(OT) What if being able to fire 500,000 rounds a minute is not enough

[Gizzard]

3) Lack of a compelling application. There just aren't that many areas where you really need such a huge rate of fire; ordinary machine guns or autocannon are normally quite adequate.

I thought that the Phalanx missile defense guns operate on a similar principle, "We can't really target a fast moving missile consistently, but we can throw up a curtain of metal in it's general vicinity."

1) Ammunition resupply. After you've shot your load (IYKWIM...) you then have to reload all those barrels and that takes time.

The thing I am curious about is the firing time for this gun - how long can it shoot continuously? Almost all modern guns have a pretty low firing time if they have high firing rates.

 

[hong]

I thought that the Phalanx missile defense guns operate on a similar principle, "We can't really target a fast moving missile consistently, but we can throw up a curtain of metal in it's general vicinity."

Phalanx is basically a gatling gun -- IIRC it's the M61A1 aircraft cannon on a shipboard mount, with a radar on top. Metalstorm uses the same idea of putting a wall of projectiles in the air, but is based on a completely different operating mechanism.

The thing I am curious about is the firing time for this gun - how long can it shoot continuously? Almost all modern guns have a pretty low firing time if they have high firing rates.

Last I checked, it can't fire continuously. It fires one salvo, or maybe a handful depending on how many rounds you have in the barrels, and that's it. Reloading it would be much like reloading a multiple rocket launcher.

 

[Tratyn Runewind]

Hello,

Ah, Metal Storm.

Posted by hong:
Metalstorm has been around for a long time, generating the odd bit of hype at irregular intervals.

Yes, longer than many realize. It is in essence a high-tech update of a concept that dates back to the days of muzzle-loading flintlocks. Back then it was called "superimposed loads", and weapons that fired them are said to still exist in some weapons museums. They look like flintlocks (and perhaps wheellocks) with a single barrel, but with multiple locks alternating down both sides of the weapon. Several powder charges and bullets were then stuffed down the barrel, and fired in succession, from closest to the muzzle back to rearmost. Metal Storm is the same thing, with several charges and bullets stuffed into a barrel, but with computer-timed electronic ignition substituted for rows of flints and flashpans. The modern version also has much better sealing between charges; the main problem with the early version was blast pressure and heat igniting multiple charges at once, and blowing up the weapon.

Posted by hong:
After you've shot your load (IYKWIM...) you then have to reload all those barrels and that takes time

Well, yes. So does cranking a new belt of 20mm DU into a current CIWS. So does loading rifle magazines with the basic load for an infantry company's weapons. Since all of these things are generally done while not under fire, this hardly seems like much of a disadvantage. At any rate, the ammo seems likely to be stored in interchangeable barrels or barrel segments, rather like those of certain old removable-cylinder cap-and-ball revolvers or harmonica actions.

Posted by hong:
Lack of a compelling application. There just aren't that many areas where you really need such a huge rate of fire; ordinary machine guns or autocannon are normally quite adequate.

One potential application for the technology is in high-rate burst fire for infantry weapons. There could be a huge market for weapons with the firing rate and lethality of P90 or MP7 style "PDWs" but the size of ordinary automatic pistols. It's also much simpler mechanically than current weapons, and has fewer openings for crud to get into the weapon, which should translate into increased reliabilty. Electronic triggering should also have accuracy benefits; I believe it is employed even now in some match pistols that use more conventional ammo. And the CIWS applications seem also worth looking into; while current prototypes may be bulky, the general concept of multi-barrel arrays of electronically-fired superimposed loads seems quite easily adaptable to a wide variety of configurations.

At any rate, once they get the bugs worked out, it seems much more practical, and much more innovative, than the likes of the OICW project.

 

[Dirigible]

Why is CNN only reporting this now? It was mentioned on BBC radio about a year and a half ago.

Also, I note they neglect to mention the fact the barrel gets LIQUIFIED by the heat of firing.

 

[mythusmage]

So you keep replacements on hand, and put it on a powered mount. It would work great on ship board. Have a number of them on a conveyer, as each is used it gets taken off and replaced.

A variant on this could have rings of barrels within rings of barrels. When a barrel rotates to the firing position it gets set off by a spark, thus eliminating the need for a standard firing mechanism. Even a low caliber version (5.56mm) would be able to put up a lot of lead in a short time.

Alan

 

[Rune]

But I wanna know when they're making the Mechs to go with them.

 

[NoOneofConsequence]

This is at least five years old - the designers (Australians) were doing demos for local news here before I got married. (Notice how I show superior knowledge and parocial loyalty all in a single sentence )

The feature of electronic ignition that they made a big deal about was the fact that an electronic trigger could be PIN locked, so that unauthorised users could be shut out. That struck me as pretty cool.

 

[s/LaSH]

But I wanna know when they're making the Mechs to go with them.

http://www.mechaps.com. It's not awe-inspiring - basically a cab with manipulator arms and legs to judge from the pictures - but it's a step in the right direction.

Or the MIT working on powered armour (only got a $50 million army grant though, I don't know how far that'll go...).

To switch closer to topic:

That thing about the barrel melting reminded me of Hammer's Slammers, milSF by David Drake. When the story focused on a hovertank with copper plasma munitions, combat went like this: drive around, shoot some stuff, eject the barrel, shoot some more stuff, check the barrel temperature, shoot more stuff and eject the new barrel when stability starts dropping. I expect that, as armour technology improves, so too must penetrative power, and with that comes increased firing energy thus increased barrel heat thus increased barrel meltage. But I don't know... if (for example) plasma munitions become standard, magnetic fields make great armour/containment (in barrels) so you might just build everything out of aluminium, I dunno.

 

[Angcuru]

The technology is far from perfect, but it's still awesome. I always thought that if someone developed a way to fire off a round without the need for any kind of firing pin, we'd see something like this. Doesn't it just warm your heart to know that we humans are always thinking of new, faster, more efficient ways to kill each other?

I fully expect to see some sort of Mech military unit by the end of the century. But if someone develops space starfighting-style combat, I'm in.

Just looked at the Fire Fighting and Area Denial videos. DAT'S AWESOME! Reloading may prove difficult, however. With current firefighting measure, all you have to do is find a fire hydrant and you have unlimited ammo. With this thing, you use less ammo, but have a LOT less. Problem. With the minefield replacement thingy, however, you can just set up another pod and BAM, back in business.

 

[Creamsteak]

But I wanna know when they're making the Mechs to go with them.

Agreed.