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Expodefensa 2025: Indumil’s 40 mm MGL Mk 1 Multi‑Grenade Launcher Enhances Infantry Firepower.
Indumil introduced its 40 mm MGL Mk 1 multiple grenade launcher in Bogotá during Expodefensa 2025, highlighting a new focus on domestically built infantry weapons. The system is positioned to enhance Colombian Army firepower and expand the company’s footprint in the regional arms market.
During Expodefensa 2025, Colombia’s state-owned manufacturer Indumil unveiled its new 40 mm MGL Mk 1 multiple grenade launcher, marking a decisive step in the country’s ambition to equip its forces with domestically produced, high-impact infantry weapons. Presented in Bogotá, this new system is designed to deliver rapid, localized firepower for combat in complex environments, from jungle terrain to urban centers. The MGL Mk 1 reflects Colombia’s shifting defense doctrine, increasingly focused on mobility, precision, and operational independence. Its introduction also signals Indumil’s broader intention to position itself in the regional market for modern infantry support systems.
The 40 mm MGL Mk 1 is a lightweight, six-shot multiple grenade launcher designed to give infantry units fast, concentrated firepower in tight or complex terrain (Picture Source: Army Recognition)
The MGL Mk 1 is a semi-automatic, shoulder-fired 40 mm grenade launcher that employs a rotary drum mechanism for multiple successive shots. Chambered for standard 40×46 mm low-velocity grenades, the launcher provides dismounted units with a compact, easily deployable solution for suppressive fire. Measuring 780 mm in length and weighing 5.3 kg, it is optimized for rapid maneuver and dismounted operations, including jungle patrols, convoy escort, and urban security tasks. The drum typically holds six rounds and can be reloaded quickly by trained operators. Indumil advertises a rate of fire of up to 18 rounds per minute, a significant force multiplier for infantry sections operating independently or in dispersed environments.
Ergonomic considerations have been integrated into the design. The MGL Mk 1 features a three-position folding stock, allowing the operator to adjust the weapon to firing posture, personal equipment, or confined operational spaces such as vehicles or urban alleyways. An ambidextrous safety selector enhances usability across mixed units, while the vertical forward grip and centralized balance around the drum ensure stability during high-rate engagements. A simplified sighting system calibrated for ranges up to 375 meters allows the weapon to accurately engage area targets within typical combat distances encountered by Colombian forces.
From a tactical standpoint, the MGL Mk 1 fills a long-standing capability gap in the Colombian military inventory. Previously reliant on single-shot grenade launchers or imported systems, Colombia’s security forces now benefit from a domestically produced platform capable of delivering high-angle, explosive, smoke, or less-lethal munitions with minimal support. In internal security missions, the MGL Mk 1 can be used to dislodge fortified positions, suppress ambushes, or deny access routes during operations against non-state armed groups, including FARC dissidents and ELN factions. Its portability allows rapid repositioning, making it ideal for fluid engagements in mountainous, forested, or urbanized areas where fire superiority must be achieved quickly and without heavy support.
Strategically, the MGL Mk 1 also plays a key role in Colombia’s push for defense industrial self-reliance. By fielding a locally developed grenade launcher, Bogotá reduces dependency on foreign suppliers and strengthens its national production base in line with regional industrialization goals. Indumil’s participation at Expodefensa 2025 confirms its aspiration not only to serve domestic needs but to expand into export markets in Latin America and Africa. In a geopolitical context where supply chains and technology transfers are increasingly contested, Colombia’s ability to design, manufacture, and field its own infantry support systems enhances both its sovereignty and its credibility as a regional defense player.
With the debut of the MGL Mk 1 at Expodefensa 2025, Indumil demonstrates that Colombia is no longer simply a defense equipment consumer but an active contributor to modern battlefield capabilities. By integrating modular design, high-rate firepower, and operational flexibility into a single system, the launcher responds directly to the evolving demands of both internal security operations and potential expeditionary deployments. As Colombia strengthens its industrial and tactical autonomy, the MGL Mk 1 stands as a tangible expression of a maturing national defense strategy, one built not only on operational needs but also on the capacity to deliver local solutions for regional challenges.