riots in France
Rubber bullet launcher LBD 40: The police are said to have killed a young man in Marseille with it
The LPD 40 hard rubber launcher not only looks like a military weapon, but it fires rubber bullets and not grenades.
© Yaghobzadeh Alfred/ABACA/ / Picture Alliance
A 27-year-old died in Marseille over the weekend. A rubber bullet from the police is said to have hit him. The prosecutor is investigating. It is unclear whether the young man took part in the riots at all.
Controversial ranged weapon
In France, the hard rubber launcher LBD 40 has long been controversial. It is no coincidence that the device is reminiscent of the military’s portable grenade launchers. Of course, the LBD 40 does not fire an explosive projectile, but a hard rubber projectile among other things. The device is the more powerful successor to the Flash Ball, although the old name is still used. For police tactics, this weapon has several advantages. The launcher is a long-range weapon that police officers can use to eliminate violent criminals without getting within striking distance. From the point of view of state power, quasi equality of arms is created here. The officers are often shot at with stones, Molotov cocktails or even slingshots, but cannot defend themselves from a distance if they only have deadly firearms at their disposal.
High energy of the LBD-40 bullet
The bullet itself has an immediate man-stopping effect. When used correctly, the impact has the effect of an 8.4 kilogram weight falling from one meter to the ground – albeit with an impact area just 40 millimeters in diameter. If the shot hits a person at close range of less than ten meters, the impact energy is much higher.
This is also the launcher’s first problem. It takes a great deal of energy to knock a man in body armor or even a heavy padded jacket off his feet and incapacitate him for at least a moment. If it hits an unprotected part of the body – especially the forehead, temples or around the eyes – serious injuries are the result.
In the field, this leads to this paradox: violent criminals who have prepared for the riot are well protected against LBD 40 with goggles, vests that disperse the impact energy and helmets. A hit has the effect of a solid punch. But with demonstrators standing around with their heads unprotected, things are different. Several serious injuries occurred during the yellow vest protests, including bystanders. Again and again the suspicion arose that the police had deliberately shot in the head, contrary to the rules of engagement.
Advanced technology from LBD 40
LBD 40 is a quality product from Switzerland and not some kind of ratchet that shoots rubber balls. It has a deployment range of 25 to 50 meters. It must not be used at close range because of the higher energy of the projectiles.
However, photos of serious injuries suggest that the thrower is also used at shorter distances. The projectiles have a diameter of 40 millimeters and a length of 46 millimeters – so they are not bullets. The rifled barrel sets the bullets in rotation around the longitudinal axis. The LBD 40 thus achieves a spread of only 14 centimeters at a distance of 25 meters – in view of the slow rubber projectiles, this is a very good value. If you aim for the chest, you should therefore not accidentally hit the head.
Clear rules – unclear practice in France
And that’s the thrower’s second problem: if used properly, serious injury shouldn’t result. In order to avoid shots to the head, the thrower may only be used in a very controlled manner. There must be no other people near the target and the shooting distance must be at least 25 meters. It is doubtful whether this is always done in the chaos of the current demonstrations. Not only photos on Twitter, but also the recordings of well-known agencies show officials aiming at people’s heads at close range.
Long before the Macron government and the yellow vest protests, there was strong criticism of this weapon, which repeatedly leads to serious injuries. Even if the government and activists present different figures, it is undisputed that many demonstrators in the yellow vest demonstrations were injured by these weapons. The case in Marseille is still unclear. But if the young man was actually on a scooter, he should not have posed any immediate danger.