Metal Storm Inductively Fired Weapons

[Mossie]

This is the Metal Storm Redback 40mm.  Although it looks pretty much like any other large calibre gun, it has the potential to change warfare the way the Gatling gun did.  This is the first production version of a family of 'inductively fired' weapons that has the potential rate of fire of 1 million rounds per minute.  The Redback is limited to around 3000 rpm but can still engage three targets in 1.2 seconds.

It came about after an Australian inventor was thinking that the basic mechanics of the gun hadn't changed much in three hundred years, ie a mechanical device was used to ignite a charge that propelled a piece of a metal.  He was surprised that nobody had introduced electronics to gun design & found that by iginiting a bullets charge electronically could result in an ultra high rate of fire.  It also had the bonus of reducing recoil & maintenance because of the lack of moving parts.  Also, because of the lack of appreciable recoil, each round lands in almost exactly the same spot & a smaller calibre weapon can do the damage of one quite larger.  Due to the electronic control, the rate of fire can be varied from a more convential rate to the weapons full potential.  Several barrels can allow the weapons to carry different types of round, from bean bags to armour peircing, so the lethalit of the weapon can be changed to suit a situation.

Metal Storm have produced weapons that can fire at 1 million rpm (see this video) but I think there's plenty of developmental hurdles to be overcome before a production weapon is capable of this rate.  They are however looking at applying the technology to just about every type of projectile weapon available, handguns, artillery, grenade launchers etc.  One project close to fruition is a grenade launcher capable of firing at the same rate of fire as the Redback.  Imangine several hundred grenades falling on your head in the space of a second.  See these videos.

Military commanders are extolling the potential defensive benefits of this system.  It could put up a wall of lead capabale of stopping missiles or even bullets in their tracks.  Not suprisingly, they're not keen to be drawn on its offensive potential.

There's plenty more videos, pics & info available on the Metal Storm Website

Redback specs:

•  Firepower.  RedbackTM deploys multiple 40mm Metal Storm barrels firing a range of munitions at selectable rates of fire, including the ability to engage up to 3 targets in 1.2 seconds. With EOS precision sensors and control systems, this results in intense directed firepower.
•  Light.  RedbackTM will be available in system weights from 70-100 kg - less than one conventionally-equipped combatant.
•  Fast.  RedbackTM control and servo systems will allow multiple threats to be engaged , fast enough to engage incoming missiles and projectiles for vehicle defence.
•  Intelligent.  RedbackTM has proven EOS networking capabilities that allow multiple systems to operate with a coordinated response to large threats.
•  Versatile.  RedbackTM can carry a mixed load of munitions to allow non-lethal and lethal response at the same time.  This range of response is an unmet market need for peacekeeping missions and urban warfare with non-combatants present.

So who's going to be the first to add one of these scary weapons to their whiff's?

[jcf]

Well at its core it looks like the return of the Volcanic Rifle to me, and "elecrical ignition" of a cartridge is nothing new. It was pretty much the standard with WWII German aircraft weapons 13mm and larger and has been common ever since.

The concept of pre-loaded barrels that you have to physically change out for reload is kinda daft and the only way you could actually get a million rounds per minute would be with a poo-poo (with an english accent) load of barrells.

Might have  arole in a battery setup on board ship, but it seems way too clumsy for a fast moving battle.

Battery guns and guns with stacked loads are both very old concepts.

Cheers, Jon

[Eddie M.]

It's been the subject of a show on Discovery or TLC (can't remember which :dum:) called Futureweapons. A very impressive demo is shown. Batteries can be made as large as you like, hence the 1 million rate claim. The demo I saw had about 30 or 40 tubes (looks like a mini MLRS) with approx. 5-6 rounds in each tube fire all rounds in seconds. A wall of "lead" so to speak Many apps. and theortically can be used for inbound interception of rounds as well.  Try to catch the show if you can.
  Eddie  

[The Rat]

Okay then lads, who will be the first to put one in a turret and make a Super Defiant? Take THAT, you damned luftbuggers!

[GeorgeC]

Hmmm so who could possibly find a use for some of those

Who wants a nasty thing like that

And what would be so important?

I don't want you stealing my stuff

Does the phrase 'electromagnetically induced current' ring a bell - bad enough stopping bomb/shell fuses going off every time someone transmits

[Mossie]

Well at its core it looks like the return of the Volcanic Rifle to me, and "elecrical ignition" of a cartridge is nothing new. It was pretty much the standard with WWII German aircraft weapons 13mm and larger and has been common ever since.

The concept of pre-loaded barrels that you have to physically change out for reload is kinda daft and the only way you could actually get a million rounds per minute would be with a poo-poo (with an english accent) load of barrells.

Electronic, Jon.  Important word that, electronic.  As for exchangeable barrels, it's no different to the magazine concept.  When it's empty, change it for a full one.  Private Bob then re-fills the empty ones.  Simple.  The barrels may be large but so are artillery shells.

It's been the subject of a show on Discovery or TLC (can't remember which ) called Futureweapons. A very impressive demo is shown. Batteries can be made as large as you like, hence the 1 million rate claim. The demo I saw had about 30 or 40 tubes (looks like a mini MLRS) with approx. 5-6 rounds in each tube fire all rounds in seconds. A wall of "lead" so to speak Many apps. and theortically can be used for inbound interception of rounds as well. Try to catch the show if you can.
Eddie

I'll have to see if I can catch that program Eddie.  I tuned in to it the other week, only to find it was Deadliest Catch instead.  Checked the guide, it definately said Future Weapons, I was gutted!

I'm guessing the gun on the show was this one:


It was one of the early prototypes.  You can download a video showing a demo several rates of several rates of fire, ranging from 600rpm to 1,000,000, click this link.  What gets me is the sound it makes.  At 600rpm, like a standard machine gun.  At 30,000, a buzz, 60,000, a shorter higher pitched buzz.  At 1 million, the rounds are emptied so fast it sounds like a single shot.  And it makes one hell of a hole of in several target sheets.  Scary stuff.

[jcf]

Well at its core it looks like the return of the Volcanic Rifle to me, and "elecrical ignition" of a cartridge is nothing new. It was pretty much the standard with WWII German aircraft weapons 13mm and larger and has been common ever since.

The concept of pre-loaded barrels that you have to physically change out for reload is kinda daft and the only way you could actually get a million rounds per minute would be with a poo-poo (with an english accent) load of barrells.

Electronic, Jon.  Important word that, electronic.  As for exchangeable barrels, it's no different to the magazine concept.  When it's empty, change it for a full one.  Private Bob then re-fills the empty ones.  Simple.  The barrels may be large but so are artillery shells.

It's been the subject of a show on Discovery or TLC (can't remember which ) called Futureweapons. A very impressive demo is shown. Batteries can be made as large as you like, hence the 1 million rate claim. The demo I saw had about 30 or 40 tubes (looks like a mini MLRS) with approx. 5-6 rounds in each tube fire all rounds in seconds. A wall of "lead" so to speak Many apps. and theortically can be used for inbound interception of rounds as well. Try to catch the show if you can.
Eddie

I'll have to see if I can catch that program Eddie.  I tuned in to it the other week, only to find it was Deadliest Catch instead.  Checked the guide, it definately said Future Weapons, I was gutted!

I'm guessing the gun on the show was this one:


It was one of the early prototypes.  You can download a video showing a demo several rates of several rates of fire, ranging from 600rpm to 1,000,000, click this link.  What gets me is the sound it makes.  At 600rpm, like a standard machine gun.  At 30,000, a buzz, 60,000, a shorter higher pitched buzz.  At 1 million, the rounds are emptied so fast it sounds like a single shot.  And it makes one hell of a hole of in several target sheets.  Scary stuff.

Seeing as I work in the business of aircraft electrical/electronics systems I know the difference, but in this case it reads like more adman hype. The firing control may be "electronically controlled", but the ignition is electrical...just as it is with any of the contemporary electrically-primed computer-controlled gun systems.

Swapping barrels out during combat is a whole hell of a lot different than swapping magazines or feeding a new belt.

I'm skeptical of its utility.

Cheers, Jon  

[Hobbes]

Does the phrase 'electromagnetically induced current' ring a bell - bad enough stopping bomb/shell fuses going off every time someone transmits

Nah, you'd have to park a huge transmitter right next to the gun to induce enough current.  

[GeorgeC]

Does the phrase 'electromagnetically induced current' ring a bell - bad enough stopping bomb/shell fuses going off every time someone transmits

Nah, you'd have to park a huge transmitter right next to the gun to induce enough current.

Good job we don't have many of those on airfields, ships or military vehicles...  

[blue520]

Hmmm so who could possibly find a use for some of those

Who wants a nasty thing like that

And what would be so important?

I don't want you stealing my stuff

There is also this that turned up in the Australian media recently

Weapons expert 'wooed by China'

[Hobbes]

Does the phrase 'electromagnetically induced current' ring a bell - bad enough stopping bomb/shell fuses going off every time someone transmits

Nah, you'd have to park a huge transmitter right next to the gun to induce enough current.

Good job we don't have many of those on airfields, ships or military vehicles...

I expect the barrel will act as a Faraday cage, so even a big transmitter would be okay.  

[luft46models]

I also understand Metal Storm is having some financial difficulties as they made it to the business pages recently here in Oz

William

[Mossie]

Seeing as I work in the business of aircraft electrical/electronics systems I know the difference,  but in this case it reads like more adman hype. The firing control may be "electronically controlled", but the ignition is electrical...just as it is with any of the contemporary electrically-primed computer-controlled gun systems.

Swapping barrels out during combat is a whole hell of a lot different than swapping magazines or feeding a new belt.

I'm skeptical of its utility.

Cheers, Jon

I think you're focusing too much on the electrical aspect.  Yes, it has aspects in common with current guns but it has to retain the function, such as metal tubes for barrells.  The main thing is the way all this is controlled in order to eliminate moving parts, and a leap ahead in the way guns work.

As far as I'm aware, it's not actually the whole barrell that is changed but a cartridge that is inserted into it.  Also, the elimination of working parts on these concepts should make the swapping of a barrels a much easier affair.

Granted, there's going to be some issues with such a completely new design, but it's capabilities are such that I'm sure it'll get picked up somewhere along the line, wether it's by Metal Storm or some other organisation.  Even if the Austrailians are lukewarm about it, the Chinese seem to be very keen & they'll probably develop their own version.  Some times it takes time for people to be convinced of a new technology, look at Frank Whittle!

[Hobbes]

The problem with swapping a barrel is that you can't do that while firing, unlike feeding a new belt into a machine gun.  

[Eddie M.]

The problem with swapping a barrel is that you can't do that while firing, unlike feeding a new belt into a machine gun.

From what I've seen, that's no problem. These tubes empty in 1 or 2 seconds.
  Eddie