Mecar ENERGA

History of Mecar ENERGA

With the advent of tanks on the battlefields of World War I (1914-1918), there was a need to develop portable armored counters that went beyond traditional mines and artillery. Anti-tank rifles were the beginning, and soon they added rifle-fired grenades, also for anti-tank use. Rifle grenades were widely used during World War II (1939-1945), and several anti-tank models (including anti-personnel forms) were used in conflicts.

The Belgian anti-tank rifle grenade "ENERGA" came into being in the post-war years, when a war between Europe and the Soviet Union (with a huge fleet of heavy armored tanks) was very likely. Its design is credited to Edgar Brandt, the French engineer responsible for the famous Brandt line of infantry mortars, which were used and replicated all over the world. Production was taken over by Mecar SA and service entry took place in the early 1950s.

The weapon has been adopted by several foreign military powers, including the United States and the United Kingdom.

The ENERGA rifle grenade is rocket-shaped with a conical warhead, round cone, cylindrical tail and ribbed tail assembly. The fins added the required stability during the grenade's trajectory.

The warhead filler consists of 314 grams of pentaerythritol trinitrate - otherwise abbreviated as "PETN" - which gives the grenade its considerable explosive power. Armor penetration is rated at nearly 8 inches thick - although environmental factors and angle of attack are important considerations. The total weight reaches 765 grams, and the grenade has a length of 425 mm and a diameter of 75 mm.

The effective range is about 100 meters.

This anti-tank weapon is not limited to anti-armor use, as their penetration value and damage capabilities are proven to attack solid structures as well - being able to attack digging enemies under the protection of concrete. In addition to the standard ENERGA case shape, there is the "Super ENERGA" which adds a small rocket booster element for increased range and penetration.

In the US Army's inventory, the Belgian ENERGA became "M28", these served during the Korean War (1950-1953), when WWII-era anti-tank rifle shells were found to be still in use in North Korea under proven conditions and the lack of use of the more powerful armored personnel carriers of Soviet origin used in China. Likewise, the weapon was adopted by the British Army under the designation "Projector No. 4, Rifle, Mk V". South Africa produces a localized, slightly modified form of ENERGA known as "R1M1" under the Denel brand label. They have the same penetration values ??as the Super ENERGA, but have a much shorter effective range of only 75 meters (vs.

200 meters). For Americans, the M28 was replaced by the M31 HEAT rifle grenade.

Anti-tank rifle grenades like the ENERGA have been largely replaced by more powerful man-portable shoulder-mounted weapons, such as the disposable M72 LAW or the reusable 84mm "Carl Gustaf", which can be used in larger The power to attack armor and fortifications. However, these weapons require line-of-sight firing.

The name ENERGA comes from the Liechtenstein Design Group "Institute for the Development of Inventions and Commercial Applications".

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