posted 08-03-2001 11:36 AM
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Australian Defence Magazine. Vol. 9, No.7 July 2001
Defence approves Metal Storm CTD
Gregor Ferguson
The Department of Defence has approved a three-year, $3.2 million Capability
& Technology Demonstrator (CTD) program to develop an Advanced Individual
Combat Weapon (AICW) based on Metal Storm ballistics technology. A number of
other CTDs approved in the 2001 budget were expected to be announced as ADM
closed for press.
The AICW program, led by DSTO's Weapons Systems Division, will develop
prototypes of a single weapon which combines the Army's existing 5.56mm
Steyr AUG rifle with either a 20mm or a 40mm Metal Storm gun barrel. The CTD
program will see prototypes of both calibres manufactured.
The Metal Storm design places all the rounds nose-to-tail inside the barrel,
where they are initiated electronically, either one at a time or at very
high rates of fire. The auxiliary barrel could be used to fire either high
explosive, air-burst ammunition or non-lethal projectiles, Vinod Puri, a
DSTO research leader, told ADM.
The lack of a separate magazine or mechanical trigger assembly for the
second barrel means that an AICW incorporating Metal Storm technology could
be lighter and simpler than a weapon such as the US Army's Objective
Infantry Combat Weapon (OICW) which uses conventional weapons technology for
its second barrel. The OICW, which is currently under development, combines
in a single unit both a conventional rifle with its own barrel, magazine and
trigger assembly, and a higher-calibre weapon to fire high-explosive
projectiles for added infantry fire power, especially against entrenched
opposition.
The AICW program is designed to support two separate Australian Army
projects. The Steyr rifle will reach the end of its projected 20-year
service life in 2008. The AICW CTD will explore the possibility of extending
its service life by upgrading the weapons and integrating them with a Metal
Storm-type gun to provide greater tactical flexibility, lethality and
capability.
This is an interesting new high technology weapon that may compete with the US OICW.
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Australian Defence Magazine. Vol. 9, No.7 July 2001
Defence approves Metal Storm CTD
Gregor Ferguson
The Department of Defence has approved a three-year, $3.2 million Capability
& Technology Demonstrator (CTD) program to develop an Advanced Individual
Combat Weapon (AICW) based on Metal Storm ballistics technology. A number of
other CTDs approved in the 2001 budget were expected to be announced as ADM
closed for press.
The AICW program, led by DSTO's Weapons Systems Division, will develop
prototypes of a single weapon which combines the Army's existing 5.56mm
Steyr AUG rifle with either a 20mm or a 40mm Metal Storm gun barrel. The CTD
program will see prototypes of both calibres manufactured.
The Metal Storm design places all the rounds nose-to-tail inside the barrel,
where they are initiated electronically, either one at a time or at very
high rates of fire. The auxiliary barrel could be used to fire either high
explosive, air-burst ammunition or non-lethal projectiles, Vinod Puri, a
DSTO research leader, told ADM.
The lack of a separate magazine or mechanical trigger assembly for the
second barrel means that an AICW incorporating Metal Storm technology could
be lighter and simpler than a weapon such as the US Army's Objective
Infantry Combat Weapon (OICW) which uses conventional weapons technology for
its second barrel. The OICW, which is currently under development, combines
in a single unit both a conventional rifle with its own barrel, magazine and
trigger assembly, and a higher-calibre weapon to fire high-explosive
projectiles for added infantry fire power, especially against entrenched
opposition.
The AICW program is designed to support two separate Australian Army
projects. The Steyr rifle will reach the end of its projected 20-year
service life in 2008. The AICW CTD will explore the possibility of extending
its service life by upgrading the weapons and integrating them with a Metal
Storm-type gun to provide greater tactical flexibility, lethality and
capability.
This is an interesting new high technology weapon that may compete with the US OICW.
