Posted on 12/12/2004 4:20:42 PM PST by stockpirate
I gotta get me one of them thangs.......
Frankly, I'm happy to read another Metal Storm Thread.
It means a thread featuring the flying car company should be around in a couple of days and that's always a fun one. LOL
Maybe Metal Storm has something with more promise that they haven't shown to Jane's. So far the most notable of their claims seem like pure hype.
The post says each barrel pod weighs 48kg, not each round.
155s weigh about 100 lbs each. I know this from my job.
Okay, than picture a box 6' X 6' X 12' (my measurements) configured with 155mm barrels and each barrel loaded with multiple rounds of 155's. I don't think 155's have a shell, they use sack charges, correct. Behind each shell would be the charge, and only the rounds entered into the fire control system would fire.
They have pictures of the various configurations on the website.
Wouldn't it seem logical that if you could fuse the propellant to the projectile that a rifle that could case, say, 500 rounds, to be fired singly or in clusters, would be the way to go?
"Wouldn't it seem logical that if you could fuse the propellant to the projectile that a rifle that could case, say, 500 rounds, to be fired singly or in clusters, would be the way to go?"
- Yes, but I guess at some point weight becomes a factor. Another element that I wasn't very clear on in my first post was the bullet accuracy issue. Solid fuel doesn't "explode" like gunpowder and release it's energy all at once. Solid propellant produces a slower burn rate so that as the bullets left the barrel, some unspent propellant would still be attached to it and providing further velocity increase. However, now that the bullet is out of the barrel, it no longer has the barrel rifling to provide spin and accuracy in flight. You end up with a bullet going through the air with a propellant providing more speed, but you have lost the ability to finely control it's trajectory.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.