Nobody was terribly impressed with anybody elses normal jobs so discussions turned to ‘What If’ scenarios. One of the scenarios was, “What if your TOW jeep is put out of commission and takes your tracker and other electronics with it?” Schematics were viewed, dust covers were removed from the missile, wires were connected, many people suddenly found a really strong desire to be a long way away and behind the biggest rocks they could find.

It was a hell of a show when it fired. To this day I think an early generation TOW missile would make a pretty outstanding off-route anti-armor mine. A lot more effective than any of the other systems then in the inventory. I’m not quite sure how you’d aim the damned thing but if that could be worked out, it would make a pretty spectacular impression on a wayward enemy armored vehicle.

The Redeye guys refused to be outthought by a bunch of grunts so as I understand it, later in the day one of their training rounds was successfully set off. As for the Dragon, one of the methods to destroy it was listed in the operator’s manual as, “fire the missile either conventionally or by field expedient means making sure to elevate the muzzle high enough that even without the electronic control of the tracker-sight it will travel far enough to arm and subsequently detonate down range.” (words pretty much to that effect) Though given the number of outright stupidity in the Army’s field manuals of the time, I probably shouldn’t take it as gospel since the only place I saw the reference was in the manual. The Dragon was a lot of fun to watch being fired though, it hopped around like a malevolent beagle as it made its way toward the target. Sounded like a string of firecrackers going off.

Out of interest, how did you come to know that an expensive missile could be fired with a battery?

Now here’s a thoroughly bothersome question. What parts of a fielded MetalStorm system are the US BATF-E going to classify as the ‘Firearm’? The barrels? They have the ignition system and part of the fire control. The receiver? Depending on configuration, it can be as simple as battery storage and the Safe/Fire switching systems.

Having never lost my amazement at the ingenuity found in young, bored, badly supervised soldiers, I can say from personal experience that a TOW Missile round can be fired with nothing more than some wires and a big enough battery. Same for a Dragon and the old Redeye.

Will there come a time when a stack of five 12ga shells is considered a DD by the US Fed? I haven’t seen any of the current prototypes from MetalStorm but I did get to see one of their 40mm testbed guns at Picatinny a number of years ago. Pretty much anybody who’s able to read the pinout schematic of a computer IDE connector could read the schematic for the connectors in the 40mm grenade launcher. That puts it back in the realm of some wire and a big battery.

As always, YMMV. Seems today is a bit of a Get-Snarky-With-Stupid-Bureaucracies day for me…

DO WANT!

This is a very good use of this technology. There are not currently any rapid firing, compact, lightweight, less lethal weapons on the market, so even if this concept only worked for less lethal applications, it would still be a good idea.

The only thing they had at the show other than Less Lethal rubber tipped rounds was Steel Slugs. I was assured by the Metal Storm people that this was DEFINITELY being developed for use of Buckshot. I get the distinct impression that these models were in the proof of concept stage, but the concept works, and it’s probably the most innovative thing I saw at the show.

The magazine tube/barrel holds five rounds, and is inserted from the front. Empty tubes are ejected and a new tube inserted in their place. The tube is not reloadable in the field, since it must be reloaded in a clean room, but they are theoretically reusable. It is un-rifled, since it’s intended to work as a shotgun. I asked if the slugs would be gyroscopically stabilized, Ala Gyrojet, and they said no.

I personally believe this technology should be installed on every M4, and with the adoption of modern rifle grenade designs, would make every serviceman more lethal, more versatile, and less encumbered vs. carrying an M203 or say a conventional shotgun and a pistol.

There IS a shortage of new ideas for CQB (lethal) equipment.

MetalStorm started out as an idea to project an overwhelming amount of lethal force. It had important applications for area-denial tactics.

This business of using it in a low-powered version to project LTL loads is NOT what we need in a new weapons system, but it might reflect the direction we are going to go in with our new wuss Commander-in-chief.

What I would like to see MetalStorm develop is a serial-loaded 12-ga system with rounds having a low-powered launch charge, but a high-velocity rocket motor, getting them to the target at least trans-sonic at 25 meters or less. During the ‘Nam war, a company, GyroJet, pioneered something like that, but aside from making locator flares for downed airmen, they never sold the idea to the DOD. The handheld locator flares had a max velocity of 1100 fps, IIRC, and WERE used to defeat enemy soldiers on a couple of occasions.

M4/other small Assault Rifle
Less Lethal Grenade launcher (tear gas, and what not)
This as a less lethal side arm with 12 gauge rubber slugs or something, low powered to stun.

But I would like a demonstration with full powered 12 gauge buckshot.

I think the rounds were low powered less-lethal ammo.

Come on… I thought that physics’ laws were still respected

As for the reloads, the orginal versions of the technology required barrel swap-out, but the ammunition is contained entirely within the barrel – there is no receiver or magazine or anything like that. They seem to have moved on to a tube-in-the-magazine methodology from the video, but it will definitely warrant further research.

definitely cool, but, hrmm…

How long you think before deployment in military settings?

SWAT must also want this, 12 Gauge less lethal or something. Get 12 gauge gas grenades, instead of full size one shot under barrel grenade launchers.