Stun grenade

Stun grenade

Type Non-lethal explosive device

A stun grenade, also known as a flash grenade, flashbang, thunderflash, sound bomb or Braquo,[1] is a non-lethal explosive device used to temporarily disorient an enemy's senses. It is designed to produce a blinding flash of light and an intensely loud "bang" of greater than 170 decibels (dB)[2] without causing permanent injury. It was first used by the British Army's SAS in the late 1970s.[3]

The flash produced momentarily activates all photoreceptor cells in the eye, making vision impossible for approximately five seconds, until the eye restores itself to its normal, unstimulated state. An afterimage will also be visible for a considerable time, impairing the victim's ability to aim with precision. The loud blast is meant to cause temporary loss of hearing, and also disturbs the fluid in the ear, causing loss of balance.

The concussive blast of the detonation can still injure, and the heat created can ignite flammable materials such as fuel. The fires that occurred during the Iranian Embassy siege in London were caused by stun grenades.

Construction

British technical experts created the first "flashbang" or "stun" grenade for the Special Air Service's Counter terrorist wing.[4]

Unlike a fragmentation grenade, stun grenades are constructed with a casing made to remain intact during detonation, containing most of its explosive force and avoiding shrapnel injuries, while having large circular cutouts to allow the light and sound of the explosion through. The filler consists of a pyrotechnic metal-oxidant mix of magnesium or aluminum, and an oxidizer such as ammonium perchlorate or potassium nitrate.

Lethality of stun grenades

Although stun grenades are usually designed to be non-lethal, several injuries and deaths have been officially attributed to their use. These include the following:

IDF stun grenade

See also

References

  1. "Drugs raid recovers tonnes of cocaine and marijuana in Chile". September 3, 2014.
  2. "Measurement of Exposure to Impulsive Noise at Indoor and Outdoor Firing Ranges during Tactical Training Exercises" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-08-25.
  3. "SAS - Weapons - Flash Bang | Stun Grenade". Eliteukforces.info. Retrieved 2013-05-29.
  4. Neville, Leigh, The SAS 1983-2014 (Elite), Osprey Publishing, 2016, ISBN 1472814037 ISBN 978-1472814036, p.9,
  5. Governmentabuse.info
  6. Karren Mills, "City Image Tarnished By Allegations of Police Racism," Associated Press, March 21, 1989. Google News
  7. David Chanen, "Police device used in search is considered safe, official says," Minneapolis Star Tribune, March 17, 2000, p. 7B. Highbeam.com
  8. The case is also cited in “Botched Police Raids not so rare” Google News Archived 2017-03-13 at the Wayback Machine.
  9. The case is also cited in “Botched raid costs Minneapolis $1 million”, Star Tribune December 9, 2011 Star Tribune
  10. Shaila K. Dewan (2003-10-29). "City to Pay $1.6 Million in Fatal, Mistaken Raid". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-05-29.
  11. Carlyle, Erin (2011-12-10). "Rickia Russell wins $1 million police brutality settlement after burns from flashbang grenade". City Pages. Retrieved 2014-10-07.
  12. Gratz, Matt (2011-07-26). "California SWAT burns innocent man to death with flash-bang stun grenade". Political Fail Blog. Retrieved 2013-05-29.
  13. "Rogelio Serrato died in a fire during the Jan. 5 raid in the 200 block of San Antonio Drive". Fugitive.com. Retrieved 2013-05-29.
  14. the aliens are here bro (2014-01-20). "LiveLeak - The moment man lost his hand to a stun grenade.". LiveLeak.com. Retrieved 2014-02-24.
  15. Liveleak.com
  16. "Toddler critically injured by 'flash bang' during police search". 2014-05-29. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
  17. "Macedonia: Fan nearly lost hand after police throw grenade in the away sector.". 2014-08-03. Retrieved 2014-08-03.
  18. French Socialists and Greens at odds following death of Sivens dam protester The Guardian, 28 October 2014
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