Development of a 40-mm Nonlethal Cartridge.

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 rns. Transitioned to the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development, and Engineering Center ARDEC, this item is currently undergoing type classification as the XMlOO6.