Anti-personnel weapon
An anti-personnel weapon is a
Many modern weapons systems can be employed in different roles. For example, a tank's main gun can fire armor-piercing ammunition in the anti-tank role, high-explosive ammunition in the anti-structure role and fragmentation shells in the anti-personnel role.
There are also more exotic classes of weapons, such as
Debates
A debate has arisen over whether some primarily anti-material weapons can be used as anti-personnel weapons. The
The
The multipurpose name is based on the projectile having an
There has been much debate over whether the Mk 211 projectile is legal to use against personnel, or if it is strictly anti-
The official stance of the Norwegian Government is that the 12.7 mm MP round should not be used against personnel, but an exception has been made for snipers using the round — due to the practical limitations of snipers having to change the type of ammunition used when switching between hardened and soft targets.[citation needed] It is being exported strictly in an anti-matériel capacity. Most nations[who?] using the round train their soldiers not to deploy the projectile against personnel, but in the heat of battle such regulations are easily overlooked. Also, many parties currently fielding the ammunition have no such regulations, including the U.S., whose policy is that the ammunition is suitable for use against all targets.[citation needed]
References
- ^ Parks, Maj W. Hays (January 1988). "Killing A Myth". Marine Corps Gazette. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
- ^ "Nammo AS - 12,7mm (.50 Cal)". Nammo AS. Archived from the original on April 15, 2008. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
- ^ "20mm AMR – New Use for Unused Ammo" (PDF). Defense Technical Information Center. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 4, 2011. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
- ^ "Army Ammunition Data Sheets for Small Caliber Ammunition" (PDF). Defense Technical Information Center. April 1994. p. 150. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 2, 2007. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
- ^ a b John Pike (May 13, 2010). "Mark 211 .50-caliber Multipurpose Ammunition". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
- ^ "Small Caliber Ammunition" (PDF). ATK. pp. 31–32. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
- ^ "St Petersburg Declaration 1868". International Humanitarian Law. International Committee of the Red Cross. Retrieved 2010-08-27.