66mm Visual and Infrared Screening Smoke Grenades for U.S. Marines

15.06.2009 Security

Facebook icon
Twitter icon
LinkedIn icon
Google icon
e-mail icon

American Rheinmetall Munitions (ARM) receives order for 66mm MK 1 MOD 0

American Rheinmetall Munitions (ARM) announced today that it has received an $8.2 million order from the Program Manager forAmmunition, Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, VA for Grenade, 66mm Smoke Screening IR, Vehicle Launched, (SSVL) MK 1 MOD 0.

The order signifies continued satisfaction with the company’s designs, which address mission needs and support federal directives to reduce environmental impacts whenever possible. The Marines had been looking for a product to support the war and training requirements, and chose the tried-and-tested Grenade, 66mm SSVL, MK 1 MOD 0 over the M76 design.
Both 66mm grenades, M76 and the MK 1 MOD 0, provide screening smoke in the visible and thermal infra-red wavebands. However, ARM’s design, which features red phosphorus (RP) pellets and wafers, delivers a thick smoke, longer-lasting coverage in windy conditions; the pellets hold firmly to the ground, while the brass flakes in the M76 blow away. The MK1 MOD 0 is also less toxic then the M76. It is based on burning RP, which, if inhaled in high concentrations for extended periods, could be harmful to humans, but has been cleared for use by chemists and toxicologists at the Edgewood Chemical and Biological Command in Maryland. The Marines have opted to use the MK 1 MOD 0 instead of the M76, which has been banned for use in training due to the health hazards and environmental risks of brass flakes.

 



 
 

Latest events

Latest Issues

 

THE WORLD DEFENSE ALMANAC 2023