br />
[[ Myanmar Civil War]]
<!-- Production history -->| designer           = [[Springfield Armory]]
| design_date        = 1953–1960
| manufacturer       = [[Springfield Armory]], [[Action Manufacturing Company]], [[Kanarr Corporation]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Kanarr Corporation v. the United States, 413 F.2d 1143 (Ct. Cl. 1969) |url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/413/1143/36284/ |website=Justia}}</ref> and [[TRW Inc.|Thompson-Ramo-Wooldridge]]
| production_date    = 1961–1971 (U.S.)
| number             = 350,000 (U.S. only)
| variants           = <!-- General specifications -->
| weight             = 2.93&nbsp;kg (6.45&nbsp;lb) loaded<br />2.7&nbsp;kg (5.95&nbsp;lb) empty
| length             = 73.1&nbsp;cm (28.78&nbsp;in)
| part_length        = 35.56&nbsp;cm (14&nbsp;in)
| cartridge          = [[40mm grenade|40×46mm grenade]]
| action             = [[Break-action]]
| rate               = Depends on the speed of the operator
| velocity           = 76&nbsp;m/s (247&nbsp;ft/s)
| range              = 350&nbsp;m (383&nbsp;yd)
| max_range          = 400&nbsp;m (437&nbsp;yd)
| feed               = [[Breech-loading weapon|Breech-loaded]]
| sights             = Blade and leaf type
}}

The '''M79 grenade launcher''' is a [[single-shot]], shoulder-fired, [[break-action]] [[grenade launcher]] that fires a [[40 mm grenade|40×46mm grenade]], which uses what the US Army calls the [[High-Low System|High-Low Propulsion System]] to keep recoil forces low, and first appeared during the [[Vietnam War]]. Its distinctive report has earned it colorful nicknames, such as "Thumper", "Thump-Gun", "Bloop Tube", "Big Ed", "Elephant Gun", and "Blooper" among American soldiers<ref>Variations:
* "Blooper" and "Thumper", according to {{cite book | title = US Army Infantryman in Vietnam 1965–73 | url = https://archive.org/details/usarmyinfantryma00rott | url-access = limited | last = Rottman | first = Gordon L. | pages = [https://archive.org/details/usarmyinfantryma00rott/page/n32 31] | publisher = Osprey | year = 2005 | isbn = 1-84176-887-1}}
* "Thumper", "Blooper Gun", "Thump Gun" and "Bloop Tube" in {{cite book | title = Words of the Vietnam War | last = Clark | first = Gregory R. | pages = 303 | year = 1990 | publisher = McFarland | isbn = 0-89950-465-5}}
* Also "Elephant Gun", etc. {{cite book|first1=Gordon L.|last1=Rottman|title=US Grenade Launchers: M79, M203, and M320|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o9QxDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA49|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|date=21 September 2017|isbn=9781472819536|via=Google Books}}</ref> as well as "Can Cannon" in reference to the grenade size; Australian units referred to it as the "Wombat Gun".<ref name="mckay1998">{{cite book | title = Delta Four: Australian Riflemen in Vietnam | pages = 293 | last = McKay | first = Gary | publisher = Allen & Unwin | year = 1998 | isbn = 1-86448-905-7}}</ref> The M79 can fire a wide variety of 40&nbsp;mm rounds, including explosive, [[Anti-personnel weapon|anti-personnel]], [[Smoke grenade|smoke]], [[buckshot]], [[flechette]] (pointed steel projectiles with a vaned tail for stable flight), and illumination. While largely replaced by the [[M203 grenade launcher|M203]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/factfile.nsf/7e931335d515626a8525628100676e0c/d50a120f00de543d8525627b006b1fec?OpenDocument|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080107090628/http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/factfile.nsf/7e931335d515626a8525628100676e0c/d50a120f00de543d8525627b006b1fec?OpenDocument|url-status=dead|title=M203 40mm Grenade Launcher|archive-date=January 7, 2008}}</ref> the M79 has remained in service in many units worldwide in niche roles.

[[File:Queen's Cobras Conduct a Search and Sweep Mission in Phuoc Tho, 11-67 1.jpg|right|thumb|Soldiers of the Royal Thai Army Volunteer Regiment (Queen's Cobras) conduct a search and sweep mission in Phuoc Tho, 1967]]

==History==
The M79 was a result of the [[United States Army|US Army]]'s [[SPIW#Project NIBLICK|Project Niblick]], an attempt to increase firepower for the infantryman by having an explosive projectile more accurate with further range than [[rifle grenade]]s, but more portable than a [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]]. Project Niblick created the 40&nbsp;x&nbsp;46&nbsp;mm grenade, but was unable to create a satisfactory launcher for it that could fire more than a single shot. One of the launchers at [[Springfield Armory]] was the three-shot "harmonica" [[T148E1 grenade launcher|T148]] (not to be confused with the later, underbarrel [[XM148 grenade launcher|XM148]]), which did see some limited production and fielding in Vietnam, but problems with the three-round magazine prevented widespread acceptance. The other design was a single-shot break-open, shoulder-fired weapon, the S-3. This was refined into the S-5, which resembled an oversized single-barrel shotgun. Unable to solve the problems with the multi-shot T148 launcher, the Army adopted the S-5 as the XM79. With a new sight, the XM79 was officially adopted as the M79 on December 15, 1960.<ref>{{cite book |last=Dockery|first=Kevin|title=Weapons of the Navy SEALs|date=December 2004|publisher=Berkley Publishing Group|location=[[New York City]]|pages=372–374|isbn=0-425-19834-0}}</ref>

In 1961, the first M79 [[grenade launcher]]s were delivered to the US Army. Owing to its ease of use, reliability, and firepower, the M79 became popular among American soldiers, who dubbed it "the platoon leader's artillery".<ref>{{cite book | title = Land, Sea and Foreign Shore: A Missileer's Story | last = Clark II | first = Clair William | year = 2002 | pages = 77 | publisher = Xlibris | isbn = 1-4010-6380-2 | quote = [The M79] was very popular because it was fun and easy to shoot[...] This popular weapon was dubbed "the platoon leader's artillery." It was a deadly little dude.}}</ref>{{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=December 2017}}<ref>{{cite book | title = Anatomy of a Division | last = Stanton | first = Shelby L. | year = 1987 | isbn = 0-89141-259-X | pages = [https://archive.org/details/anatomyofdivisio00stan/page/198 198] | publisher = Presidio Press | quote = The M79 was popular and handy, being both thoroughly reliable and virtually maintenance-free. | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/anatomyofdivisio00stan/page/198 }}</ref> Some soldiers would cut down the stock and barrel to make the M79 even more portable.<ref>{{cite book | title = War Stories of the Green Berets | last = Halberstadt | first = Hans |  pages = 231 | year = 2004 | publisher = Zenith Press | isbn = 0-7603-1974-X}}</ref>

[[File:Infantryman with M79 Grenade Launcher Vietnam.jpg|thumb|left|A US infantryman carrying the M79 in Vietnam]]
The M79 saw combat in the Vietnam War beginning in the early days, when M79 grenadiers assigned to major Army divisions first arrived to see combat in Vietnam in 1965, including the 1st Cavalry Division, the 1st Infantry Division, the 101st Airborne Division, and the 173rd Airborne Brigade.  M79s were assigned to the specialist 4 grenadier in both 4-5-man fire teams organic to an Army rifle squad headed by a squad leader. The Marines assigned one grenadier to their three-fireteam 14-man rifle squad.

However, its single-shot nature was a serious drawback. Reloading after every shot meant a slow rate of fire and an inability to keep up a constant volume of fire during a firefight. This led the Navy to develop the [[China Lake Grenade Launcher]], which was produced for deployed SEAL Teams. For close-in situations, the minimum arming range (the round travels 30 meters to arm itself) and the blast radius meant a grenadier had to use his .45 ACP (11.43&nbsp;mm) [[M1911A1|M1911]] pistol, or fire and hope that the grenade acted as a giant slow bullet. Special grenades for close-in fighting were created to compensate, though a soldier was not always able to load one in the heat of battle. Moreover, the size and weight of both the M79 and its ammunition meant that a [[grenadier]] armed with this weapon could not also carry a rifle, having only a sidearm to use in a firefight after expending his rounds. Some grenadiers did choose to carry a slung M16 rifle in lieu of a sidearm.
[[File:3D-1-1025-68.tif|thumb|right|Cut-down M-79 captured by Marines in 1968]]
Underbarrel grenade launchers, such as the [[XM148 grenade launcher|XM148]] and the [[M203 grenade launcher|M203]], both designed as attachments for the M16 rifle, were developed during the Vietnam War, allowing the grenadier to also function as a rifleman.  The XM148 was plagued with problems, and the project was dropped. The M203 was a success, and was standardized in 1969;<ref>Rottman 2005, p. 31.</ref> it had replaced the M79 by the end of the war although M79s were still used in [[United States Army Reserve|Reserve]] and [[National Guard of the United States|National Guard]] units.

Some [[US Navy SEALs]] and [[Army Special Forces]] in [[Iraq War|Iraq]] were seen using the M79 due to its greater accuracy and range compared to the M203 (350 meters effective versus 150 meters effective). The M79 saw notable limited use during [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]], such as for clearing [[Improvised explosive device|IEDs]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/ac95bc775efc34c685256ab50049d458/542173945786511c85256fea0060732b?OpenDocument|title=Marines test 'blooper' against roadside bomb threat|access-date=23 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080108142718/http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/ac95bc775efc34c685256ab50049d458/542173945786511c85256fea0060732b?OpenDocument|archive-date=8 January 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> The grenade launcher also sees continued use as a mission-specific tool with [[Special warfare combatant-craft crewmen]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-8IRTtp9aw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/w-8IRTtp9aw |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Navy Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman-SWCC|date=14 August 2019 |publisher=[[United States Navy]]|access-date=21 August 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Design==
[[File:Grenade launcher M79 1.jpg|thumb|210px|M79]]
Visually, the M79 grenade launcher resembles a large bore, break-action, [[sawed-off shotgun]],<ref>Clark 2002, p. 77. "It looked like a small, pregnant, breech loading, sawed off shotgun."</ref> and is simple in design, having only five major parts: a receiver group, a fore-end assembly, a barrel group, a sight assembly, and a stock. The fore-end assembly beds the barrel to the receiver. The stock is made out of wood or fiberglass. A rubber pad affixed to the buttstock absorbs some recoil. The front sight is a fixed blade. The rear sight on the M79 is a folding ladder–style leaf sight. When folded, the leaf sight acts as a fixed sight at close range. A grenadier may simply point and shoot with high accuracy. When unfolded, the leaf sight can be adjusted for ranges from 75 to 375 meters, in 25-meter increments.  Additionally, Appendix A of the U.S. Army field manual for the M203 includes instructions on attaching the M16 rifle grenade sight to the M79's stock and marking the sling for indirect fire at elevations greater than 40°.

While not manufacturers of the M79, Milcor and Denel Mechem of South Africa do re-manufacture M-79 grenade launchers to more modern standards. They replace the leaf sight with an optical one and replace the wooden stock with a modified R-4/R-5 stock.

==Operation==
[[File:M249 FN MINIMI DM-ST-90-02821.jpg|thumb|right|200px|M79 (right) with an [[FN Minimi]], [[Panama]], January 1989]]
[[File:M79 display Wings over Wine Country 2007.JPG|thumb|right|200px|M79 being set up for display]]
The M79 is easy to operate. To load, the grenadier pushes the barrel locking latch on the receiver group to the right. Gravity will pull down the barrel, opening the action and exposing the breech. The hammer is cocked when the breech is opened, and a spent casing may then be removed (if present) and a new round loaded. The break action must then be closed manually. Closing the breech will cause the barrel locking latch to return to center. The safety must then be pushed to the forward position in order to ready the weapon for firing.

==Ammunition==
{{See also|United States 40 mm grenades}}

Many different ammunition types were produced for the M79 (and subsequently for the [[M203 grenade launcher|M203]]).  Outside of the smoke and illumination rounds three main types emerge: explosive, close-range, and non-lethal crowd control. The break-open action of the M79 allows it to use longer rounds that the standard M203 cannot use without some difficulty.

===Explosive===
The M406 40&nbsp;mm HE (high explosive) grenades fired from the M79 travel at a muzzle velocity of 75 meters per second. The M406 contained enough explosive to produce over 300 fragments that travel at 1,524 meters per second within a lethal radius of 5 meters. This round incorporated a spin-activation safety feature which prevents the grenade from arming while still within range of the shooter; it armed itself after traveling a distance of about 14–27 meters.<ref>{{cite web |title=40mm Low-Velocity Grenades |url=https://www.inetres.com/gp/military/infantry/grenade/40mm_ammo.html#M406|website=www.inetres.com |publisher=Inetres|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20230524181519/https://www.inetres.com/gp/military/infantry/grenade/40mm_ammo.html%23M406|archive-date=May 24, 2023}}</ref> The round would not arm at point blank ranges and it usually did not have enough kinetic energy to kill, although it sometimes penetrated the abdomen or caused large hematomas.

===Close range===
[[File:2000516134038m79loading.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A [[Less-lethal weapon|less-lethal]] round is loaded into an M79]]
For close range fighting, two styles of M79 rounds were developed. The first was a [[flechette]] or Bee Hive round (so named for the sound the flechettes made while in flight)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://25thaviation.org/id401.htm|title=War Stories 6|access-date=23 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222025911/http://25thaviation.org/id401.htm|archive-date=22 February 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> that fired 45 10-grain steel flechettes. Flechettes proved to be ineffective because they would often not hit point-first and penetrate. Instead they would hit sideways and bounce off. About 1966, this was replaced by the [[M576 40 mm grenade|M576]] [[buckshot]] round. Containing twenty 24-grain metal pellets<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.inetres.com/gp/military/infantry/grenade/40mm_ammo.html|title=40mm Low-Velocity Grenades|access-date=23 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171102185232/http://www.inetres.com/gp/military/infantry/grenade/40mm_ammo.html|archive-date=2 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> (M576E1) or twenty-seven 24-grain metal pellets (M576E2), this round could be devastating at close ranges. However, as range increased, the shot spread out so rapidly as to be ineffective. The M576E2, despite the greater number of shot, was less effective at range than the M576E1, because its shot spread out much more quickly and could completely miss the target.

===Non-lethal===
The M79 has been used extensively also for [[crowd control]] purposes where it is desirable to have a weapon dedicated solely to [[Non-lethal weapon|non-lethal force]]. The three common less-lethal rounds are the [[CS gas|M651 CS gas]], the [[Sponge grenade|M1006 sponge grenade]], and the [[Rubber bullet|M1029 Crowd Dispersal]] rounds.

==Users==
[[File:M79 grenade launcher Users.png|thumb|Map with M79 grenade launcher users in blue]]<!--
READ FIRST: This section is for cited entries only. Please do not add entries into this list without a citation from a reliable source. All entries without a citation will be removed. Thank you.
-->
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break|width=50%}}
* {{flag|Australia}}<ref name="mckay1998"/>
* {{flag|Brazil}}: Used by the [[Brazilian Army]].<ref name="jones2009">Jones, Richard D. ''Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010''. Jane's Information Group; 35 edition (January 27, 2009). {{ISBN|978-0-7106-2869-5}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.exercito.gov.br/01inst/armtmuni/lancagrana.htm |title=.: Exército Brasileiro - Braço Forte, Mão Amiga |access-date=2008-09-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090222181640/http://www.exercito.gov.br/01inst/armtmuni/lancagrana.htm |archive-date=2009-02-22 }}</ref>
* {{flag|Cambodia}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/files/sas/publications/w_papers_pdf/WP/WP4_Cambodia.pdf|title=Small Arms Survey - Working Papers|date=8 November 2012|access-date=23 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100704230440/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/files/sas/publications/w_papers_pdf/WP/WP4_Cambodia.pdf|archive-date=4 July 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-01/25/c_13149268.htm|title=Misunderstanding leads to Thai-Cambodian border clash: Thai, Cambodian armies|access-date=23 November 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609223235/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-01/25/c_13149268.htm|archive-date=9 June 2011}}</ref>
* {{flag|Chad}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|China}}: Grenade launcher captured and used in [[Sino-Vietnamese War]] and [[Sino-Vietnamese conflicts 1979-1990|Sino-Vietnamese conflicts]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://xw.qq.com/news/20160226010884/NEW2016022601088400|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723212254/https://xw.qq.com/news/20160226010884/NEW2016022601088400|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 23, 2018|title=中国为何没仿制美军单兵大炮?|date=July 23, 2018}}</ref>
* {{flag|Colombia}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Costa Rica}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Dominican Republic}}: Used by the [[Dominican Army]].<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|El Salvador}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Eritrea}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Ethiopia}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Fiji}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Greece}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Guatemala}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Haiti}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Honduras}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Indonesia}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Iran}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Ireland}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Israel}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Jamaica}}: [[Jamaica Defence Force]].<ref name="jones2009"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jdfmil.org/equipment/weapons/weapons_home.php|title=Web Site of the Jamaica Defence Force|author=ncoicinnet|access-date=23 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223071832/http://www.jdfmil.org/equipment/weapons/weapons_home.php|archive-date=23 February 2012|url-status=usurped}}</ref>
* {{flag|Jordan}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
{{col-break}}

* {{flag|Kenya}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{Flag|Kurdistan}} – [[Peshmerga]]
* {{flag|Kingdom of Laos}}<ref>{{cite book|title=The War in Laos 1960–75|url=https://archive.org/details/warlaos00conb|url-access=limited|series=Men-at-Arms 217|first=Kenneth |last=Conboy|date=23 Nov 1989 |publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=9780850459388|page=[https://archive.org/details/warlaos00conb/page/n13 15]}}</ref>
* {{flag|Lebanon}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Malaysia}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Myanmar}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|New Zealand}}
* {{flag|Nicaragua}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Niger}}<ref>{{cite web|title=World Infantry Weapons: Niger|url=https://sites.google.com/site/worldinventory/wiw_af_niger|date=2007–2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124203932/https://sites.google.com/site/worldinventory/wiw_af_niger|archive-date=24 November 2016}}</ref>
* {{flag|Oman}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Paraguay}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Panama}} : [[Panama Defense Force]]<ref>{{cite book
| last = Rottman
| first = Gordon
| author-link = 
| title = Panama 1989-90
| publisher = Osprey Publishing
| series = Elite
| volume = 37
| edition = 
| date = 2010
| location = 
| pages = 15
| language = English
| url = 
| doi = 
| id = 
| isbn = 9781855321564
| mr = 
| zbl = 
| jfm =}}</ref>
* {{flag|Philippines}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Portugal}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Saint Vincent and the Grenadines}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Saudi Arabia}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Somalia}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|South Korea}}: Manufactured by [[S&T Daewoo]] under license as KM79.<ref>{{cite book |title=Jane's Infantry Weapons 1997–98 |year=1997 |edition=23rd |publisher=[[Jane's Information Group]] |location=[[Coulsdon|Coulsdon, UK]] |isbn=0-7106-1548-5 |pages=242}}</ref>
* {{flag|Spain}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Taiwan}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Thailand}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Turkey}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|United Kingdom}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Mountain Commandos at War in the Falklands: The Royal Marines Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre in Action During the 1982 Conflict|isbn = 9781526791634|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_UMrEAAAQBAJ|last1 = Boswell|first1 = Rodney|date = 12 May 2021| publisher=Pen and Sword Military }}{{page number needed|date=March 2025}}</ref> British-issue M79s typically featured green synthetic stocks.
* {{flag|Union of South Africa}}: Used by [[32 Battalion (South Africa)|32 Battalion]] operators.{{sfn|Pitta|1993|p=20}}
* {{flag|United States}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
* {{flag|Vietnam}}: Locally produced (at Factory Z125) as '''M79-VN''', with plum-red synthetic stock and [[optical sight]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://quocphong.baodatviet.vn/Home/QPCN/Viet-Nam-sua-chua-sung-phong-luu-My/20128/227887.datviet|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103221546/http://quocphong.baodatviet.vn/Home/QPCN/Viet-Nam-sua-chua-sung-phong-luu-My/20128/227887.datviet|archive-date=2012-11-03|access-date=2014-04-29|date=2012-12-08|language=vi|title=Việt Nam sửa chữa súng phóng lựu Mỹ}}</ref> Industrial name is '''SPL40'''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2018/11/29/indo-defense-2018-vietnamese-small-arms-part-one-lee-enfields-m79s-and-bizons/ |title=&#91;Indo Defense 2018&#93; Vietnamese Small Arms Part One: Lee Enfield's, M79's, and Bizon's -The Firearm Blog |date=29 November 2018 |access-date=2018-12-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201222806/https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2018/11/29/indo-defense-2018-vietnamese-small-arms-part-one-lee-enfields-m79s-and-bizons/ |archive-date=2018-12-01 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* {{flag|Yemen}}<ref name="jones2009"/>
{{col-end}}

===Non-state users===
* {{flagicon image|Flag red yellow 5x3.svg}} [[Lord's Resistance Army]]<ref name ='SAS 2007 10'>{{cite book|url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/yearbook/small-arms-survey-2007.html|chapter-url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/A-Yearbook/2007/en/full/Small-Arms-Survey-2007-Chapter-10-EN.pdf|chapter=Persistent Instability: Armed Violence and Insecurity in South Sudan|title=The Small Arms Survey 2007: Guns and the City|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|year=2007|author=Small Arms Survey|page=325|isbn=978-0-521-88039-8|access-date=2018-08-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827001033/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/yearbook/small-arms-survey-2007.html|archive-date=2018-08-27|url-status=dead|author-link=Small Arms Survey}}</ref>
* Moro Islamic Liberation Front<ref>{{cite web | url=https://mb.com.ph/2022/4/22/69-assorted-firearms-surrendered-by-milf-ready-for-decommissioning | title=69 assorted firearms surrendered by MILF ready for decommissioning | website=[[Manila Bulletin]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/resrep04168.8.pdf | jstor=resrep04168.8 | title=Muslim Radicalism in Mindanao | last1=Chalk | first1=Peter | last2=Ungerer | first2=Carl | journal=Neighbourhood Watch | date=2008 | pages=17–25 }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Brügger & Thomet GL-06|B&T GL-06 Grenade Launcher]]
* [[China Lake Grenade Launcher]]
* [[EAGLE grenade launcher]]
* [[FN SCAR#Enhanced Grenade Launcher Module|FN40GL EGLM]]
* [[Fort-600|Fort-600 Grenade Launcher]]
* [[Heckler & Koch HK69|HK69 Grenade Launcher]]
* [[M320 Grenade Launcher Module|HK M320]]
* [[Mk 19 grenade launcher]]
* [[XM174 grenade launcher]]
* [[Pike (munition)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|last1=Pitta|first1=Robert|title=South African Special Forces|date=27 May 1993|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=1855322943}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|M79 grenade launcher}}

* [http://www.inetres.com/gp/military/infantry/grenade/M79.html Gary's U.S. Infantry Weapons Reference Guide]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20230404070134/https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/3-22-31/appa.htm US Army Field Manual 3–22.31 Appendix A]
* {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.dod.dimoc.26961|name=STAFF FILM REPORT 66-12A (1966)}}
* {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.dod.dimoc.26966|name=STAFF FILM REPORT 66-17A (1966)}}

{{ModernUSInfWeaponsNav}}
{{USAF Weapons}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:M79 Grenade Launcher}}
[[Category:Grenade launchers of the United States]]
[[Category:Teargas grenade guns]]
[[Category:40×46mm grenade launchers]]
[[Category:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1961]]