M25 Riot Control Hand Grenade

The M25 riot control hand grenades are bursting type grenades filled with either the CN, CS, or DM riot control agent or the T1 simulant agent. The 3 main variants differ in the construction of the grenade's body. An experimental adapter to allow the grenade to be rifle launched was tested, but not adopted. It is advised that friendly forces should put on protective masks before throwing these types of grenades as changes in the direction of the wind and other factors may lead them to be exposed to the resulting gas.

The M25, M25A1, and M25A2 (the latter 2 are also known as the ABC-M25A1 and ABC-M25A2) grenades are all essentially identical, with the contruction and composition of the body being continually improved. Early types used fiberglass, while later grenade bodies were plastic. All types use the C12 fuze is integral to the grenade with a delay of between 1.5 and 3 seconds. The grenade's fill weight is variable depending on the agent used, but all fillers are mixed with silica aerosol for increased dissemination efficiency. Depending on the filler used, each grenade weighs from 7.5 to 8 ounces. The average soldier can throw an M25 series grenade grenade 50 meters. The M25 series has a burst radius (visible cloud) of about 5 meters, but fragments of the grenade are occasionally projected up to 25 meters.

The M25 grenades were only filled with CN agent, while the M25A1 used CN1. The M25A2 was filled with CN1, CS1, or DM1 riot control agents or the T1 riot control agent simulant for use as a training aid. The DM sub-variant had a separate experimental designator, E21, with an improved type being designated E21R1 before the grenade was standardized as a sub-variant of the M25A2 grenade.

The US Navy also used a modified verion of the M25 series as part of the Target Illumination and Recovery Aid (TIARA) program in the 1960s. A modified M25 series grenade, designated EX 1 Mod 0, was filled with PB-155 filler (also known as TIARA 5), produced by the DuPont Chemical company. This grenade was intended to scatter the non-toxic chemiluminescent filler to help mark targets at night.