Collateral damage risk: Quantifying the water surface bullet ricochet problem

Bullet ricochet from the sea surface presents a problem for naval operators working in near-shore environments because it provides a significant but poorly constrained collateral damage risk. This paper presents results of ricochet experiments for five military projectiles. The experiments were carried out in a laboratory environment where a flat-water surface was ensured, but an approach to consider wavy surfaces is used to extend the results to consider simple wave fields. Computer-generated witness plates marking the post-ricochet flight path confirm operator concerns that ricochet of military projectiles from the water surface are unpredictable. This result underlines the need for alternative deterrence and classification capabilities.