chemical
A chemical substance is a unique form of matter with constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Chemical substances may take the form of a single element or chemical compounds. If two or more chemical substances can be combin ...
artillery shell
A shell, in a modern military context, is a projectile whose payload contains an explosive, incendiary device, incendiary, or other chemical filling. Originally it was called a bombshell, but "shell" has come to be unambiguous in a military ...
designed for use by the
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
. It was designed to be used with approximately of GB or VX nerve agents.
History
The U.S. Army standardized the M121 shell in 1954 as an artillery shell capable of delivering
sarin
Sarin (NATO designation GB nerve_agent#G-series.html" ;"title="hort for nerve agent#G-series">G-series, "B" is an extremely toxic organophosphorus compound.Medical Aspects of Chemical and Biological Warfare '': Chapter 2 - History of Chemical and Biological Warfare: An American Perspective, PDF : p. 51), ''
Borden Institute
The Borden Institute is a U.S. Army “Center of Excellence in Military Medical Research and Education”.
In 1987, U.S. Army Colonel Russ Zajtchuk conceived the idea for a “Center of Excellence in Military Medical Research and Education,” u ...
'', Textbooks of Military Medicine, PDF via
Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. ...
, accessed November 13, 2008. Shortly after the discovery of VX in 1952, the
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
Chemical Corps
The Chemical Corps is the branch of the United States Army tasked with defending against and using chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear ( CBRN) weapons. The Chemical Warfare Service was established on 28 June 1918, combining activit ...
began experimenting with employment systems for the newly discovered nerve agent. The M121A1 was standardized in 1961 as a modified version of the original projectile with the additional capability of transporting VX as well as sarin. The M121 and M121A1 have never been used in combat and remaining stockpiles are currently being disposed of in accordance with the 1997
Chemical Weapons Convention
The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), officially the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction, is an arms control treaty administered by the Organisation for ...
.
Design
The M121 was designed as a steel shell that was long with the fuze assembly attached and without the fuze. The center contains a burster, which is topped by a booster propellant, which subsequently screws into the fuze. the hollow portion of the shell is filled with of sarin (GB).
The M121A1 is identical to the M121 with the exception of it using a larger fuze assembly, which makes the entire projectile . The large fuze assembly allows for the M121A1 to safely carry and deliver of VX or of sarin away from the howitzer.https://www.denix.osd.mil/rcwmprogram/references/references-home/relevant-docs/old-chem-refguide/RCWM%20Old%20Materiel.pdf
M687 155 mm projectile
The M687 was an American 155 mm binary sarin chemical artillery shell. The design was standardized in 1976 and production began on December 16, 1987 at Pine Bluff Arsenal, Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Production was halted three years later, following t ...