Smoke grenades used at demonstrations in Paris, 2008
upBritish L83A1 Smoke Grenade manufactured in May 2008. This grenade has already been used.
A smoke grenade is a canister-type
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 g ...
used as a signaling device, target or
landing zone marking device, or as a
screening device for unit movements.
Smoke grenades generally emit a far larger amount of smoke than
smoke bombs, which are a type of
fireworks typically started with an external
fuse rather than a pin and are more complex. Smoke grenades often cost around compared to smoke bombs, which can often cost just a few cents. The phrase "to smoke", meaning to fake, bluff, or beat around the bush, comes from the military usage of smoke grenades to obscure and conceal movement; similarly, "pop smoke", derived from a common way of ordering the use of smoke grenades, is used as a slang term for quickly leaving a place.
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Design
left, Diagram and cross section of an AN M18 smoke grenade
A typical design consists of a sheet
steel cylinder with four emission holes on top and one on the bottom to allow smoke release when the grenade is ignited. The filler consists of 250 to 350 grams of
colored
''Colored'' (or ''coloured'') is a racial descriptor historically used in the United States during the Jim Crow Era to refer to an African American. In many places, it may be considered a slur, though it has taken on a special meaning in South ...
smoke composition (mostly
potassium chlorate,
lactose
Lactose is a disaccharide sugar synthesized by galactose and glucose subunits and has the molecular formula C12H22O11. Lactose makes up around 2–8% of milk (by mass). The name comes from ' (gen. '), the Latin word for milk, plus the suffix ...
, and a
dye) in virtually any color. White smoke grenades typically use
hexachloroethane-zinc and granular aluminum. The reaction is
exothermic and though they remain intact, smoke grenade casings will often remain scalding hot for some time even after the grenade is no longer emitting smoke. Although modern smoke grenades are designed not to directly emit fire or sparks, they remain a
fire hazard and are capable of igniting dry vegetation or flammable substances if used injudiciously.
Another type of smoke grenade is the bursting variation. These are filled with
white phosphorus
Elemental phosphorus can exist in several allotropes, the most common of which are white and red solids. Solid violet and black allotropes are also known. Gaseous phosphorus exists as diphosphorus and atomic phosphorus.
White phosphorus
Whi ...
(WP), a
pyrophoric
A substance is pyrophoric (from grc-gre, πυροφόρος, , 'fire-bearing') if it ignites spontaneously in air at or below (for gases) or within 5 minutes after coming into contact with air (for liquids and solids). Examples are organolith ...
agent that is spread quickly into a cloud by an internal bursting charge. White phosphorus burns with a brilliant yellow flame while producing copious amounts of white smoke (
phosphorus pentoxide). This type of smoke grenade is favored for its ability to produce a very dense and nearly instantaneous cloud of white concealment smoke as compared to the more common solid-filler grenades which expel a slower stream of smoke over a period of roughly 1 minute. For this reason, they are favored for use in onboard grenade launching attachments on
armored vehicles, which require extremely fast concealment in the event they are targeted by
laser guided anti-tank missiles and need to rapidly retreat.
Use
left, A violet signaling smoke grenade being used during a military training exercise
Smoke grenades are used for several purposes. The primary use is the creation of
smoke screens for concealment and the signaling of aircraft.
If movement (such as
flanking maneuvers or
retreat) is necessary, smoke grenades can be thrown prior to movement in order to provide a wall of visual distraction that reduces the accuracy of enemy fire and temporarily deceives them as to the force's location. The most common color for concealment smoke is white or grey. With the advent of
thermal imaging, which can spot troop movements through smoke screens, the newest smoke compositions now include a "multi-spectrum" component to make them IR impermeable.
Smoke grenades can also be used to signal aircraft. Since locating a target from above (especially in thick forest canopy) can be nearly impossible, even with good radio contact, colored smoke grenades are often used to allow aircraft to spot them. Colored signaling smoke grenades are widely used in
CASEVAC and
close air support situations where quickly locating friendly ground forces is of paramount importance. Common colors are red, yellow, green and purple, and all use very brightly colored dyes to increase the likelihood of being spotted from above.
Other uses
Amphibious Assault Vehicles firing smoke grenades
Smoke grenades are functionally identical to many forms of
chemical grenades (such as
CS gas riot control grenades) and
incendiary grenades (such as
thermite grenades) which use a fuse to ignite a solid filler inside a steel canister, which then slowly propels the combustion products out through holes in the canister as the contents burn. However, the smoke grenade class is restricted to signaling and concealment under the
laws of war, and thus they are not considered weapons; since the vast majority are non-explosive, they remain legal for civilian use and ownership in most countries.
Since the basic design of a smoke grenade (a metal canister containing a substance that burns and expels smoke when ignited) is so simple, improvised devices are ubiquitous across the world. Protestors, football spectators, and
airsoft enthusiasts often create their own smoke grenades using common materials.
Smoke grenades by country
*:
**
M34 White Phosphorus Smoke Grenade
**
Fabricaciones Militares HC smoke hand grenade
*:
**No. 80 Mk 1 White Phosphorus Smoke Hand Grenade
**Smarex coloured smoke hand grenade series
**
M18 Colored Smoke Hand Grenade series
**
M34 White Phosphorus Smoke Grenade[
**A101 Coloured Smoke Grenade series
**A200 Compact Coloured Smoke Grenade series
*:
**Nebelgranate 75
*:
**N150 Low Toxicity Smoke Screening Hand Grenade
*:
**No. 83 Smoke Hand Grenade series
**M3BG white phosphorus smoke grenade
**M48BG-M52BG white phosphorus smoke grenade series
**M68 signal smoke hand grenade series
**Nr 11 red smoke hand grenade]Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
GH-SMK-2-W red phosphorus smoke hand grenade
**Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
GH-SMK coloured smoke hand grenade series (Grey or metallic body with coloured stripe)
**Bulcomers Ks GH-SMK coloured smoke hand grenade series (Brown body with coloured label)
*:
** No. 77 Mk 1/Mk 2 White Phosphorus Smoke Hand Grenade
**No. 80 Mk 1 White Phosphorus Smoke Hand GrenadeBritish Overseas Territories
The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remnants of the former Br ...
):
** No. 77 Mk 1/Mk 2 White Phosphorus Smoke Hand Grenade
**No. 79 Mk 1/Mk 2 Smoke Hand Grenade
**No. 80 Mk 1 White Phosphorus Smoke Hand Grenade
References
{{reflist, refs=
[{{cite book, page=119, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=62VtBQAAQBAJ&q=%22Visual+and+Infrared+Screening+Smoke%22&pg=PA119, title=The Armed Forces of the United Kingdom 2014-2015, first=Charles, last=Hayman, date=10 February 2014, access-date=14 April 2018, publisher=Pen and Sword, isbn = 9781783463510, via=Google Books]
Non-lethal weapons
Smoke grenades
Smoke
Pyrotechnics
Sniper warfare tactics
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