M67 grenade

History

The M67 was used in the Vietnam War for booby traps.

Design

The M67 grenade has a spheroidal steel body that contains 6.5 oz of composition B explosive. It uses the M213 pyrotechnic delay fuze.

The M67 grenade weighs 14 oz in total and has a safety clip to prevent the spoon on the grenade from being triggered in the event the safety pin is accidentally pulled. The safety pin prevents the safety lever, or "spoon" on the grenade from moving and releasing the spring-loaded striker which initiates the grenade's fuze assembly.

The M67 is typically known as a "baseball" grenade because it is shaped like a ball that can be easily thrown. According to the FY2021 US Army Justification, the average cost of a single M67 grenade is around 45 US dollars.

The M67 can be thrown 35 m from the standing position by the average male soldier. Its fuze delays detonation between 4 and 5 seconds after the spoon is released. Steel fragments are formed by the grenade body fracturing and have an injury radius of 15 m and a fatality radius of 5 m, though some fragments can travel as far as 230 m.

Variants

M33 fragmentation grenade

The M33 was the original successor to the M26 fragmentation grenade. It was essentially identical to the M67, but lacked the safety clip that is fitted to the safety lever of the M67.

M68 fragmentation grenade

This is a variant of the M67 fitted with the M217 impact fuze and a safety clip on the safety lever. This fuze has an electrical impact function which arms within 1 to 2 seconds and will detonate the grenade upon impact, and a back-up pyrotechnic delay function which will initiate the grenade after 3 to 7 seconds if the impact function fails. The M68 has the same specifications and markings as the M67 except it has a red-painted fuze and lever to indicate it has an impact fuze.

M33A1 and M59 fragmentation grenades

Predecessors to the M68, these impact-fuzed grenades used the M33 grenade body fitted with the M217 impact fuze, without a safety clip on the safety lever, and are marked similarly to the M68.

M69 practice grenade

The M69 grenade is used for grenade training to safely simulate the M67 grenade. The fuze screws into the body, and is replaceable after use. The simulator produces a report and a small puff of white smoke when employed.

The M69 has a blue-painted lever and a blue body with white markings. This is to indicate that it is a safe practice grenade rather than a live fragmentation grenade like the M33 or M67.

C-13 Grenade

Canadian M67 variant, produced domestically by General Dynamics' Canadian division

Users

• Argentina: Used in the Falklands War.
• Australia: Temporarily used by the Australian Defence Force following a safety incident with the domestically produced F1 grenade in 2007. Licensed made in Australia.
• Canada: Used by the Canadian Forces; designated as the C-13 Grenade and produced domestically by General Dynamics' Canadian division.
• Japan: Used by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.
• Saudi Arabia: Armed Forces.
• Turkey: Used by the Turkish Armed Forces.
• United States: Primary fragmentation hand grenade of the United States Armed Forces since the 1960s.
• Ukraine: C-13 grenades donated as part of Canadian military aid during the Russo-Ukrainian War.

References

Bibliography

References

1. "TM-43-0001-29 Army Ammunition Data Sheets for Grenades".
2. (20 September 2016). "The U.S. Army Is Designing Its First New Grenade in 40 Years".
3. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230104200242/https://www.asafm.army.mil/Portals/72/Documents/BudgetMaterial/2021/Base%20Budget/Procurement/AMMO_FY_2021_PB_Procurement_of_Ammunition_Army.pdf Department of Defense Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Budget Estimates]
4. "TC 3-23.30 Grenades and Pyrotechnic Signals, pg.3-23".
5. "Hand Grenades".
6. (30 July 1992). "Argentine Forces in the Falklands". [[Osprey Publishing]].
7. (2007-09-14). "F1 GRENADE SAFETY". [[Department of Defence (Australia).
8. "Hand Grenades".
9. "M67 (Grenade) Fragmentation Infantry Hand Grenade Specifications and Pictures".
10. "Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) – Ammunition for the Royal Saudi Land Forces (RSLF) | the Official Home of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency".
11. (1995). "Weapons Transfers and Violations of the Laws of War in Turkey". Human Rights Watch.
12. Richard Lutz. (March 2015). "Product review M67".
13. (3 March 2022). "Defence Minister Anand announces additional military support to Ukraine". [[Government of Canada]].
14. [https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1679640915567075328 Ukrainian forces are now training to remove landmines with drone-dropped grenades, as seen here at a training range, a Ukrainian quadcopter drops a NATO-standard M67 grenade into a TM-62 anti-vehicle mine, clearing the local area. July 13, 2023]