The Brügger & Thomet GL06 is a dedicated stand-alone shoulder-fired 40×46 mm (1.8 in) grenade launcher intended for military and police applications.
Brügger & Thomet GL06
The M79 grenade launcher is a single-shot, shoulder-fired, break-action grenade launcher that fires a 40×46mm grenade, which uses what the US Army calls the 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 as well as "Can Cannon" in reference to the grenade size; Australian units referred to it as the "Wombat Gun". The M79 can fire a wide variety of 40 mm rounds, including explosive, anti-personnel, smoke, buckshot, flechette, and illumination. While largely replaced by the M203, the M79 has remained in service in many units worldwide in niche roles.
M79 with the leaf-type sights unfolded.
A US infantryman carrying the M79 in Vietnam
M79 (right) with an FN Minimi, Panama, January 1989
M79 being set up for display