I Sing The Praises Of : The PAW-20 Inkunzi, Part II

Here's a blog post I did on the PAW-20 a few years ago.

The weapon and its potent little cartridge have advanced since then, so here's an update.

Denel, the South African company that produces the weapon, recently filled its first production order for the man-portable grenade launcher that is now called the Inkunzi, or "Bull."  The client isn't named, but hopefully the weapon gets some field time.

There's also a neat little belt-fed version called the Inkunzi Strike.

Denel has also incorporated the Inkunzi Stike into a remote-operated weapon station that can be bolted to the tops of armored vehicles.

What really piqued my interest, lately, though, is the unveiling of the CMS Anti-Materiel Rifle from Truvelo.  It's basically a bolt-action rifle that fires the same 20x42mm cartridge as the above-mentioned weapons.
 

It also has a folding stock.  So cute and tiny!

Why do I like this thing, even though I probably can't have one?  I like things that go boom.  Simple enough.

The concept also fills a niche I foresaw in the coming future, where infantrymen will be facing up-armored personnel on foot.  Modern Class IV armor plates can stop multiple .30 caliber rounds.  This armor plate technology will soon propagate to anyone who can order one via Amazon or the dark web.

Thus, in the ever-spiraling dance of armor and weaponry, something man-portable is going to be needed to punch through the next generation of armored enemy infantrymen. 
Other rounds, such as fragmentation or buckshot, could also be utilized, depending on the combat situation.

I think a weapon with the size and capability of the Inkunzi would fill that gap.
I hope the US develops one soon.
Yes, the XM25 Punisher is being field-tested, but it's the ground-pounder equivalent of the F-35.
Too expensive and fancy for its own good.
Something brutal, ugly, and simple is needed.


Long ago, I voiced my thoughts on a portable support weapon the size of an M-14, throwing a round that contained a miniaturized explosive warhead, with a bore between 15 and 20mm.  As a matter of fact, with a little bit of googling, here's the post...

Quoted Question:

I wonder. Once body armor that can readily stop all current individual weapons becomes commonplace, what's next?

My babbling input:

It's the endless cycle of armor vs. armament.

Unarmored extremeties are still vulnerable to conventional firearms. Class III helmets and faceplates aren't anywhere on the horizon, so the failure drill will still have a place in weapons implementation.

Before gunpowder and the longbow, ancient knights were still vulnerable to daggers through the faceplate and armor joints. Blunt trauma, like a mace, could still ring an armored knight's bell.

Ammo design will catch up with the new armors. Once class III and IV starts to proliferate to our nation's enemies, a paradyne shift will occur with weaponry. New micronized AP/HEDP projectiles (I think explosive small arms bullets are against the Hauge Convention, for now), directed energy weapons, sonic weapons, or something else from the next wave.

Maybe a miniaturized 15 or 20mm HEDP warhead in a Heavy Support Rifle is just what the doctor ordered. Something M-14 sized or slightly larger, for knocking out armored individuals or light armored vehicles. The XM-109 is a step in the right direction, but the Barrett platform is too bulky to haul around, in my opinion, and it only has a 5 round capacity. Minimum 10 rounds per mag in the Heavy Support Rifle.

Just thinking off the top of my head.

Best,
John Bear Ross

That's a blast from the past.  December 26, 2004.  I think I've been on the internet too long.  ;)
When the PAW-20 emerged, I was more than delighted, for obvious reasons.

Neat stuff.

Best,
JBR