Israeli-developed bulletproof grenade reaches IDF
08/29/2012 03:06
The grenade, developed jointly by the IDF and IMI, is the product of a painful chapter in the IDF’s history.
Bulletproof grenade Photo: IDF
A new grenade is being introduced into the IDF that does not explode even if
struck by a bullet. The grenade, developed jointly by the IDF and Israeli
Military Industries, is the product of a painful chapter in the IDF’s
history.
In March 2010, the Golani Brigade’s Battalion 12 came under fire
from terrorists in Gaza while patrolling the security fence between Israel and
the Strip. A bullet fired by terrorists struck a grenade that being carried by
the late Maj.-Gen. Eliraz Peretz, who was deputy commander of the battalion. The
grenade exploded upon impact, killing Peretz and St.-Sgt. Ilan
Sviatkovsky.
“After this incident, the IDF, the Munitions Branch began
developing a new type of grenade, one that does not explode when a bullet
strikes it,” Captain Ziv Berger, Light Ammunition Officer in the IDF, told The
Jerusalem Post.
“This is the new safety feature in the grenade, and what
makes it unique,” he added. Remarkably, the improved grenade model retains the
same size and weight of its predecessor, and no additional training is required
for soldiers to know how to use it.
“The changes were made inside,”
Berger explained. During tests carried out, gunfire was directed at the
grenade. “The results were good,” Berger said. “Friendly countries have
already expressed an interest in it,” he added. A quantity of the new grenades
has been introduced into services among IDF units, and the upgraded model should
replace all grenades in the military within 10 to 15 years, Berger said.