the shadow of the hague – ballistic problems past and present. peter j. t. knudsen institute of...
Post on 14-Dec-2015
215 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
The Shadow of the Hague – Ballistic Problems Past and
Present.
Peter J. T. Knudsen
Institute of Forensic Medicine
University of Southern Denmark
And
Danish Defence Health Services
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
The Contracting Parties agree to abstain from the use of bullets which expand or flatten easily in the human body, such as bullets with a hard
envelope which does not entirely cover the core or is pierced with incisions
The Hague Declaration of 1899
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
Les Puissances contractantes s'interdisent l'emploi de balles qui s'épanouissent ou
s'aplatissent facilement dans le corps humain, telles que les balles à enveloppe dure dont l'enveloppe ne couvrirait pas entièrement le
noyau ou serait pourvue d'incisions.
Dèclaration de la Haye 1899
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
Interpretation
The Contracting Parties agree to abstain from the use of bullets which expand or flatten easily
in the human body,
vs.
such as bullets with a hard envelope which does not entirely cover the core or is pierced
with incisions
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
The effect on the bullet
The Contracting Parties agree to abstain from the use of bullets which expand or flatten easily
in the human body,
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
The design of the bullet
such as bullets with a hard envelope which does not entirely cover the core or is pierced
with incisions
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
Wound profile – 7,62 x 51 mm expanding bullet
Fragmentation behaviour of 7,62 x 51 mm NATO bullets
Application of the Hague Declaration in Denmark –
a hundred years later
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
Case
In 1989 a man killed his son, his ex-wife and her boyfriend and finally killed himself when confronted by a police officer. The child was killed with a hunting rifle, but the couple and he were killed with his Home Guard rifle, a M/75 rifle, the German Heckler and Koch G3, using Danish service ammunition produced by the State ammunition factory, the “Ammunitions-arsenalet” (AMA)
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
Bullet parts found at the autopsy of the woman
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
Bullet parts found at the crime scene
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
Reported in1980 (1) and by Fackler in 1989 (2).
1. Stiefel D: Die Wirkung von Vollmantelgeschossen gegen Weichteile, Deutsche Waffenjournal 1980:750 (letter).
2. Fackler ML: Wounding patterns of military rifle bullets, International Defence Review.1989;5:59-64.
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
Tests were conducted at the Army Combat School, Experimental and Safety Section, confirming the fragmentation of the M/75 bullet in ordnance gelatin
Experimental confirmation
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
Having obtained the necessary permissions all know fatal cases using the M/75 were collected. The results confirmed
previous reports – they were all fragmented.
Knudsen PJT, Theilade P: Terminal ballistics of the 7.62mm NATO bullet, Autopsy
findings. International Journal of Legal Medicine 1993;106:61-67.
Collection of Danish cases
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
Having drawn the attention of the manufacturer to the fragmentation of the Danish ammunition an redesign was performed, after some discussions,
however.
The M/75 bullet was of similar design to the German bullet, a natural decision since the weapon was German. It had a steel jacket with a
thickness of 0,35 mm.
The redesigned bullet is of a design very similar to the US bullet, not as a result of copying but after considerable experimentation. The need to follow NATO standardisation requirements led to a similar solution to the similar problem. The new M/94 bullet has a tombak jacket that is 0,80 mm thick
The problem
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
A year after the publication of the findings, a newspaper happened to read it, and suddenly the front page was
decorated with a story that the Danish Defence used Dum-dum bullets. The redesign was fortunately under way, but the
Minister of Defence had to take action, and ordered a recall of all cartridges from Danish Forces in international operations – ex-Yugoslavia – and a purchase of a large number of bullets from a foreign manufacturer to be fitted into Danish produced
cases, until the new bullet could be in production.
The ”Scandal”
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
M/75 M/94
The old and the new
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
This bullet, that is now the standard 7,62 x 51 NATO bullet in the Danish Defence is still in use as M/94, and has been
proved to fulfil the requirements. I was allowed to publish the experimental work leading to the new bullet.
Knudsen, PJT, Vigsnæs JS, Rasmussen R, Nissen PS: Terminal ballistics of 7.62mm NATO bullets: experiments in ordnance gelatin, International Journal of Legal
Medicine, 1995;108:62-67.
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
And now for something not so different, but more
relevant
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
Developed for military use based on the .223 rifle bullet.
In the NATO countries used in the original M16 rifle.
Modified as the US M855 or NATO SS109 for the M16 and derivatives
The 5.56 x 45 mm NATO bullet
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
Design of the SS109Full metal jacketed bullet
Lead core and steel penetrator in the tip
High velocity – approx. 920 m/sec at the muzzle
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
Wound ballistic properties of the SS109
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
Similarities
FMJ
Fragments by break-up at cannelure up to 100 m
7,62 x 51 mm NATO M/75vs.
5,56 x 45 mm NATO SS109
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
7,62 x 51 mm NATO M/75vs.
5,56 x 45 mm NATO SS10
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
Dissimilarities
No non-fragmenting bullet that will pass NATO requirements is commercially available, as far as I know!
7,62 x 51 mm NATO M/75vs.
5,56 x 45 mm NATO SS109
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
One day – perhaps yesterday – there will be a NATO-certified non-fragmenting bullet.
The – moral - dilemma
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
What will YOU do?
Call your MoD to tell them to buy new bullets and scrap the millions in the depots?
Is that a wise move – career-wise?
Or do you shut up and hope nobody notices?
And what if someone else finds out and they ask you, the expert?
And so on and so forth……
The – moral - dilemma
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
Questions?
First Ballistics and Wound Ballistics International Congress, Lyon, 16-17th June 2014
top related