Reactive Revolution: Set Landmines To 'Stun'... or 'Disintegrate'

One of the novel features of the new class of 'explosive metals' known as Reactive Materials is that they can be engineered to perform in completely different ways, depending on the initiation. This makes it possible to have a 'variable lethality' munition whose effects can be tailored to the situation or the target.

One possible application put forward by arms-maker ATK is in landmines. In a presentation on Reactive Materials In Mines And Demolition Systems (warning, large Powerpoint file), Mark Cvetnic, ATK's Technical Director of Advanced Programs, describes a versatile RM-based munition:

"Dial-a-yield" effects – Tiered response – reactive materials in a blast weapon can tailor the blast effect to range from non-lethal (disorientation/discomfort/incapacitation) to lethal force.

This means that an untended mine could be set on a variety of non-lethal settings (see picture) depending on requirements, or a human operator could set it to the higher levels. Think:

*- Non-lethal disorientation – explosives and reactive materials to create high-intensity light *

*- Non-lethal discomfort – high temperature impulse, with low pressure blast, create discomfort zone *

*- Non-lethal blast – using the explosives and reactive fragments to create incapacitating blast wave *

The last of these sounds like a high-powered version of the traditional 'flash bang' stun grenade. Moving up, the lethal range has two settings:

*- Lethal blast combining the blast from the explosives and reactive fragments *

*- Lethal fragments patterns using reactive fragments *

Its effectiveness compared to traditional fragmenting mines is outlined:

*- RM fragmentation lethal effects *

*Equivalent Kinetic Energy as steel fragments – current generation
ATK Thiokol reactive materials have the same density as steel, thus giving RM fragmentation weapons the same fragment kinetic energy *

*Additional Chemical Energy From RM event – reactive fragments can produce a large amount of chemical energy in the form of temperature, light and/or pressure. *

Having a large amount of energy released inside a body by a RM
fragment in the form of heat or pressure would certainly make it significantly more lethal than an inert metal fragment. This means the
RM mine has settings which, like the phasers in Star Trek, really do run from 'stun' to 'disintegrate'.

Of course, this technology is not limited to landmines: any explosive munition could have the same 'dial-a-yield' capability. This would apply to everything from grenades to 2,000 lbs, so that depending on requirements the target could be warned, driven away -- or destroyed far more effectively than by existing weapons.

ALSO:

• In Next-Gen Bullets and Bombs, Even the Casing Explodes
• Behind the Reactive Materials Revolution