Denel Y3 AGL
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Barrel
- 300 mm
- Weight, empty
- 18.00 kg
- Introduced
- 2003
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Denel Y3 AGL is a South African 40x53mm high-velocity automatic grenade launcher developed from the Aram AS88 and refined by Vektor, now produced by Denel Land Systems. It operates on the long-recoil principle and fires from an open breech to minimise the risk of grenade cook-off, delivering a cyclic rate of 360 to 425 rounds per minute. Belt-fed from a 20- or 32-round box, it can be mounted on a ground tripod or a vehicle and pairs with the on-board LobSight ballistic computer for direct and indirect fire out to roughly 2,176 metres.
Thanks to its buffered moving assemblies and lightweight breech block, the Y3 generates so little recoil that it can be mounted on light aircraft, and its LobSight ballistic computer lets a three-man crew lob grenades over cover onto targets they cannot even see.
Feed direction and ammunition box mountings can be swapped in the field without extra components, and the launcher can be dual-loaded with two different 40mm grenade types for selection on the fly. Its low recoil force and lightweight breech block also allow it to be fitted to light aircraft.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Denel Land Systems (formerly Lyttelton Engineering Works)
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Country
- South Africa
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 2003
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 300 mm
- Overall length
- 844 mm
- Height
- 267 mm
- Width
- 281 mm
- Weight, empty
- 18.00 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Long recoil
- Firing mechanism
- Open bolt
- Capacity
- 32
- Magazine
- Belt
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 242 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 6734 J
- Effective range
- 1500 m
- Maximum range
- 2176 m
- Rate of fire
- 425 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Long recoil operation
Fires from open breech- Reversible feed direction
- Dual loading two ammunition types
- On board ballistic computer lobsight
Tripod or vehicle mount- Firing solenoid option
- Indirect fire capable
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 261 machine guns | 18.00 kg | 10.50 kg | Heavier than about 70% |
| Overall lengthAmong 260 machine guns | 844 mm | 1156 mm | Shorter than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 257 machine guns | 300 mm | 605 mm | Among the shortest tenth |
| Magazine capacityAmong 222 machine guns | 32 | 50 | Holds fewer rounds than about 60% |
Answers
Questions about the Denel Y3 AGL
How much does the Denel Y3 AGL weigh?
The Denel Y3 AGL weighs 18.00 kg (39.68 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Denel Y3 AGL?
The Denel Y3 AGL is chambered in 40x53mm HV Grenade.
How many rounds does the Denel Y3 AGL hold?
The Denel Y3 AGL holds 32 rounds, fed from a belt.
How long is the Denel Y3 AGL?
The Denel Y3 AGL is 844 mm (33.2 in) long overall, with a 300 mm (11.81 in) barrel.
Who makes the Denel Y3 AGL?
The Denel Y3 AGL is made by Denel Land Systems (formerly Lyttelton Engineering Works) (South Africa). It was designed by Aram (Pty.) Ltd. of Pretoria.
When was the Denel Y3 AGL introduced?
The Denel Y3 AGL was introduced in 2003.
How does the Denel Y3 AGL operate?
The Denel Y3 AGL uses a long recoil action, and its firing mechanism is open bolt.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- South African National Defence Force
- 2003
- Peshmerga
- Iraq
Provenance
Confidence in this record
82%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/denel-y3-agl' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "denel-y3-agl", "name": "Denel Y3 AGL", "manufacturer": { "id": "denel-land-systems", "name": "Denel Land Systems (formerly Lyttelton Engineering Works)", "countryCode": "ZA", "foundedYear": 1992, "website": "https://www.denellandsystems.co.za", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": "active", "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": true, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:40", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:48", "version": "452eaadaccf0ec2ec9abbef8c1ca7623b60cf62f7e5c6c1060d489b45dc6d200" }, "category": { "id": "machine-gun", "name": "Machine Gun", "description": "Fully automatic firearms for sustained fire" }, "country_of_origin": "ZA", "year_introduced": 2003, "barrel_length_mm": 300, "weight_empty_g": 18000, "action_type": "long_recoil"}