Exploding ammunition or spiked ammunition is an

ammunition Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...

and other ordnance that is

sabotaged ''The Missing'' is a series of young adult fiction, fictional young-adult novels written by Margaret Peterson Haddix. It tells the story of famous children from history stolen by futuristic time travelers from their place in time and accidental ...

(explosive replaced) and left behind for enemy forces, generally

insurgents An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion against authority waged by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare from primarily rural base areas. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irreg ...

, to find and use. It is designed to

explode An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume associated with an extreme outward release of energy, usually with the generation of high temperatures and release of high-pressure gases. Supersonic explosions created by high explosives are known ...

and destroy the

weapon A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...

it is used in and perhaps injure or kill the person attempting to fire the weapon. In addition to explosive cartridges used in

small arm A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes c ...

s, exploding ammunition can include

rocket-propelled grenade A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) is a shoulder-fired missile weapon that launches rockets equipped with an explosive warhead. Most RPGs can be carried by an individual soldier, and are frequently used as anti-tank weapons. These warheads are a ...

s or mortar shells.

Historical use

Exploding ammunition was used by both Allied and German forces during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, by Iraq, and Afghanistan; possibly by the Soviet Union in Afghanistan as well.

Vietnam war

Exploding ammunitions were used as by the United States in Vietnam (

Project Eldest Son Project Eldest Son (also known as “Italian Green” or “Pole Bean”) was a program of covert operations conducted by the United States' Studies and Observation Group (SOG) during the Vietnam War. The project focused on placement of explodin ...

Syrian civil war

In 2013 it was reportedly used by

Bashar al-Assad Bashar Hafez al-Assad, ', Levantine pronunciation: ; (, born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician who is the 19th president of Syria, since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the ...

led Syrian government forces during the Syrian civil war in order to target

Free Syrian Army The Free Syrian Army (FSA) ( ar, الجيش السوري الحر, al-jaysh as-Sūrī al-ḥur) is a loose faction in the Syrian Civil War founded on 29 July 2011 by officers of the Syrian Armed Forces with the goal of bringing down the governm ...

fighters in the eastern district of

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

. The bullets explosive was replaced by a more potent

primary explosive An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An expl ...

. Not every round was repurposed however.

Distribution

In addition to sale through black market channels, exploding ammunition may be distributed to enemy forces by being "lost" during transport, or on the battlefield where it may be left behind after a retreat. If the opportunity presents itself, exploding ammunition may be switched with ammunition stocks of the enemy or even the cartridges in the weapons of dead enemies.

Effectiveness

Exploding ammunition, if used by enemy forces, is demoralizing, produces casualties, and destroys enemy weapons. However, it is quite likely that, once introduced into a theater of war, it will end up injuring friendly forces or even forces of the government which introduced it. Using a small charge which only jams the weapon is sometimes done when the chance that the spiked ammunition may fall into friendly hands is high, for example, when a case of ammunition is "lost" by appearing to have fallen from the back of a truck.

Notes

{{reflist

External links

Dirty Tricks in the Syrian Civil War: Spiked Ammo
The New York Times (October 22, 2012)
The bullet trap
Syria (September 2013) Sabotage Military tactics