This future Army grenade could kill enemies hiding behind walls

http://www.washingtonpost.com/the-future-army-grenade-could-kill-enemies-hiding-behind-walls/2014/09/09/5d479134-b5e5-436a-9a97-647f557836ca_story.html?wprss=rss_national-security

Version 0 of 1.

When U.S. combat troops are caught in a firefight, one of the quickest ways for them to turn the tide in their favor is to use grenades. The 40mm rounds can be fired from a launcher attached to a rifle, landing on enemies a few hundred meters away. But they have limitations, especially when enemy fighters take cover behind a wall or other obstacle.

The U.S. Army’s Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey is working on a new round to address that. “Small Arms Grenade Munitions” would double the lethality of the grenades against enemies who are “in defilade,” meaning they are using obstacles or barriers to shield themselves from harm, Army officials say.

As outlined in these old briefing slides, the Army began the first phase in 2012. It entailed making the fuse on the grenade smaller while maintaining its functionality. That left room for new sensors that were developed during the second phase that enable the grenade to explode in the air when it passes over an obstacle, rather than only when it lands.

Army officials recently drew attention to the third, and current phase, in a news release. It calls for engineers to improve the sensors and the accuracy of the grenade’s explosion, while integrating live warheads for the first time.

Army officials say the trajectory that current 40mm grenades take in flight also make it difficult to hit enemies who are under cover, so engineers also are examining how that can be corrected.

“There are three modes of firing,” said Steven Gilbert, a project officer with the the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center at Picatinny Arsenal. “Airburst after detecting defilade is the first. Then, the default is point detonation or when it hits the target. Lastly there is a self-destruct feature which decreases collateral damage and reduces unexploded ordnance left on the battlefield or training ranges.”

Testing continues, but the grenade won’t be fielded until at least July 2015, Army officials say.