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FN America Advances MTL-30 Grenade Launcher with New MF30MD Muzzle Device for U.S. Army Program.
FN America announced new testing progress for its FN MTL-30 30 mm Medium Tactical Grenade Launcher under the U.S. Army Precision Grenadier System prototype program. The development moves the effort from concept imagery toward measurable integration and range validation, supporting the Army’s push for a more precise, controllable explosive capability at the squad level.
On February 23, 2026, FN America reported fresh progress in the development and testing of its FN MTL-30 30 mm Medium Tactical Grenade Launcher for the U.S. Army Precision Grenadier System prototype effort. The update signals that industry teams are now moving beyond concept visuals toward integration work that can be measured on a range. For the Army, the near-term issue is not simply adding another launcher, but giving small units a controllable precision explosive option for targets that sit behind cover or outside the effective envelope of legacy 40 mm systems.
FN America announced live testing progress of its MTL 30 30 mm grenade launcher, including evaluation of a new multifunction muzzle device under the U.S. Army’s Precision Grenadier System prototype effort (Picture Source: FN America / Strategic Sciences)
FN America stated that its recent activities focused on function testing related to integrating Strategic Sciences’ MF30MD multi-function muzzle device with the MTL-30 platform. Conducted in close collaboration between the two companies, the testing aimed to validate component compatibility within the launcher’s operating cycle, ensure consistent reliability across varied firing conditions, and confirm that the new addition does not impose unacceptable handling or signature penalties for infantry use. The company’s phrasing further suggests an iterative testing methodology, where performance data and operator feedback drive incremental refinements rather than a single milestone demonstration.
The MTL-30 is positioned by FN America as a soldier-portable, semi-automatic, medium-velocity 30 mm grenade launcher designed to deliver next-generation precision and lethality for modern infantry missions, particularly those involving counter-defilade targets. The system features a compact architecture with detachable box magazines available in three- or five-round configurations, maintaining dimensions and weight consistent with a man-portable rather than a crew-served platform. FN also promotes the design as enhancing infantry capability through a flatter trajectory than traditional low-velocity grenade launchers, aligning with the U.S. Army’s broader emphasis on improved precision and effectiveness at the squad level.
Strategic Sciences describes its MFMD family as a hybrid muzzle device architecture designed to integrate flash reduction, recoil mitigation, and sound suppression within a single compact unit. The company positions the design as a solution to the trade-offs typically associated with legacy muzzle devices, emphasizing controlled gas flow and energy management as part of a unified system. This integrated approach aims to reduce visual and acoustic signature while improving weapon controllability, all without extending overall length as a conventional suppressor would. For shoulder-fired launchers, these features address two critical operational factors: maintaining the operator’s visibility and concealment after firing, and minimizing impulse and blast effects that can hinder follow-up accuracy or contribute to fatigue.
This testing activity also sits inside the U.S. Army’s Precision Grenadier System Prototype Project Opportunity Notice pathway, which FN America has described as supporting continued maturation of the MTL-30 launcher and an accompanying ammunition family. FN’s LinkedIn statement references a 2 million dollar award associated with this prototype phase, signaling that the effort is structured as a stepwise reduction of technical risk rather than an immediate procurement decision. A prior report on the award framed it as funding intended to move the technology toward potential future modernization phases, consistent with how the Army often uses prototype opportunities to compare approaches before setting tighter requirements for a follow-on program.
A semi-automatic medium velocity 30 mm system aims at a specific gap between rifle-fired munitions and heavier crew-served grenade solutions. The key promise is giving squads an organic option to place explosive effects more precisely at extended practical distances, particularly against enemies using cover, defilade positions, or micro terrain that reduces the utility of direct fire. If the launcher, fire control, and ammunition family mature together, the Army could gain a more consistent way to engage point targets and light structures while reducing the volume of fire needed to achieve effects, which matters for both logistics and signature management.
The MTL-30’s progress reflects a wider pattern in land forces modernization: pushing precision and higher probability of hit down to the smallest tactical echelons while keeping systems portable and supportable. For the U.S. industrial base, FN America’s framing highlights domestic engineering and manufacturing credibility as part of why it was selected for prototype development, and the continued integration work with outside technology partners illustrates how subsystem innovation can be pulled into Army-relevant platforms faster than building everything in-house. If the Army ultimately selects a PGS solution, it could influence allied requirements in similar small unit “precision explosive” niches, while also shaping the future ammunition ecosystem around medium velocity 30 mm effects.
FN America’s latest update indicates that the MTL-30 program is moving through the unglamorous but decisive phase where reliability, integration, and soldier usability are proven through measured testing, not claims. By pairing the launcher’s medium velocity 30 mm concept with integration trials around Strategic Sciences’ MF30MD muzzle device, the work points to a design priority set focused on controllability, reduced signature, and repeatable performance under realistic conditions. The U.S. Army’s prototype funding structure keeps the effort firmly in the evaluation lane, but each successful integration step increases the credibility of a squad-level precision grenadier capability that could reshape how infantry units solve counter-defilade and complex terrain engagement problems.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.