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 used as a signaling device, target or

landing zone In military terminology a landing zone (LZ) is an area where aircraft can land. In the United States military, a landing zone is the actual point where aircraft, especially helicopters, land (equivalent to the commonwealth landing point.) In ...

marking device, or as a

screening Screening may refer to: * Screening cultures, a type a medical test that is done to find an infection * Screening (economics), a strategy of combating adverse selection (includes sorting resumes to select employees) * Screening (environmental), a ...

device for unit movements. Smoke grenades generally emit a far larger amount of smoke than

smoke bomb A smoke bomb is a firework designed to produce a large amount of smoke upon ignition. History Early Japanese history saw the use of a rudimentary form of the smoke bomb. Explosives were common in Japan during the Mongol invasions of the 13 ...

s, which are a type of

fireworks Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices ...

typically started with an external

fuse Fuse or FUSE may refer to: Devices * Fuse (electrical), a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current ** Fuse (automotive), a class of fuses for vehicles * Fuse (hydraulic), a device used in hydraulic systems to protect ...

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. __TOC__

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 Sout ...

smoke composition A smoke composition is a pyrotechnic composition designed primarily to generate smoke. Smoke compositions are used as obscurants or for generation of signaling smokes. Some are used as a payload of smoke bombs and smoke grenades. Obscurants Smoke ...

(mostly potassium chlorate, lactose, and a dye) in virtually any color. White smoke grenades typically use

hexachloroethane Hexachloroethane, also known as perchloroethane is the organochlorine compound with the chemical formula . It is white solid at room temperature with a camphor-like odor. It has been used by the military in smoke compositions, such as base-eject ...

-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 Fire safety is the set of practices intended to reduce the destruction caused by fire. Fire safety measures include those that are intended to prevent the ignition of an uncontrolled fire and those that are used to limit the development and ef ...

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 White ...

(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 organolit ...

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 Phosphorus pentoxide is a chemical compound with molecular formula P4 O10 (with its common name derived from its empirical formula, P2O5). This white crystalline solid is the anhydride of phosphoric acid. It is a powerful desiccant and dehydra ...

). 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 Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or f ...

, 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 A smoke screen is smoke released to mask the movement or location of military units such as infantry, tanks, aircraft, or ships. Smoke screens are commonly deployed either by a canister (such as a grenade) or generated by a vehicle (such as ...

for concealment and the signaling of aircraft. If movement (such as

flanking maneuver In military tactics, a flanking maneuver is a movement of an armed force around an enemy force's side, or flank, to achieve an advantageous position over it. Flanking is useful because a force's fighting strength is typically concentrated i ...

s 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 Infrared thermography (IRT), thermal video and/or thermal imaging, is a process where a thermal camera captures and creates an image of an object by using infrared radiation emitted from the object in a process, which are examples of infrared i ...

, 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 Casualty evacuation, also known as CASEVAC or by the callsign Dustoff or colloquially Dust Off, is a military term for the emergency patient evacuation of casualties from a combat zone. Casevac can be done by both ground and air. "DUSTOFF" is ...

and

close air support In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and moveme ...

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 The compound 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile (also called ''o''-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile; chemical formula: C10H5ClN2), a cyanocarbon, is the defining component of tear gas commonly referred to as CS gas, which is used as a riot control agen ...

riot control Riot control measures are used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful demonstration or unlawful protest. If a riot is spontaneous and irratio ...

grenades) and incendiary grenades (such as

thermite Thermite () is a pyrotechnic composition of metal powder and metal oxide. When ignited by heat or chemical reaction, thermite undergoes an exothermic reduction-oxidation (redox) reaction. Most varieties are not explosive, but can create brie ...

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 The law of war is the component of international law that regulates the conditions for initiating war (''jus ad bellum'') and the conduct of warring parties (''jus in bello''). Laws of war define sovereignty and nationhood, states and territor ...

, 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 Airsoft is a team game in which participants eliminate opposing players by tagging them out of play with spherical plastic projectiles shot with mock air weapons(usually powered by an electronic motor) called airsoft guns. Although similar ...

enthusiasts often create their own smoke grenades using common materials.

Smoke grenades by country

*: ** M34 White Phosphorus Smoke Grenade **

Fabricaciones Militares Fabricaciones Militares, the full name is Fabricaciones Militares Sociedad del Estado (Spanish for Military Industries State Corporation), is a state-owned Argentine arms manufacturer based in Buenos Aires. The company was a government agency un ...

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 **NR 405A1 white phosphorus smoke hand grenade *: **Condor SS-601 *: ** Arsenal GH-SMK-2-W red phosphorus smoke hand grenade ** Arsenal 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 Grenade **No. 83 Coloured/Signal Smoke Hand Grenade series **C3 Coloured Smoke Hand Grenade series **C1 HC Smoke Hand Grenade series **Pains Wessex Coloured Smoke Mini Grenade series **C8 Coloured Smoke Hand Grenade series **L83A1 Smoke Hand Grenade *: **P-700 coloured smoke hand grenade series *: **FSL-01 **FSL-02 *: ** Røghåndbombe Nr.77 **Røghåndbombe Nr.80 **Røghåndbombe M/53 **Røghåndgranat M/57 **Røghåndbombe M/77 **Røghåndbombe M/93 *: ** Nebelhandgranate 39 **Nebelkerze 39 series **Nebelhandgranate 41 **Nebeleihandgranate 42 **Blendkörper 14 **Blendkörper 24 **Handrauchzeichen coloured hand smoke signal series **Rauchsichtzeichen Orange **DM25 KM smoke hand grenade **SPIRCO Red Phosphorus Smoke Hand Grenade ** Rheinmetall KM smoke hand grenade **Rheinmetall NT smoke hand grenade **RASMO Rapid Smoke Hand Grenade *: **EM-04 **EM-12 *: ** M18 Colored Smoke Hand Grenade series *: **

Ordnance Factory Board Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), consisting of the Indian Ordnance Factories, now known as Directorate of Ordnance (Coordination & Services) was an organisation, under the Department of Defence Production (DDP) of Ministry of Defence (MoD), Gover ...

Smoke Hand Grenade series *: **N150 Low Toxicity Smoke Screening Hand Grenade *: ** No. 77 Rookhandgranaat **Nr 7 HC smoke hand grenade series **Nr 9 yellow smoke hand grenade **Nr 10 green smoke hand grenade **Nr 11 red smoke hand grenade **Nr 22 coloured smoke hand grenade series **L68-L71 and L100-L101 Signal Smoke Hand Grenade series (No 83 Mk 4 type) **N150 Low Toxicity Smoke Screening Hand Grenade (No 83 Mk 4 type) **Nr 23 white phosphorus smoke hand grenade **Nr 700 coloured smoke hand grenade series (Rheinmetall NT type) *: ** M18 Colored Smoke Hand Grenade series *: **No. 80 Mk 1 White Phosphorus Smoke Hand Grenade *: ** AN-M8 HC Smoke Grenade **M8 HC Røyk Hånd Granat **M88 HC Røyk Hånd Granat **No. 83 Mk 1-Mk 4 Coloured/Signal Smoke Hand Grenade series **NM239 Røyk Hånd Granat **NM248 TTC Røyk Hånd Granat **TTC Smoke Hand Grenade (Commercial version of NM248) **DM 45 HC smoke hand grenade **Defense Technology Military-Style Smoke Grenade series *: **P3 MK1 WP Smoke Grenade **MK1 Target Indication Smoke Grenade series **MK2 Target Indication Smoke Grenade series *: **RGD-2 *: **No. 80 Mk 1 White Phosphorus Smoke Hand Grenade **M970 White Phosphorus Smoke Hand Grenade *: **RGD-2 *: **M970 White Phosphorus Smoke Hand Grenade **No. 83 Smoke Hand Grenade series **R1M1 White Phosphorus Smoke Hand Grenade **M854A1 Coloured Smoke Hand Grenade series **Red Phosphorus Hand Grenade **M0234 Coloured Smoke Hand Grenade series **M0251 Screening Smoke Hand Grenade *: **KM8 HC Smoke Hand Grenade **KM18 Colored Smoke Hand Grenade series *: **A.T.F.-1 *: **Rökhandgranat m/1937 **Rökhandgranat m/51 **Rökhandgranat m/56 **Rökhandgranat 05 (SPIRCO type) *: ** MKE Renkli Sis Kutusu/Colored Smoke Can series **MKE Sis El Bombası/Smoke Hand-Grenade * (To include British Overseas Territories): ** 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 **No. 81 Mk 1 White Phosphorus Smoke Hand Grenade **No. 83 Mk 1-Mk 4 Coloured/Signal Smoke Hand Grenade series **L35-L38 Signal Smoke Hand Grenade series **L52-L55 Signal Smoke Hand Grenade series **L64-L67 Signal Smoke Hand Grenade series **L68-L71 and L100-L101 Signal Smoke Hand Grenade series (No 83 Mk 4 type) **L83A1/A2 Training Smoke Screening Hand Grenade (No 83 Mk 4 type) **N150 Low Toxicity Smoke Screening Hand Grenade (Commercial version of L83) **L84A1-A3 Red Phosphorus Smoke Screening Hand Grenade (SPIRCO) **N321 Screening Bursting Hand Grenade (Commercial) **N322 Red Phosphorus Screening Bursting Hand Grenade (Commercial) **L132A1/A2 Smoke Screening Hand Grenade **N451/A Compact Screening Smoke Hand Grenade (Commercial version of L132) **L152-L158 Signal Smoke Hand Grenade series **N431-N437 Compact Signal Smoke Hand Grenade series (Commercial version of L152-L158) **N441/A-N448/A Compact Signal Smoke Hand Grenade series (Commercial) **N461-N468 Compact Signal Smoke Hand Grenade series (Commercial) **Primetake Military Smoke Grenade series (Commercial) **Primetake PT4541 38mm Screening Smoke Grenade series (Commercial) **Primetake PT4540 63mm Screening Smoke Grenade series (Commercial) **CTX Screening Smoke Hand Grenade (Commercial) *: ** M1 Frangible Grenade (When used with FS filler) **M3 Red Smoke Grenade ** AN-M8 HC Smoke Grenade ** M15 White Phosphorus grenade ** M16 Colored Smoke Hand Grenade series ** M18 Colored Smoke Hand Grenade series ** M34 White Phosphorus Smoke Grenade ** M83 TA White Smoke Hand Grenade **

Smith & Wesson Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (S&W) is an American firearm manufacturer headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. Smith & Wesson was founded by Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson as the "Smith & Wesson Revolver Company" in 1856 ...

No .3 Military Type Continuous Discharge White Smoke HC Grenade (Commercial) ** Federal Laboratories M-8 White Smoke Grenade (Commercial) **M106 Screening Obscuration Device **ALSG972 Continuous Discharge Smoke Grenade series (Commercial) **ALSG978 Pocket Smoke Grenade series (Commercial) **ALSG2978W White Smoke Baffled Triple Chamber Grenade (Commercial) **ALSG275 Handball Smoke Grenade series (Commercial) **ALSG973 Triple Action Smoke Grenade series (Commercial) ** Combined Systems 5210 White Smoke Canister Grenade (Commercial) **Combined Systems 5210JL Smoke Jet-Lite Canister Grenade (Commercial) **Combined Systems 5211 White Smoke Triple Phaser Canister Grenade (Commercial) **Combined Systems 6210 White Smoke Canister Grenade (Commercial) **Combined Systems 8210 White Smoke Tactical Canister Grenade (Commercial) **Defense Technology Military-Style Smoke Grenade series (Commercial) **Defense Technology Pocket Tactical Smoke Grenade series (Commercial) **Defense Technology Saf-Smoke Triple-Chaser Separating Canister (Commercial) **Defense Technology Maximum HC Smoke Canister series (Commercial) **Defense Technology Saf-Smoke Han-Ball Grenade (Commercial) **Defense Technology Flameless Tri-Chamber Saf-Smoke Grenade (Commercial) **MP-1-xx Color Smoke Grenade series (Commercial) **MP-2-xx Color Smoke Grenade series (Commercial) **MP-2B-xx Color Smoke Grenade series (Commercial) **MP-15-xx Color Smoke Grenade series (Commercial) **MP-2S-xx Color Smoke Grenade series (Commercial) **MP-2S-HC Screening Smoke Grenade (Commercial)

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