M26 grenade | |
---|---|
![]() M61, a variant of the M26 (manufactured in May 1969) | |
Type | Hand grenade |
Place of origin | United States |
Service history | |
In service | 1950s–present |
Used by |
|
Wars | Korean War Vietnam War Six-Day War Yom Kippur War Falklands War Syrian Civil War |
Production history | |
Produced | 1950s–present |
Specifications | |
Mass | 16 oz. [454 g] [1] [2] |
Length | 99 mm [1] [3 7/8 inches] |
Diameter | 57 mm [1] [2 1/4 inches] |
Filling | Composition B |
Filling weight | 5.75 oz. [164 g] [1] |
Detonation mechanism | M204-series Timed Friction Fuse [3] |
The M26 is a fragmentation hand grenade developed by the United States military. It entered service around 1952 and was used in combat during the Korean War. Its distinct lemon shape led it to being nicknamed the "lemon grenade" (compare the Russian F1 and American Mk 2 "pineapple" grenades).
Fragmentation is enhanced by a special notched fragmentation coil that lies along the inside of the grenade's body. [4] This coil had a circular cross-section in the M26 grenade and an improved square cross-section in the M26A1 and later designs.
The grenades were stored inside two-part cylindrical fiberboard shipping tubes (Container M289) and were packed 25 or 30 to a crate.
The M26 was developed as a result of studies on the Mk 2. Unlike its previous counterpart, its M204A1 fuse [3] creates no tell-tale smoke or sparks when ignited and its powder train is almost silent while it burns down. [4] Its Composition B filler was considered safer than the flaked or granular TNT filling used in the Mk 2.
The M26 series was created after World War II to meet criticisms of the Mk 2. The original M26 replaced the Mk 2 Fragmentation Grenade as Army standard issue in Korea. Massive World War II production left the Mk 2 as limited standard issue with the US Army and US Marines throughout the 1960s and the US Navy until the 1970s. The M26A1 / M61 was the primary fragmentation grenade used by American forces in the Vietnam War.
The M26 series (M26/M61/M57) was replaced by the M33 series grenade (M33/M67) at the end of the Vietnam War.
The M26A1 is an M26 that has the fragmentation coil redesigned to have a square rather than circular cross-section and has deeper serrations to aid in fragmentation. It also added a small tetryl booster charge on its fuze to completely detonate the explosive filler (displaced to 5.5 ounces (160 g) because of the added booster charge) and used the updated M204A2 fuze. [3] It was adopted in American service in 1958.
The M26A2 is an M26A1 modified to accept an M217 impact fuze. [3] It is slightly fatter than the M26A1 and the safety lever is embossed with the word "IMPACT" on it. Earlier models had a red-painted lever with the word "IMPACT" painted on with black paint. [5]
The M30 is the practice version of the M26 grenade. It had a cast-iron two-piece oval body with a plastic base plug. The body was embossed with the symbols "RFX55"; it was originally the basis for an experimental hand grenade that was never put into production. It had a filler of 21 grains of black powder and used the M10A3/M10A4 or M204A1/M204A2 series of fuzes. Its body is painted light blue with a brown band across the middle. When the grenade detonated, the overpressure made the plug pop out and released a plume of black smoke caused by the burnt filler.
The M61 is the M26A1 with an extra safety (called the "jungle clip") attached to the safety lever. This is to prevent the safety lever from flying off and allowing the striker to function if the safety pin gets accidentally pulled out by snagging it on jungle vegetation. [4]
The M62 is the practice version of the M26A1 / M61, but with a larger 5⁄8-inch (16 mm) fuze well. It has a filler of 37.5 grains (2.43 g) of black powder and uses the M228 fuze. Its body and lever are painted blue to identify it as a practice grenade and it has a "jungle clip" like the M61.
The M50 was a "live fire" conversion of the M30 Practice grenade for use on training ranges. It sealed the base plug, used the M204A1 fuze, and replaced the low-explosive black powder filler with high-explosive Composition B. It allowed the training of recruits with greater safety because it lacked the fragmentation coil of the M26 and had a smaller blast radius. This also used up obsolete ordnance by utilizing worn M30 bodies as its base.
The M56 is the M26A1 with a larger 5/8-inch fuze well. It uses the M215 detonating fuse (with a delay of 4–5 seconds) and has a "jungle clip" like the M61. The M215 is similar to the M213 fuse used in the M33-series grenades except it has a curved lever rather than the bent straight lever of the M213.
The M57 is the M26A2 with a "jungle clip" safety attached to the lever.
The L2 series (with a green shell) is the British version of the M26; it has a 4.4 second fuze. The L2 was like the early M26 (except it used the L25 series fuze), the L2A1 was like the product-improved M26A1, and the L2A2 was a variant of the L2A1 with a redesigned fuze well for ease of mass production. [6]
The L3 series (with a light blue shell and a black powder filler) is the Practice grenade variant. [6] [7]
The L4 series (with a dark blue shell, non-functional fuze, and no filler) is the inert Drill grenade variant. [6] [7]
The DM41 or DM41A1 is a West German copy of the M26A1 hand grenade, manufactured by Diehl Defence of Nuremberg. Production ended around 1975 when the DM51 explosive fragmentation hand grenade was adopted by the Bundeswehr. [8]
A booby trap is a device or setup that is intended to kill, harm or surprise a human or another animal. It is triggered by the presence or actions of the victim and sometimes has some form of bait designed to lure the victim towards it. The trap may be set to act upon trespassers that enter restricted areas, and it can be triggered when the victim performs an action. It can also be triggered by vehicles driving along a road, as in the case of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
A smoke grenade is a canister-type grenade used as a signaling device, target or landing zone marking device, or as a screening device for unit movements.
"Mills bomb" is the popular name for a series of British hand grenades which were designed by William Mills. They were the first modern fragmentation grenades used by the British Army and saw widespread use in the First and Second World Wars.
The MIM-72A/M48 Chaparral is an American-made self-propelled surface-to-air missile system based on the AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile system. The launcher is based on the M113 family of vehicles. It entered service with the United States Army in 1969 and was phased out between 1990 and 1998. It was intended to be used along with the M163 VADS, the Vulcan ADS covering short-range short-time engagements, and the Chaparral for longer range use.
The M67 grenade is a fragmentation hand grenade used by the United States military. The M67 is a further development of the M33 grenade, itself a replacement for the M26-series grenades used during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and the older Mk 2 "pineapple" grenade used since World War I.
The Mk 2 grenade, also nicknamed the Pineapple is a fragmentation-type anti-personnel hand grenade introduced by the U.S. armed forces in 1918. It was the standard issue anti-personnel grenade used during World War II, and also saw limited service in later conflicts, including the Korean War and Vietnam War. Replacing the failed Mk 1 grenade of 1917, it was standardized in 1920 as the Mk II, and redesignated the Mk 2 on 2 April 1945.
The military of the United States has used many different types of hand grenades since its foundation.
The MK3 hand grenade is a cylindrical concussion grenade designed to produce casualties during close combat while minimizing danger to friendly personnel exposed in the open owing to minimal fragmentation. There is a secondary fragmentation hazard though from rocks, gravel, wood splinters, glass, etc. The grenade is also used for concussion effects in enclosed areas, for blasting, or for demolition tasks. The shock waves (overpressure) produced by this grenade when used in enclosed areas are greater than those produced by the fragmentation grenade. It is, therefore, very effective used in an offensive role against enemy soldiers located in bunkers, buildings, and fortified areas. It is commonly known as the "concussion" or "demo" grenade.
The Cambodian Civil War was a military conflict that pitted the guerrilla forces of the Maoist-oriented Communist Party of Kampuchea and the armed and security forces of the Nonaligned Kingdom of Cambodia from 1967 to 1970, then between the joint Monarchist, Maoist and Marxist-Leninist National United Front of Kampuchea alliance and the pro-western Khmer Republic from 1970 to 1975. Main combatants comprised:
The HG 85 is a round fragmentation hand grenade designed for the Swiss Armed Forces, and is still produced by RUAG Ammotec in Switzerland. HG 85 is the internal designation of the Swiss Army and replaced the HG 43 from World War II.
The F1 grenade is manufactured by Thales Australia exclusively for the Australian Defence Force as a primary defensive anti-personnel hand grenade.
In military munitions, a fuze is the part of the device that initiates its function. In some applications, such as torpedoes, a fuze may be identified by function as the exploder. The relative complexity of even the earliest fuze designs can be seen in cutaway diagrams.
A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand, but can also refer to a shell shot from the muzzle of a rifle or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade generally consists of an explosive charge ("filler"), a detonator mechanism, an internal striker to trigger the detonator, an arming safety secured by a transport safety. The user removes the transport safety before throwing, and once the grenade leaves the hand the arming safety gets released, allowing the striker to trigger a primer that ignites a fuze, which burns down to the detonator and explodes the main charge.
The Mk 1 grenade is a fragmentation hand grenade used by American forces during World War I. According to its designers, it was to be the "simplest", yet most "fool-proof", grenade ever made. However, some major problems appeared when the grenade was used in the field. It was retired from service before the war ended, replaced in 1918 with the improved Mk 2 grenade used through World War II.
The M17 is a rifle grenade that was used by the United States during World War II.
The Frangible Grenade M1 was a specially designed factory produced molotov cocktail created by the United States in 1942 as it entered World War II (1939–1945). It was designed to provide lightly armed personnel with simple, uncomplicated weapons that were easy to mass-produce. It provided a cheap stopgap means of knocking out enemy vehicles, clearing out strongpoints, and harassing or killing enemy personnel until more effective weapons could be produced and distributed. It was dubbed "frangible" because it was made from glass, which is brittle and easily broken.
The M1 grenade projection adapter was an expedient rifle grenade used by the American military in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. It consisted of an add-on 22 mm (0.87 in) stabilizer tube and fins that converted a hand-grenade into a rifle grenade. It supplanted the M17 rifle grenade, and was eventually made obsolete by the 40 mm M79 grenade launcher.
The SFG 87 is a defensive fragmentation hand grenade created in Singapore. It is one of the grenades used for infantry divisions of the Singapore Armed Forces. The grenades are produced mainly by Singaporean weapons manufacturer ST Kinetics. It has been mass-produced since 1987, replacing the older SFG 82 and SFG 75 variants.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)