Raufoss Mk 211

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The Raufoss Mk.211 round
The Raufoss Mk.211 round

The Raufoss Mk.211 is a .50 caliber BMG (12.7x99mm NATO) multipurpose anti-materiel projectile originally developed by the Norwegian company NAMMO Raufoss AS under the model name NM140 MP. It is commonly referred to as simply multipurpose or Raufoss. The "Mk.211" name comes from the nomenclature "Mk.211 Mod 0" used by the U.S. military for this round.

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[edit] Multipurpose

The multipurpose name is based on the projectile having an armor-piercing (tungsten core), an explosive and an incendiary component, thus making it capable of penetrating lightly armored targets and causing damage to personnel inside the target after penetration. It is a suitable round for engaging helicopters, aircraft and lightly armored vehicles, as well as unarmored vehicles, and it has the capability of igniting jet fuel. The Mk.211 has about the same destructive power as a standard 20 mm round against such targets.

The Mk.211 has become very popular as .50 cal sniper ammunition, for use in the Barrett M82 rifle, as well as other .50 BMG rifles. It is also often used in heavy machine guns, for example the M2 Browning. Due to its popularity several U.S. arms manufacturers produce the round under license from NAMMO Raufoss AS.

The Multipurpose concept developed by Raufoss is unique in the way that instead of using a mechanical fuze it uses a pyrotechnical detonation train to ensure proper detonation of the explosive and incendiary components.

[edit] Identification

Mk.211 Mod 0, with green over white painted tip. This round pictured is made by the WCC in the USA with a projectile that is likely produced by the NAMMO-Raufoss Company of Norway.
Mk.211 Mod 0, with green over white painted tip. This round pictured is made by the WCC in the USA with a projectile that is likely produced by the NAMMO-Raufoss Company of Norway.

This round is usually identified by a green over white paint tip mark. A rarer occurrence of a green–over red–over white paint mark scheme indicate the tracer version of this round. These tracer versions are usually only seen on cartridge feed belts in naval applications.

The headstamp on the casing can also help to identify the round as Raufoss and some common headstamps include: HXP89, WCC94, and FN91; or HXP, WCC, or FN with different two-digit numbers as production year suffixes.

[edit] Controversy

There has been much debate over whether the Mk.211 projectile is legal to use against personnel, or if it is strictly an anti-materiel ammunition. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has sought to have the ammunition banned, due to concern over the incendiary and explosive components and their effect on personnel. Under the St. Petersburg Declaration of 1868 the 'military or naval' use of explosive or incendiary projectiles with a weight of under 400 grams is forbidden.

Trials conducted by Forsvarets Forskningsinstitutt[1] (Norwegian Defence Research Establishment) has concluded that the ammunition most likely does not have an unlawful effect if unintentionally used against personnel, as the round will have penetrated the body and exited on the other side before the fuze of the weapon trigger the incendiary and explosive components of the round. Hitting a person the round will detonate about 50% of the time, if the target is wearing body armor a higher detonation frequency is to be expected (as shown by the ICRC tests[2] carried out in 1999). If detonated, the round will have a significant fragmentation and incendiary effect in a 30 degree cone behind the struck target, and this might affect others standing in the vicinity. The distance the round will travel from ignition to detonation is 30–40 cm, so if the target is hit at very specific angles the round may still be inside the target at the time of detonation.

Most nations using the round train their soldiers not to deploy the projectile against personnel, but in the heat of battle such regulations are easily overlooked. Also, many parties currently fielding the ammunition have no such regulations.

The official stance of the Norwegian Government is that the 12.7 mm MP round should not be used against personnel. It is being exported strictly in an anti-materiel capacity. The current U.S. policy (the United States has not signed the St. Petersburg Declaration) is that the ammunition is suitable for use against all targets.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "The effect of 12.7 mm multi-purpose in human tissue", Forsvarets Forskningsinstitutt 2003.
  2. ^ "Does the Swedish use of the 12.7 mm Multipurpose Projectile undermine the St. Petersburg Declaration?", Louise Moosberg, 2003.

[edit] External links