SIMON breach grenade

SIMON rifle grenade attached to an M4 carbine (bottom)

SIMON rifle grenade close up (bottom)

The SIMON is a rifle grenade designed to breach through doors, developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. It is intended for use with 5.56 mm rifles such as the M4 carbine.

Overview

The system consists of a bullet-trap tail section which slides over the muzzle of the rifle, an explosive mid-section and a front standoff rod. The grenade is propelled by a normal ball or tracer round to a maximum range of 30 meters and is detonated by the impact of the standoff rod against the door to be breached, the standoff distance allowing the blast wave to affect as much of the door surface as possible, negating any need to aim for hinges or locks.

A version which is manually attached to the door is also available, known as "static SIMON".

Specifications

• Weight: 640 g (including standoff rod)
• Length:
  • Standoff rod: 400 mm
  • Overall: 730 mm
• Warhead diameter: 100 mm
• Explosive fill:
  • Standard SIMON: 150 g
  • SIMON 120: 120 g
• Range: 15 - 30 meters

Operators

• Israel
• United States - A variant of the SIMON 120 is in service with the U.S. Army as the M100 Grenade Rifle Entry Munition (GREM). Changes from the original specification involved fuzing and reliability issues. An inert round, the M101 GREM-Target Practice (GREM-TP) allows training for accuracy without the explosive hazard. The system was given a U.S. Army award as one of the top 10 best inventions of 2005.

External links

• General Dynamics page on GREM
• Strategy Page article
• Strategy Page video
• GREM fielded to troops - The Bayonet : : Digital Edition
• News video of GREM training and soldiers' views of the new weapon - liveleak.com
• Future Weapons video