The MK285 is an

airburst An air burst or airburst is the detonation of an explosive device such as an anti-personnel artillery shell or a nuclear weapon in the air instead of on contact with the ground or target. The principal military advantage of an air burst over ...

grenade A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...

that can be fired from certain 40 mm

belt-fed upright=1.35, An M60 machine gun belt loaded with 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges, aboard a U.S. Navy">7.62×51mm_NATO.html" ;"title="M60 machine gun belt loaded with 7.62×51mm NATO">M60 machine gun belt loaded with 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges, aboar ...

automatic grenade launcher An automatic grenade launcher (AGL) or grenade machine gun is a grenade launcher that is capable of fully automatic fire, and is typically loaded with either an ammunition belt or magazine. These weapons are often mounted on vehicles or helicopt ...

s. The grenade was designed for the Mk 47 Striker. The Mk 47 is a candidate for replacing the

Mk 19 grenade launcher The Mk 19 grenade launcher (pronounced Mark 19) is an American 40 mm belt-fed automatic grenade launcher that was first developed during the Vietnam War. Overview The Mk 19 is a belt-fed, blowback-operated, air-cooled, crew-serve ...

, first fielded in 1968, and still in widespread service, around the world. The Mk 47 is considerably lighter than the Mk 19, is designed to fire all the same suite of grenades as the Mk 19, together with more modern grenades the Mk 19 could not fire with full functionality, like the MK285 grenade. The MK285 contains a programmable fuse, initially designed by

Bofors AB Bofors ( , , ) is a former Swedish arms manufacturer which today is part of the British arms concern BAE Systems. The name has been associated with the iron industry and artillery manufacturing for more than 350 years. History Located in ...

but finalized by Nammo, that sets the distance at which the grenade will explode, when the weapon's trigger is pulled. The weapon's computerized sight will have measured the distance to the target the gunner was aiming at, and that distance will be transferred to the grenade's fuse. The munition spins, on its way to the target, and the fuse counts rotations to measure the distance travelled. This airburst capability means that the grenade can damage or disable soft targets, like trucks, with a near miss. It also means the grenade can injure or kill soldiers who are behind walls or in trenches, through indirect fire, who could not be hurt by more conventional grenades that exploded when hitting those walls. The manufacturer characterizes the grenade as a weapon that can hit around corners. As of 2015 the Mk 19 remained the frontline grenade launcher used by the US military. Limited numbers of Mk 47 weapons had been issued to special forces units. The grenade is manufactured by the Norwegian firm Nammo Raufoss. The explosive in the grenade is classed as "insensitive" - ie. less likely to sympathetically explode due to the nearby explosion of other munitions.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite news , url = http://www.sadefensejournal.com/wp/which-lightweight-automatic-grenade-launcher-for-the-australian-defence-force/ , title = Which lightweight automatic grenade launche for the Australian Defence Force? , work = Small Arms Defence Journal , author = , date = 2014-02-27 , accessdate = 2019-12-25 , quote = This has been in use with United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) forces since 2004, with over 100,000 rounds of MK285 having been fired in combat zones to date, mostly in Afghanistan and Iraq. {{cite news , url = http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/H-Research_Notes/SAS-Research-Note-48.pdf , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150316062439/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/H-Research_Notes/SAS-Research-Note-48.pdf , url-status = dead , archive-date = March 16, 2015 , title = Automatic Grenade Launchers , accessdate = 2015-11-07 , issue = 48 , work = Small Arms Survey Research Notes , date = February 2015 , quote = The first successfully fielded ABM for an AGL was the Nammo MK 285 Programmable Pre-fragmented High Explosive (PPHE),10 developed at Nammo Raufoss in Norway as part of the MK 47 Mod 0 Advanced Lightweight Grenade Launcher (ALGL)11 system (Jenzen-Jones, 2014). {{cite news , url = https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/mk285.htm , title = MK285 40mm High Velocity Ammunition , work =

Global Security GlobalSecurity.org is an American nonpartisan, independent, nonprofit organization that serves as a think tank, and research and consultancy group. Focus The site is focused on national and international security issues; military analysis, syste ...

, author = , date = , page = , location = , isbn = , language = , trans-title = , accessdate = 2019-12-25 , quote = The electronic fuse is based on the Bofors 3P programmable fuse, minus the proximity part. The programming takes place before firing inside the barrel which is all based on a Bofors patent. {{cite news , url = https://ndiastorage.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/ndia/2006/smallarms/lambrecht.pdf , title = Advanced Lightweight Grenade Launcher (MK47 Weapon System and Ammunition) , work = Navsea Warfare Centers , author = Dennis Lambrecht , date = 2006-05-18 , accessdate = 2019-12-25 , quote = Fuze set in chamber as hammer falls {{cite web , url = https://www.wearethemighty.com/gear-tech/say-hello-to-americas-newest-40mm-grenade-machine-gun , title = Say hello to America's newest 40mm grenade machine gun , work = We Are The Mighty , author = Harold C. Hutchinson , date = 2017-10-16 , accessdate = 2019-12-25 , quote = Perhaps the deadliest accessory for the Mk-47 is the Mk-285 grenade. This is airburst ammunition, much like the 25mm rounds fired by the XM25 Punisher. How does it know when to airburst? It's programmed with data from the advanced sight. Grenades Military equipment introduced in the 2000s