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PdD Combat Armaments and Protection Systems
The M90 Light Vehicle Obscurant Smoke System (LVOSS) Grenade is a soft launched, nonfragmenting, pyrotechnic smoke grenade. It is compatible with presently fielded 66mm smoke grenade launchers. A salvo of four grenades conceals the host vehicle by producing an obscurant screen between the threat weapon and the host vehicle.
The L8A1/L8A3 Screening Smoke Grenade consists of a rubber cylindrical body and a metal base. The rubber body contains 360 grams of a red phosphorous/butyl rubber mix in a 95/5 proportion and a central plastic buster tube containing a buster charge of 15 grams of black powder. Shortly after launch, the burster charge ignites the red phosphorous/butyl rubber smoke composition and ruptures the rubber grenade body. The ignited smoke composition disperses to produce a red smoke cloud within 2 to 6 seconds after firing at approximately 98 feet (30 meters) from the launching device. It has a bursting fan of 105-degrees, reaching 10 meters high and 20-50 meters forward. The smoke cloud lasts from one to three minutes, and screens unaided or unenhanced vision only. The difference between the two models is the burn time of the delay composition - the L8A1 delay burns for ¾ second while the L8A3 delay burns for 1 second.
The M76 Infrared (IR) Screening Smoke Grenade is used to provide an IR and visual smoke screening capability for armored/tactical vehicles. The grenade consists of a plastic cylindrical main body that contains the IR composition, burster, booster lead, and safe and arm (S&A) mechanism. Within 2 seconds after firing, the ignition of the burster charge ruptures the plastic grenade body and disperses the mixture which forms a smoke screen for 45 seconds. The M76 IR Smoke Grenade is the first munition designed to defeat, threat weapon sensors operating in the visual through to far IR regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
