Engineers at the U.S. Army’s Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey are developing an ambidextrous multi-purpose hand grenade, which is the military’s first new lethal hand grenade in more than 40 years.
(FOX)- The Enhanced Tactical Multi-Purpose (ET-MP) grenade will let soldiers set the grenade to fragmentation or concussive effect with the flip of a switch. The weapon is also designed for ambidextrous use so it can be both armed and thrown easily with either hand. Current grenades require a different arming procedure for left-handed users, according to the Army.
War Is Boring reports that the Army’s current M67 grenade was designed for right-handed soldiers, so left-handed troops are trained to flip the grenade upside and hold the safety lever down with their left thumb, while pulling out the ring with the opposite hand.
The Army is also touting the new grenade’s ability to provide both fragmentation and blast overpressure more effectively and safely. Blast overpressure refers to the impact of the grenade’s shock wave on body surfaces.
Defense expert Peter Quentin, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London, sees the ET-MP as an important addition to the Army’s arsenal. “What’s quite interesting is the objective they are trying to achieve with this, which is a discretionary weapons system,” he told FoxNews.com. “This is important because it is all about minimizing collateral damage and civilian casualties, ensuring the appropriate effect is easily achieved and simple concussion/fragmentation selection makes it more likely to employ appropriate force.”
(Photo Credit: US Army via Fox News)