[Corvettaholic]

So I've been charged with being the "enemy" for a FTX in march.

The situation: D Co is traveling in a convoy of humvee's down a dirt road in some little corner of the reserve center. They need to be ambushed, and I will simulate casualties by telling them somebody is hurt and to perform first aid. Then I will evaluate and retrain as necessary.

How its supposed to be: The training needs to be as lifelike as possible, and the more confused D Co is, the better. Needs to be very Iraq-ish. It really helps that we are in Arizona!

What I got so far: I already cleared it with range control to allow me to bring my AK-47 with 200 blanks. Normally saying "boom boom, you're dead" is whats used, but I think my method is more effective, lifelike training and the commander agrees. Also going to dress as middle-eastern as I can, and my buddy who is overseas is feeding me the tactics that are used against him, so I can replicate those.

What I need: I need to simulate an IED. It has to be innocent looking, remotely detonated, LOUD, flashy, and NOT DANGEROUS. Explosive charges (like big firecrackers) are a big no-no. I love chemistry, but I know I've got a lot to learn about it. Hence, this is why I ask  

My question: I need a reaction that can be set off with a 9V battery, I will run the wire to the contraption and set it off remotely. This reaction should produce a loud "bang" and lots of smoke would be good. Cheap is a plus, because this is coming out of my own pocket and not the army's. I need to put together enough simulated IED's for about 10 ambushes.

Any ideas guys?

And they won't supply me with anything! No artillery simulators, smoke grenades, etc. I was told to use water balloons if I didn't have any great ideas of my own. I'm also known as a bit of a mad scientist in the army so they figured I'd come up with something cool...

[Mr Amino]

I would look into those flash-bang stun grenades the police and SWAT use.  They can probably be remotely detonated as well.  I would detonate them along side non-toxic dye to see where the shrapnel would go.

[jdurg]

I'm wondering if a mixture of sugar, magnesium powder, and potassium nitrate that are finely ground together like gunpowder could produce a bright flash, a loud pop, and a lot of smoke?

[Corvettaholic]

jdurg: I think you're onto something. Smoke bombs use some kind of perchlorate and table sugar, right? I think sugar is the key for the smoke that I want, but I don't know about the noise part. I can't get a hold of flashbangs, although I would love to use them. So I have to fab up my own contraption. I have until March to build a lot of whatever I come up with. Isn't potassium nitrate tough to get a hold of? Probably because people use it for more destructive purposes.

[jdurg]

Potassium chlorate and sugar will burn quite well and produce a lot of smoke.  Adding in the magnesium powder will result in a very intense flash.  In order to get sound, the expanding gases need to move at a rate faster than the speed of sound.  

Really, it may be easier to get some gunpowder and mix the magnesium in there.  It will make a nice bang if it's confined, and the magnesium going off will produce a bright flash.  Add in some sugar and it will probably make a lot of smoke as well.  In order to get a nice loud 'bang', you'll need to use something that explodes and there's no way I know of around that.  So you'll just have to decide what is more important, the noise or the visual effect?

[savoy7]

blanks - AK47  - hmmm

You have the right ammo and blank adaptor? Does regular 7.62 blank ammo work well with it?

Instead of a big chemical reaction - have you looked at your resources at your unit -KISS

Can you use a trip flare for the flash effect?  Use some smoke grenades for clouding the objective -  IED's don't usually smoke a lot-

Bang - hmmm - lots of ideas - maybe not too safe - I'm not saying to do this - but we use to use the simulators for tank fire - after a large ftx we would store them up and use them for this type of situation
A battery would set them off.  BUT THEY ARE DANGEROUS IF YOU ARE NEXT TO THEM!!!! watch where you fire those puppies - they can be fired from a vehicle mounted grenade launcher  (not the Mark 19 version but the ones found on M1s, bradleys, M113s etc) or rigged with a car battery

Usually if you have contact with an armor unit, they probably have done this - and could probably instruct you how to do this.  NOT IN THE FMs, but realistic.

OOPS - I APOLOGIZE - I finished reading your post, what I stated, you've already looked at.


Is this during the daytime or nighttime?  If at night, will they be wearing NVGs?  Will all soldiers be mounted?  What is your form of commo?  Will soldiers be wearing headgear with intercom capablities?  What type of soldiers are these?  Are they combat arms or service support?  Are you doing this on a range?  Is it a MOUT site?

If you answer these, I can maybe toss you our some suggestions?  Maybe?  I don't know your background and MOS, so it's hard for me to give advice.  Have you gone to NTC?  I also don't want to come off like I'm disrespecting you.  I'm trying to help, I've been where you are at.  I use to be in artillery, IN and AR (enlisted then officer).  Its terrible that your unit can't get simulators to do this right?  One of the things that always pissed me off about the Army, you fight as you train, but here's 2 sticks and pretend they are weapons.

savoy out

[Donaldson Tan]

the army should have flash bang for exercise use. it's quite peculiar that you don't have flash bang. you ought to check with the army ammo logistics.

[savoy7]

M84's are hard to come by for training.  I guess they're expensive.  Not effective in mounted situations and in the daytime.  Better at twilight and night time operations when clearing is involved (like going into rooms).

If one can't get smoke grenades, I doubt they will have M84's (flash/bangs).

[Corvettaholic]

As far as equipment, I can get NOTHING. I found blanks and a blank adapter for my AK-47, and I'll be using the cheap russian stuff. Nothing is too cheap for the army! It's going to be a daytime convoy mission from one army reserve center to a national guard center about 3 miles away. I can't launch the ambush until they are IN the second reserve center. Everyone will be in humvee's, and I just got a FRAGO as to whats going on. Apparently I still have to do the ambush, AND they have to go through the land nav course to find something I plant there. If they're dumb enough to screw with it, its gotta go off. The reason I want a lot of smoke is so they'll see it while flying by in the humvees. Bang and flash is great too for the "noticable" effect. I'm a 54B, now 72D, which is the NBC guy and I'm only an E-4. The NCOIC has nothing cool to use, and everyone knows I'm the master of field engineering I get the responsibility of adding some pizazz. This convoy will be during the day, all day. No night training for some reason, which I think would be much better. Other than the react to ambush and react to sniper fire, I also have to evaluate their first aid skills. I'm gonna make it as hairy as possible, since in a real combat situation they won't have time to slowly go through all the steps and think about it, this stuff has got to be second nature. BTW, all these guys are MI soldiers. They almost never go into the field, and that company has been flagged for Iraq, so its training like crazy time. My only source of Iraq info is from my trucker buddy who is over there right now. I've actually volunteered twice to go, but they won't send me! Now I don't particularly want to go anymore though