Germany orders Rheinmetall Airburst Munitions
Rheinmetall has been awarded a contract by the German armed forces to supply it with 40mm x 53 Airburst Munitions (ABMs) and accessories, the company announced on 18 February.
The multimillion-euro contract will see Rheinmetall supply several thousand of these cartridges, and is the first time that the German armed forces have procured this ammunition technology.
Rheinmetall's 40mm x 53 ABM has been qualified for use by the Dutch and German armed forces. Officially dubbed the DM131, the pilot lot ordered by Germany is already being delivered.
Developed by Rheinmetall, 40mm x 53 ABM is designed so that the time of detonation of each airburst round can be electronically programmed through an infrared signal from the fire control/aiming unit once the projectile has left the barrel. The round then explodes at a calculated distance above its target, even when behind cover.
The DM131 can enhance the combat effectiveness of the German armed forces' 40mm automatic grenade launcher. It can achieve a maximum effective range of 2,200m with the right fire control technology.
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