International Scientific Journals
of Scientific Technical Union of Mechanical Engineering "Industry 4.0"

More than 50 years after introducing the term "non-lethal weapons" (NLWs) and over 20 years of adopting the non-lethality policy, there is still no commonly accepted definition of this class of weapons, and the term "non-lethal weapons" is still subject to debates. This problem affects almost all aspects in the field of non-lethal weapons and is cause of most incorrect interpretations and contradictions connected to NLWs. The purpose of this paper is to discuss and summarize the purpose, features and potential of NLWs, in order to help clarify some existing ambiguities, thus contributing to the proper understanding of the modern “non-lethal weapons” concept.

Investigation and assessment of non-lethal weapons (NLWs) require development of specific methods and tools different than those applied to conventional weapons, due to reversibility and limited duration of the NLWs’ effects. The capabilities evaluation aims to establish to what extent the NLWs are able to meet the requirements of an operational task. The paper describes the criteria currently applied for assessing the NLWs capabilities and proposes an approach based on selection of criteria and variation of their relative weights depending on studied NLWs and operational tasks specific. The application of this approach is illustrated by a comparative evaluation of a group of non-lethal hand grenades with different effects.

The capabilities of a non-lethal weapon (NLW) are its potential to successfully execute certain operational task. Non-lethal hand grenades are amongst the most used means for influence on people in any kind of missions and various operational contexts. This paper presents results of studies on the capabilities of seven types of hand grenades with different effects or combinations of effects developed and produced at the Institute of Metal Science, Equipment and Technologies (IMSETHAC-BAS). The capabilities assessment covers 14 operational tasks in which non-lethal grenades could be applied. Obtained results are compared to capabilities of highest evaluated current/programmed NLWs of leading NATO countries producers.