User:The All-knowing Sith'ari/M12 demolition grenade

The M12 demolition grenade is a thermate-based anti-materiel grenade in use with the United Nations Space Command Defence Force.

Design
The M12 is a canister-type grenade similar in appearance to the M11 smoke grenade, used in the destruction of weapons caches, artillery pieces, and vehicles.

The body consists of a sheet steel cylinder, coloured olive drab with blue markings. The filler consists of 800 grams of thermate, commonly misidentified as thermite. The chemical reaction that produces the heat is called a thermite reaction. The main chemical reaction in thermate is the same as in thermite: an aluminothermic reaction between powdered aluminium and iron oxide. In addition to thermite, thermate also contains sulphur and barium nitrate, both of which increase its thermal effect, create flame in burning, and significantly reduce the ignition temperature.

Thermate burns at 2,200 °C. This makes the grenade useful for destroying weapons caches, artillery, bunkers, and vehicles. Other advantages include its ability to function without an external oxygen source, allowing it to burn underwater. The M12 can be affixed to targets through a combination of an adhesive base, or a magnetic pad. Because it is not intended to be thrown, the M12 has a shorter delay fuse than other grenades of two seconds, though anti-personnel use with throwing is not unknown.

Operators

 * Interplanetary Commonwealth