Dense Inert Metal Explosive
Dense inert metal explosive (DIME; engl. "Explosives with dense, inert metal ") is a grenade , the action is concentrated in a small radius.
While with conventional grenades objects a hundred meters away can be injured by metal splinters from the shell, with DIME the deadly effect is concentrated within a few meters around the point of impact due to the design. This is achieved by using powder made of heavy metal, which has a small deadly radius due to its large surface due to air resistance, instead of the conventional metal splinters, which have a long range due to their size and weight. This should enable the use of this weapon in cities, since the unintentional injury or even killing of uninvolved civilians becomes less likely. Only the targeted target person, primarily an opposing fighter, is to be hit and safely killed.
The projectiles consist of a carbon fiber jacket and the enclosed mixture of explosives with a powder of heavy metal such as tungsten . During the explosion , the tungsten particles - a metal that only melts at around 3400 ° C (3695 K) - are hurled over a radius of around four meters. The effect within this radius is fatal.
Since the metal does not contribute to the energy of the actual explosion through chemical conversion, it is referred to as inert (inactive). In contrast, the reactive metal mixed with other explosives, such as aluminum, is converted into material and thus increases the energy released. This effect is used with the explosive Tritonal , but not with DIME.
According to Defense Tech's US website , "the result is an incredibly devastating blow in a small area" and the "destructive power of the mixture causes far greater damage than pure explosives". It is added that "the effect of micro-shrapnel has a similar, but much greater effect than a shock".
Officially, this weapon was still being tested in 2006, but wounds on Lebanese victims of the 2006 war , which are difficult to explain, suggest that it was used by the Israeli army . The projectiles could have been fired by drones , but there was no confirmation by official Israeli authorities (as of 2006). In January 2009, the Norwegian doctor Mads Gilbert reported having observed a "significant number" of amputations without shrapnel injuries during the Gaza war and suspected the use of DIME by the Israeli armed forces.