Description
Used with the M7 and similar 66-mm grenade launchers. The TA Smoke Screening Launcher Grenade, M90 is a burning-type grenade used to generate a cloud of white smoke. It is used basically to screen the presence or activities of light vehicles in a battlefield situation. Although it is designed for combat, it is safe enough to be used in training.
The grenade body is a cylinder of thin metal. It is filled with a smoke-mixture of Terephthalic Acid (TA) in three stacked cylindrical, individual axial ported, core burning smoke canisters. Each canister contains two ignition patches. These patches are ignited when the black-powder expulsion charge ignites and flashes up the hollow center core of the grenade. An M103 Electric Match ignites the grenade. A pusher-plate, which sits on top of the black powder expulsion charge, ejects the three burning smoke-mixture sections to a distance 35 meters from the launcher to form a 2 X 30 meter smoke cloud. The duration of the smoke screen is 20 seconds for a stationary host vehicle and longer if the vehicle is moving. The empty cylindrical grenade body itself remains behind in the launcher tube and must be removed by hand prior to loading another round.
Functioning
No information about functioning.
Hazardous Components
No information about hazardous components.
See Also
Nothing else to see.
Source(s)
TM 43-0001-29, Grenades (chg 4, 2002)
