Thermite grenades

[ostupidman]

I did a search and the only thing I found about this was a thread discussing what it would do to a MBT.

I was wondering about getting thermite grenades for taking out caches on insurgent maps. Since their purpose is to destroy weapons and machinery and the like. I was thinking that they would still be limited to certain kits. What do you guys think?

Sorry if I missed this somewhere in the search.

[=Romagnolo=]

We already have C4's and that green thing in the SF kit.

[gclark03]

There's really no more demand for explosive toys, with the exception of remote-detonated Claymores.

[Craz3y|Assasin]

Theres already C4s for the engi and SF so theres no need

[ostupidman]

Just thought it might add something to the gameplay. Since the insurgents can use the engineer kit to repair bridges and the SF kit is severely limited. It would enable a squad to kill a cache but not have the power to knock out a bridge. Just an idea.

[Lynx]

HEY HERES an idea!

have the thermite grenades be able to burn entry holes in the wall!
(since there are already distructable walls)
thats what spec-ops do in RL when they want to assault a compound
and it should be given to spec ops
I love it!

[101 bassdrive]

termites only eat holes into wood, dumbo.^^

[Lynx]

fences and houses are made out of wood aren't they?
besides it would add a lot to gameplay

[IAJTHOMAS]

Originally Posted by Lynx

HEY HERES an idea!

have the thermite grenades be able to burn entry holes in the wall!
(since there are already distructable walls)
thats what spec-ops do in RL when they want to assault a compound
and it should be given to spec ops
I love it!

They create a breach very slowly using a method which lights up the area?

[Ninja2dan]

Thermate is a variation of thermite and is an incendiary pyrotechnic composition that can generate short bursts of exceedingly high temperatures focused on a small area for a short period of time. It is used primarily in incendiary grenades.

The main chemical reaction in thermate is the same as in thermite: an aluminothermic reaction between powdered aluminum and a metal oxide. In addition to thermite, thermate also contains sulfur and sometimes barium nitrate, both of which increase its thermal effect, create flame in burning, and significantly reduce the ignition temperature. Various mixtures of these compounds can be called thermate, but, to avoid confusion with Thermate-TH3, one can refer to them as thermite variants or analogs. The composition by weight of Thermate-TH3 (in military use) is 68.7% thermite, 29.0% barium nitrate, 2.0% sulfur and 0.3% binder (such as PBAN). As both thermite and thermate are notoriously difficult to ignite, initiating the reaction normally requires trained human supervision and sometimes persistent effort.

Because thermate burns at higher temperatures than ordinary thermite, it has useful military applications in cutting through tank armor or other hardened military vehicles or bunkers. As with thermite, thermate's ability to burn for short periods of time without an external supply of oxygen renders it useful for underwater demolition.

Because they are not intended to be thrown, thermate incendiary grenades generally have a shorter delay fuze than other grenades e.g. two seconds.

AN-M14 TH3 incendiary hand grenade



The AN-M14 TH3 incendiary hand grenade is used to destroy equipment. It can damage, immobilize, or destroy vehicles, weapons systems, shelters, or munitions. The grenade may also be used to start fires in areas containing flammable materials.


(1) Body -- sheet metal.

(2) Filler -- 26.5 ounces of thermate (TH3) mixture.

(3) Fuze -- M201A1.

(4) Weight -- 32 ounces.

(5) Safety clip -- no.

(6) Capabilities -- can be thrown 25 meters by average soldier. A portion of the thermate mixture is converted to molten iron, which burns at 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit. It will fuze together the metallic parts of any object that it contacts. Thermate is an improved version of thermite, the incendiary agent used in hand grenades during World War II. The thermate filler of the AN-M14 grenade burns for 40 seconds and can burn through a 1/2-inch homogeneous steel plate. It produces its own oxygen and will burn under water.

(7) Color/markings -- gray with purple markings and a single purple band (current grenades). Under the standard color-coding system, incendiary grenades are light red with black markings.

The "thermite" grenades in current use by the military are actually Thermate, a form of thermite. The TH3 is the model in use by the US military, and are used primarily for the destruction of weapon systems or to disable vehicles. The above was taken from FM 23-30, and as per that quote you can see they are capable of burning through hard metal to include armored steel plate. I don't see them being effective against concrete objects though, and minimal against most masonry. Using them to breach walls would not be realistic, as concussion-based munitions would be selected for those tasks.

The use of such munitions in PR would be very limited, and most likely only suited as a special kit available on select maps for a specific purpose. And as others have said, the current C4 charge is better suited for gameplay at this time.