Is the MetalStorm the next big gun evolution?

[Zen21Tao]

Video

Here is a nice informational video on the Metal Storm weapon system. All I can say is WOW... :
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/239653/metal_storm_weapon_system/

 

[K-Romulus]

yeah, as a "Smart Gun"

Metalstorm's pistol is the leading candidate for a marketable "smart gun."

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As soon as they get it halfway functional, NJ's enacted "smart gun" law will mandate it as the only pistol allowed to be sold or owned in that state. MD, with a "smart gun committee" that meets once a year to evaluate the state of the technology, will soon follow.

When CA (the largest firearms market in the US) gets on board, it's all down hill from there. . .

 

[Caanis Lupus]

The area denial demo I saw was cool.

I think also this ismore about the underlying tech than replacing proven systems.

Being able to put 200 grenades in the air useful all the time? No. But is calling a B-52/B-2/B-1 for a small area useful?

Small caliber units could be good point defense for road blocks and such.

Any tool can be put in a situation it was not designed for and not look effective. For the situations that these could be useful in they will be prety cool I think.

Didn't they do an accuracy demo at one time also? Been forever since I went to their page and my office machine bites.

 

[JesseL]

I think the next real big advancement in personal small arms will be based on the light gas gun. It could be the final realization of the desires of all the guys who have dreamed of building a .17-50BMG.

At 19,000FPS, the 220 Swift, 17 Remington, 223 WWSM, and 204 Ruger could kiss my nethers.

 

[mdao]

IMHO, the MetalStorm system is best seen as a long range big bore shotgun. It will never replace rifles or pistols, and is only better than miniguns in very specific circumstances (CIWS and possibly on fighter aircraft).

I've always wondered why they never thought of using the MetalStorm "tubes" as cartridges and use a revolver-style barrel/forcing cone arrangement. It'd remove the cost of expensive disposable barrels and fix the first-last shot accuracy issues. Possibly something to do with the "no mechanical" mantra that the MetalStorm designers are following. Hmm, that would make burst firing revolvers possible. I'd buy two.

Still, wonder what the BATFE would think about those...

If you need to put that much kinetic energy into the air that quickly we already have explosives. That's why they called them Panzergrenadiers.

Why not MetalStorm + explosives?

As Caanis Lupus mentioned, it's very useful in mining. Short of an MLRS strike, nothing else comes close matching MetalStorm in minefield deployment speed. Same thing for mortar attacks. Stick a rack of MetalStorm based mortars in the back of a HUMVEE and you can get a lot of explosives on target and be gone before the rounds hit the ground. It'd also work well for tank smoke grenade launchers, and anti-missile defense.

 

[Grey54956]

MetalStorm as a point defense weapon, maybe. Emplacements, maybe. Personal weapon, most likely not...