This invention relates in general to grenades, in particular to fragmentation and non-lethal grenades, and more particularly to dual mode grenade selectively operational in lethal fragmentation or non-lethal modes.
Modern warfare doctrines demand flexible response to threats. The Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) missions often require measured response to threats in order to minimize catastrophic and/or collateral damage to non-combatants. At the same time the protection of the military personnel is of paramount importance which sometimes necessitates the use of the lethal force. The response therefore sometimes calls for Non-Lethal (N-L) means of deterrence, while the ultimate protection is achieved through the use of conventional lethal weaponry, such as conventional grenades. The field deployment and use of both types of devices by the same personnel is problematic due to the increased weight load for the military field personnel and the necessity to operate in the field and logistically manage several types of grenades.
It is desirable, therefore to have a single device, such as a dual mode grenade, that could be operated selectively in an N-L or a lethal mode, depending on the tactical situation and particular mission goals.
It is also desirable to have a grenade which would be easily, quickly and reversibly transformed from one mode to another.
It is also desirable to have a device compatible with the intended operational, storage and logistics environments of the users.
It is also desirable to have a device which, when converted to N-L mode will not create or leave behind unused explosive components which can be exploited by adversaries.
Thus, it is an objective of instant invention to provide a dual mode grenade which would be selectively operable in a lethal as well as a non-lethal mode.
Another objective of instant invention is to provide a dual mode grenade which would be quickly and easily transformed from one operational mode to another.
Yet another objective of instant invention is to provide a dual mode grenade which would be reversibly switchable from one operational mode to another without any tools or implements.
Another objective of instant invention is to provide a dual mode grenade which would be compatible with the existing and intended operational, storage and logistics environments.
Yet another objective of instant invention is to provide a dual mode grenade which when converted to N-L mode would not leave behind components containing explosives.
In accordance with the present invention a dual mode grenade is presented. The grenade contains a hard back containing fuse/safing assembly, and the central explosive charge surrounded by concentric layers of, respectively, non-lethal (N-L) projectiles, N-L case, and the removable lethal fragmentation shell, both the N-L case and the fragmentation shell attached to the hard back. The activation of the grenade is effected by a fuse/safing assembly interfacing with the explosive charge.
Prior art contains grenades whose operation can be modified from a so-called ‘offensive’ (limited to an explosion blast, flash and sound) to a ‘defensive’ (explosion and fragmentation) operation. One such grenade is Model DM51 made by Diehl BGT Defence Gmbh & Co. of Überlingen, Germany. It features a hexagonal explosive fuse-containing core which can be used by itself in the offensive mode, that is, without fragmentation projectiles. For a defensive mode the core is inserted into- and locked inside a fragmentation shell containing a number of fragmentation projectiles. When the core explodes, the fragmentation projectiles are expelled.
Another offensive-defensive grenade, Model M5 is made by Explosivos Alaveses, S.A. of Madrid, Spain. Like the previous device, this grenade uses a fragmentation shell that is screwed onto a percussion offensive explosive core to convert it into a fragmentation-type defensive weapon.
None of the prior art teaches non-lethal mode capabilities for dual mode grenades, in addition to the fragmentation lethal mode.
In contrast to the prior art mentioned hereinabove, the present invention provides a non-lethal operational mode in addition to a lethal fragmentation one. It provides a quick and easily reversible transformation from a lethal to a non-lethal mode of operation.
In the foregoing description like components are referenced by the like numerals.
The preferred embodiment 2 of the grenade is shown on
Fuse/safing assembly 14 is inserted via a threaded aperture 11 in hard back plate 10 into cavity 13 of explosive charge 12. Explosive charge is preferably of a high explosive-type, such as ‘Composition B’ consisting of a mix of TNT (trinitrotoluene) and RDX (cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine), or PETN (pentaerythritol tetranitrate), and the like. Explosives of this type are known in the art.
Fuse/safing assembly 14 contains safety clip 16 which prevents premature fuse activation prior to grenade release.
Non-lethal case 6 is made from a relatively soft material, preferably hard rubber, and is permanently attached to hard plate 10, while fragmentation shell 4 can be detached and re-attached to hard plate 10 repeatedly and at will. Fragmentation shell 4 is preferably made of a brittle material, or, alternatively of a case containing individual projectiles either embedded in or attached thereto. The attachment of non-lethal case 6 and fragmentation shell 4 to hard back plate 10 is preferably accomplished by threaded connections.
Referring to
For lethal operation fragmentation shell 4 is either left attached to the hard plate 10 or is re-attached to it, if it was previously detached. As shown on
In the foregoing description like components are labeled with like numerals.
An alternate grenade embodiment 20 is shown on
An alternate grenade embodiment 24 is shown on
The grenade and particularly its fragmentation shell 4 can be made somewhat conical in shape to enable nested storage of several shells when detached from grenades.
Non-lethal projectiles 8 can be made of hard rubber and other elastomers, such as silicones and fluoroelastomers, such as Viton® manufactured by E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. They can be made solid or hollow. If hollow, the N-L projectiles can also be made to contain irritants such as lachrymatory agents in gaseous and solid forms, and various compounds containing oleoresin capsicum (OC). Upon ejection from the grenade and impact on the targets the projectiles can be made to burst and release their content. Such projectiles are known in the art.
Protective shell 26 can be made of a relatively soft temperature-resistant material such as rubber, silicones, fluoroelastomers, or a thin ceramic- or carbon-fiber cloth.
Although descriptions provided above contain many specific details, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. Thus, the scope of this invention should be determined from the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
This application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/297,822 filed 2010 Jan. 25 which is incorporated in its entirety therein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61297822 | Jan 2010 | US |