The M111 was developed by the Capabilities Program Executive Office Ammunition and Energetics in cooperation with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center at Picatinny Arsenal. The new grenade features a plastic body that is fully consumed during detonation.
According to the Army, the M111 is designed to improve operational readiness and safety for Soldiers. It also provides greater effectiveness in close-quarters urban combat environments.
Unlike fragmentation grenades, the M111 relies on blast overpressure to achieve its effects. When used in grenades, blast overpressure delivers powerful effects against enemy personnel and equipment without producing lethal fragments.
Traditional fragmentation grenades, such as the M67, disperse lethal fragments that can ricochet in enclosed spaces. This can create risks in confined areas such as buildings, rooms, and other restricted terrain.
The M111 addresses this limitation by producing strong blast effects that are less influenced by obstacles in enclosed environments. The design allows Soldiers to clear rooms and confined areas without the risks associated with fragmentation.
Col. Vince Morris, Project Manager Close Combat Systems at the Capabilities Program Executive Office Ammunition and Energetics, said lessons from past conflicts influenced the design. “One of the key lessons learned from the door-to-door urban fighting in Iraq was the M67 grenade wasn’t always the right tool for the job.”
Morris explained that fragmentation grenades could pose risks to friendly forces in complex urban environments. “The risk of fratricide on the other side of the wall was too high.”
He said blast overpressure grenades offer a different tactical advantage. “But a grenade utilizing BOP can clear a room of enemy combatants quickly leaving nowhere to hide while ensuring the safety of friendly forces.”
The Army plans to use both grenade types depending on the environment. Soldiers will employ the M67 in open terrain to maximize fragmentation effects and the M111 in confined spaces to maximize blast overpressure.
Tiffany Cheng, an engineer at the DEVCOM Armaments Center who worked on the M111 project, said the design increases tactical flexibility. “We’ve given our Soldiers and joint warfighters the flexibility to determine in the field which type of grenade will best suit the current situation they are facing, be it open space or confined area.”
Another feature of the new grenade is standardization with existing equipment. The M111 and its training version, the M112, use the same five-step arming process as the M67 grenade and its training version, the M69.
This approach allows Soldiers to train with similar procedures used in combat. It also simplifies training and improves operational effectiveness.
Both grenades also share the same fuze designs as the M67 and M69 systems. According to the Army, this commonality helps reduce costs through shared production lines.
Col. Morris said the standardization effort also benefits taxpayers. “By standardizing the arming process and the fuzing, the Army saves taxpayer money without sacrificing lethality on the battlefield.”
He added that the program reflects broader reforms in the Army acquisition system. “This is the kind of acquisition reform that is currently underway throughout the Army acquisition enterprise. We are taking advantage of that initiative to drive down costs while increasing combat effectiveness.”
