The Indian Army has received the first batch of locally manufactured Multi-Mode Hand Grenades (MMHG). Indian Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh lauded the handover and termed it a big step towards self-reliance in defence manufacturing. He also congratulated DRDO and EEL for ensuring quick delivery amid restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic. These hand grenades were made by Economic Explosives Limited (EEL) following the transfer of technology from Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO)’s Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory. MMHG will replace Grenade No 36 “Mills Bomb” of First World War vintage design, which had been in use to date.
The multi-mode grenade uses preformed cylindrical mild steel pre-fragments to achieve uniform distribution. The MMHG can be used in two different structures resulting in two different modes — defensive and offensive. The grenades being used by the forces in India till now have been mainly the defensive mode grenades, which means that they are to be hurled when the thrower is in a shelter or has a cover and the target is in an open area and can be harmed by fragmentation. For the MMHG’s defensive mode, the grenade has a fragamenting sleeve and a lethal radius of 10 metres. In the offensive mode, the grenade is without a sleeve and mainly used for blast and stun effect. In the offensive, it has a lethal radius of 5 meters from point of burst.
Last year, EEL signed a contract with the Ministry of Defence to deliver one million modern hand grenades for the Indian Army and Indian Air Force. The deliveries would be spread over two years. For conducting field tests of the grenade, the DRDO had transferred the technology to the company four years ago. The grenade has been tested in various types of conditions and is said to have achieved 99 per cent safety and reliability. This is a flagship project showcasing publicprivate partnership under the aegis of Government of India (DRDO and MoD) enabling ‘AtmaNirbharta’ in cutting edge ammunition technologies and accomplishes 100 per cent indigenous content. The development of the grenade had begun around 15 years ago and along with the DRDO facility, establishments of Army and OFB have also played a role in the development.
Economic Explosives Limited is a subsidiary of Solar Industries India Ltd., Nagpur. Founded by visionary Shri Satyanarayan Nandlal Nuwal, Solar Group has evolved from a single site manufacturing company in 1995 to a globally recognised Industrial Explosives manufacturer today. With oextensive experience, expertise and potential founded on years of experience in the Industrial Explosives segment, the company have entered into Defence and setup one of the world’s most integrated facilities for Ammunition. Solar Industries India Ltd is the 1st Indian Company to cross annualized production of 300000 metric ton of explosives.
