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Metal Storm reaches Navy test range
News.com ^ | November, 17, 2007 | Mark Rutherford

Posted on 11/18/2007 4:59:13 AM PST by Perseverando

After years of development, a new class of weapon that uses computer-controlled electronic ignition instead of primers to fire projectiles may be finally taking its much coveted place in the U.S. military inventory.

Brisbane, Australia-based Metal Storm has delivered a four-barrel weapon to the Naval Surface Warfare Center for testing that uses a small electrical current instead a conventional firing pin to deliver stacked rounds at an astounding rate.

How astounding? Try 1 million rounds per minute. That's the rate, by the way, not the volume; still, there's no way you want to be anywhere near the wrong end of one of these puppies. . . .

The projectiles are stacked in-line in the barrel--nose to tail--so there are no magazines, no shell casings, and no mechanical components. This makes them ideal for unattended area denial or picket duty. They are also easily adapted to light vehicles and robot platforms. In fact, the company just signed an MOU with iRobot Government & Industrial Robots to combine its robot platforms with Metal Storm's scalable systems.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.com ...


TOPICS: Australia/New Zealand; Foreign Affairs; Government; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: banglist; firepower; metalstorm; navy
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To: ASA Vet

For the people who don't know, the odd quotes are from the movie, "The Fifth Element".

21 posted on 11/18/2007 6:45:04 AM PST by Shooter 2.5 (NRA - Hunter '08)
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To: em2vn
Nothing is salt water or sailor proof.

A saying from my Navy days: You can make things foolproof, but you can't make them idiot proof!

22 posted on 11/18/2007 6:49:27 AM PST by JimRed ("Hey, hey, Teddy K., how many girls did you drown today?" TERM LIMITS, NOW!)
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To: ASA Vet

:)


23 posted on 11/18/2007 7:00:46 AM PST by samtheman (Fred Thompson '08)
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To: JimRed

I learned that from a Navy Chief during boot camp in San Diego. He also told us that the insignia for a boatswain mate should be a marlinspike and a rubber.
If I knew then what I know now!


24 posted on 11/18/2007 8:32:14 AM PST by em2vn
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To: em2vn

By “rubber” do you mean galoshes or prophylactics?


25 posted on 11/18/2007 8:38:54 AM PST by mamelukesabre
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To: mamelukesabre

The medical staff didn’t encourage sailors to keep their feet dry when on liberty.


26 posted on 11/18/2007 8:45:37 AM PST by em2vn
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To: em2vn

Why not? Don’t they care if sailors catch a cold?

hehe


27 posted on 11/18/2007 8:47:05 AM PST by mamelukesabre
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To: Shooter 2.5

One of my favorite flicks! I would not be surprised if some posters here don’t even know about the film, on another forum a poster criticizing the V-22 Osprey never heard of Airwolf, I can just imagine all the laughter about this chinese troll getting busted!

FreeRepublic is infested terribly lately with posters of either a left slant or inherently against any US technology that is groundbreaking or of a military nature.
We need more moderators of a special forum just for these idiots that all freepers know its just a forum of that, or just delete them immediately.

Now that my rant is done I think Metalstorm is a HUGE step forward in military arms technology and of course I expect the rock throwers to scream foul, this is the future and if the US is going to use it I also expect more unknown nationals here at FR to complain.


28 posted on 11/18/2007 8:48:39 AM PST by Eye of Unk
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To: NonValueAdded

I remember something about “caseless” ammo from that flick...

Freegards


29 posted on 11/18/2007 8:59:26 AM PST by Ransomed (Son of Ransomed says Keep the Faith!)
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To: Eye of Unk

My pet peeve are the posters who go through the trouble to find photos, make comments about it but neglect to identify the photo itself. I don’t pretend to know every celebrity and don’t care to find out.
The metalstorm threads appear with so much regularity, I suspect some freepers have stock in the company.


30 posted on 11/18/2007 9:07:12 AM PST by Shooter 2.5 (NRA - Hunter '08)
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To: Grut
how is this different from a big shotgun

Range. The projectiles would carry their launch energy a distance nearly that of conventional rifles.

31 posted on 11/18/2007 9:10:39 AM PST by RightWhale (anti-razors are pro-life)
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To: Recon Dad
far superior alternative from the Phalanx guns

I don't. When a Phalanx runs out of ammo, you slap in (relatively speaking) another magazine. If Metalstorm runs out of ammo, you have to replace an entire barrel.

32 posted on 11/18/2007 10:38:05 AM PST by yhwhsman ("Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small..." -Sir Winston Churchill)
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To: samtheman
The ZF1!

I think you're confusing the Metalstorm with the OICW.

33 posted on 11/18/2007 1:02:08 PM PST by supercat (Sony delenda est.)
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To: yhwhsman
If Metalstorm runs out of ammo, you have to replace an entire barrel.

How far from the front of the barrel is the foremost projectile before the weapon is fired for the first time? Might it be possible to design the weapon to breach-load cases each of which had a bunch of projectiles within it?

34 posted on 11/18/2007 1:07:15 PM PST by supercat (Sony delenda est.)
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To: Jeff Head

This weapon might have some naval significance and might have a better chance of bringing down an anti-ship missile than CIWS, so I thought I’d ping you. I’ve been following this weapon development loosely, it looks like it’s getting serious attention.


35 posted on 11/18/2007 8:29:29 PM PST by Kevmo (We should withdraw from Iraq — via Tehran. And Duncan Hunter is just the man to get that job done.)
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To: Grut

Since the projectile is fired from a rifled? barrel of the same diameter, I would think the ballistics would be more like a normal rifle, especially for the later rounds fired from farther down the barrel.


36 posted on 11/19/2007 8:18:28 AM PST by Still Thinking (Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?)
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