Smoke Grenades AN-M8, M16, M18, and AN-M4

Length, inches

Diameter, inches

Weight, pounds

Burning time, minutes

Delay time, seconds

3

Use: These smoke grenades are used to attract attention to aviation personnel who have made a forced landing.

Description: The cylindrical sheet-metal case is nearly full of a solid smoke mixture. A circular zinc cup containing a starting mixture is located in a depression left in the top of the smoke mixture, and is designed to be initiated by a bouchon type of grenade-firing mechanism. Adhesive tape covers four quarter-inch holes in the top of the case until the signal is ready for firing. The grenade is painted gray and marked in yellow with one band, the symbol of the filler, "H.C.", and the word "smoke".

Operation: The release lever cotter pin having been removed, the release lever is freed by the operator as the grenade is thrown, and is forced off by the striker, which is at all times under tension of its spring. The striker moves on its hinge and fires the pri-mer, which ignites a delay element that in turn ignites the starting mixture. The starting mixture burns through the zinc cup and starts a chemical reaction in the smoke mixture, generating considerable heat with the formation of zinc chloride. The zinc chloride esca-pes into the air as a gray-white smoke composed of finely divided solid particles. These particles are highly hygroscopic and become very obscuring liquid particles. The grenade burns for about three and a half minutes at full volume.

M-16 (obsolescent): Same as AN-M8 - may have red, yellow, green, orange, violet, or black smoke.

M-18: Same as M16, with burning reduced to one minute for a more dense smoke. Available colors are red, green, yellow, violet.

AN-M14: Has a shorter fuze lever and is issued in a metal container with three flaps designed to be bent outward to provide additional bearing surface for use in mud or snow. The AN-M14 is not procured by the Navy.

Figure 175. Smoke Grenade AN-M8 and M18