US Army Approves New Lethal Hand Grenade: Meet The M111

US Army debuts M111 hand grenade, first new hand grenade since 1968

U.S. Army / Christopher Arthur

For the first time in 58 years, the US Army has approved new lethal hand grenade for Full Material Release (FMR). The Army announced the news this week and it marks the first time since the Mk3A2 entered service in 1968 that a new lethal hand grenade has been rolled out.

The new M111 Offensive Hand Grenade (OHG) was developed by the Capabilities Program Executive Ammunition and Energetics (CPE A&E) working in tandem with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Armaments Center at Picatinny Arsenal.

U.S. Army Debuts M111 Lethal Hand Grenade

U.S. Army / Christopher Arthur

The new M111 OHG is set to replace the outdated Mk3A2 hand grenade series. Typically, the old adage ‘if ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ applies to most things but not the Mk3A2 which has an asbestos body.

Unlike the cancer-causing asbestos, the new M111 hand grenade is built with “a plastic body that is fully consumed during detonation.”

In their announcement, the Army stated the “M111 will provide increased training and operational readiness while providing the Soldier with a safer option. It also offers Soldiers the ability to fight more effectively in closed quarter urban environments by leveraging blast overpressure (BOP) instead of fragmentation to deliver lethality.”

Lessons learned during the war in Iraq ultimately led to the creation of the M111 hand grenade. Col. Vince Morris, Project Manager Close Combat Systems, CPE A&E said “one of the key lessons learned from the door-to-door urban fighting in Iraq was the M67 grenade wasn’t always the right tool for the job. The risk of fratricide on the other side of the wall was too high.” Col. Morris added “a grenade utilizing BOP can clear a room of enemy combatants quickly leaving nowhere to hide while ensuring the safety of friendly forces.”

U.S. Army / Christopher Arthur

Going forward, the M111 hand grenade will be used in close quarters while the M67 will be used in open terrain “to maximize lethal fragment effects.”

The Army highlighted ‘Standardization’ as a key element of the new M111 OHG. This new hand grenade utilizes the same five-step arming process as the M67.

Col. Vince Morris said “by standardizing the arming process and the fuzing, the Army saves taxpayer money without sacrificing lethality on the battlefield.” Adding “This is the kind of acquisition reform that is currently underway throughout the Army acquisition enterprise. We are taking advantage of that initiative to drive down costs while increasing combat effectiveness.”