THE US Army has designed a new grenade that uses powerful shock waves instead of shrapnel to rupture blood vessels and organs.
Even if doomed enemies throw themselves behind a wall it won’t be enough to hide from the deadly impact.
The M111 is the first grenade that’s been designed by the Army since the MK3A2, which was introduced in 1968 during the Vietnam War.
It’s using cutting edge technology to target enemies with force instead of relying on the shrapnel, which risks blowing back in the thrower’s face.
The shock waves, also called blast overpressure, kill or disable people with an explosive force that immediately vaporizes the weapon’s plastic shell.
Anyone caught in the blast zone will be struck by an intense impact that blows through walls, furniture, or appliances.
In a news release, Colonel Vince Morris wrote, “A grenade utilizing BOP can clear a room of enemy combatants quickly leaving nowhere to hide while ensuring the safety of friendly forces.”
The pressure of the explosion “violently compresses and decompresses tissue,” the Army wrote in a fact sheet.
“The eardrums, lungs, eyes, and gastrointestinal tract are most at risk of rupture and serious damage from smaller blasts,” the force explains.
Intense blasts can even cause brain damage or blow off entire limbs.
The M111 differs from the MK3A2, which was withdrawn because it contains asbestos that can lead to fatal diseases if lodged in the lungs.
After that was discontinued, the Army used the M67, which shoots metal pieces of shrapnel in all directions after exploding.
The weapon poses a potential risk to friendly forces or innocent bystanders who are accidentally caught in the crossfire.
“One of the key lessons learned from the door-to-door urban fighting in Iraq was the M67 grenade wasn’t always the right tool for the job,” Morris, who is a project manager for close combat systems, said.
“The risk of fratricide on the other side of the wall was too high.”
The Army said they have a training version, the M112, which is highly similar to the real grenade, offering soldiers a chance to practice.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16176053/us-army-new-grenade-shock-waves-burst-enemies-organs/