Development of a 40-mm Nonlethal Cartridge.

Abstract

As U.S. soldiers are increasingly employed in humanitarian roles, as opposed to traditional mission, new equipment requirements are being generated. One such requirement included a nonlethal, or deterrent, munition for use in riot control. In response to this requirement, the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) has developed a nonlethal cartridge that is compatible with both the M2O3 and M79 40-mm grenade launchers. This cartridge contains a spin-stabilized projectile that is launched using a 'high-low' propulsion technique. The projectile consists of a hollow plastic body fitted with a stiff foam nose, while the high-low propulsion system permits the use of smokeless propellant. The munition is designed to engage specific point targets out to 70m. This cartridge has been evaluated for lethality using several experimental techniques in addition to an analytical model. From the results, it appears as though an acceptable compromise between effectiveness and lethality has been achieved with a projectile mass of 58 g launched with a muzzle velocity f 56.4 rn/s. Transitioned to the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development, and Engineering Center (ARDEC), this item is currently undergoing type classification as the XMlOO6.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 1997
Accession Number
ADA328534

Entities

People

  • David H. Lyon

Organizations

  • United States Army Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Dacron
  • Engineering
  • Grenade Launchers
  • Launchers
  • Materials
  • Materials Laboratories
  • Materials Processing
  • Military Research
  • Munitions
  • Muzzle Velocity
  • Nonlethal Weapons
  • Pepper Spray
  • Physical Properties
  • Projectiles
  • Propellants
  • Propulsion Systems
  • Smokeless Propellants

Readers

  • Munitions and Ordnance Engineering
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • ballistics.