PATENT LICENSE OPPORTUNITY FOR NON LETHAL MUNITIONS The U.S. Army Research Laboratory announces the development of a novel non lethal munition that can be launched from any rifled barrel system. As U.S. soldiers are increasingly employed in peacemaking and peacekeeping roles, the need for such munitions is rapidly increasing. Accompanying this shift in mission emphasis is the generation of new reqirements, such as that for gun-launched, non lethal munitions. Analogous need for non lethal munitions for civilian law enforcement has also been recognized. In response, the Army Research Laboratory has developed a 40mm Non Lethal Cartridge, designation XM1006. Also referred to as the "Sponge Grenade", this munition is designed to deliver a non-penetrating impact over a relatively wide range of distances. The projectile itself consists of a plastic body fitted with a stiff foam nose. It is spin-stabilized as to fly and impact nose first, and must be launched from a rifled barrel to achieve this effect. The accuracy of the projectile allows targeting of specific individuals, as opposed to spraying a crowd. This significantly reduces the risk of injury, while decreasing drag and increasing accuracy. A "high-low" propulsion technique provides consistent launch velocities with modern smokeless powder, as opposed to black powder. This propulsion system is incorporated into the 40mm M212 cartridge case to reduce associated production costs. A patent application has been submitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. It should be noted that the patent is NOT caliber specific; all calibers are protected by the patent. A licensing meeting is scheduled for Thursday, 2 April 1998, at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. Contact Mike Rausa at 410-278-5028 or visit http://www.fedlabs.org/flc/ma/pl for technical and registration information. A non-disclosure agreement MUST be signed before attending the licensing meeting.

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