M26 and AN-M26

Length, inches

Diameter, inches

Weight, pounds

Burning time, minutes

Intensity, candlepower

Color

Release altitude, feet

Rate of fall after ignition, ft./min.

700

Use: These flares are used to provide illumination for night bombardment; also may be used to blind antiaircraft defenses.

Fuzing: AN-M146, M155, M144.

Description: The flare is enclosed in a metal cylindrical case with a rounded nose and tail fins. In the nose is a mechanical time fuze. The tail end is closed with a shipping co-ver that has a handle attached and sealed by a strip of tape. The case is equipped with two suspension lugs 14 inches apart.

Operation: When the flare is dropped, the arming wire is pulled, allowing the vanes of the nose fuze to rotate. The hand wire is retained and pulls off the cover of the stabili-zing-sleeve compartment. As the flare continues to drop, the tear wire and tear-wire cord pull out the stabilizing sleeve, and the cover-lock cord attached to the shrouds of the stabilizing sleeve unlocks and pulls out the cover lock. When the sleeve is fully ex-tended, the tear wire breaks, allowing the flare to fall free, stabilized in flight by its fins and stabilizing sleeve.

When the nose fuze functions, the gases of the black-powder booster force the re-leasing-cup cover out of the detachable cover, releasing the retaining pins from the de-tachable cover. As the detachable cover is pulled out by the parachute. When the para-chute opens, the flare stops with a jerk, brealing the pull-out cord (which allows the sta-bilizing sleeve assembly to fall free) and pulling the entire flare assembly out of the flare case (which then falls away). The sudden stop also pulls the friction wires through the igniters, starting the six-second delay through the center of the candle, which allows full opening of the parachute.

The shock caused by the opening of the parachute is taken by the shock absorbers, made of copper tubing in a spiral or coiled shape. They straighten out in absorbing the shock. After the parachute is opened, the delay ignites the first fire, which ignites the candle. When the first fire is ignited, the gases formed by burning force the rib retainer down, and the spring-loaded ribs jump out, opening the glass-cloth shade.

Remarks: The Flare AN-M26 can be dropped at air speeds up to 240 knots, but above that the stabilizing sleeve is apt to tear away. The Flare M26 cannot be dropped at air speeds greater than 130 knots, for the same reason.

Figure 187. Army Flares M9 (top), M24 (middle), and M26 (bottom)