Australia's new weapon

ADVANCED INDIVIDUAL COMBAT WEAPON (AICW)
"Metal Storm recently announced details of funding for the AICW from the Australian Defence Force, under a Defence Capability and Technology Demonstration (CTD) Program. The CTD proposal initiated by Weapons Systems Division, Defence Science Technology Organisation (DSTO) plans to integrate the Metal Storm concept with the Individual Combat Weapon and a range of other technologies to fire 20/40mm bursting munitions in addition to NATO standard 5.56mm KE rounds.

The weapon will combine the fire power of two barrels, with the bottom barrel planned as an upgraded version of the current STEYR AUG Assault Rifle, firing standard 5.56mm NATO ammunition. The top barrel will add advanced capabilities to the weapon, being capable of firing different types of projectiles, ranging from potentially 20/40mm air bursting projectiles, to less-than-lethal projectiles. This barrel will incorporate Metal Storm's electronic ballistic technology, with the projectiles stacked in-line directly in the barrel.

The weapon is also planned to incorporate advanced day/night sighting and laser targeting systems, and a video link to a helmet mounted display. With one mechanical barrel and one Metal Storm 'stacked' barrel, this hybrid weapon will provide a range of new capabilities, including the ability to engage targets, which may be hidden from direct line of sight.

The AICW is being developed under a three-year research and development program undertaken by (DSTO), in collaboration with Metal Storm and other consortium members and will produce three fully operational AICW prototypes for further military testing.

The A$3.2m program adds to the existing research and development programs examining the possible use of Metal Storm for defence applications."

dboy.cpgl.net...

Originally posted by gooking
Also, considering the way Metal Storm weapons function, would reloading the GL mean replacing the barrel?

I think that after firing all the rounds another set of grenades will be inserted.

[edit on 26-6-2004 by Johnny]

kinda like the XM-29 of the US army but the Xm is more advanced

i dont think the xm-29 is more advanced. the grenade launcher in the xm-29 is conventional and clip based. the metal storm gun uses electronic pulse tecnhology for its grenade launcer... its essentially half pulse-rifle!

-koji K.

the xm has a laser sight system it has thermal and night vision capability it can fire granade round and the gunner can program how far he wants the grenade to go before it explodes good for shooting into windows because it has delayed explosion it waits until it is in the house then explodes in the air without hitting anything and for getting ppl in foxholes just imagine you program the granade to explode right on top of the foxhole ouch!


[edit on 26-6-2004 by WestPoint23]

also it looks kool




also this is the ability of the XM-29 that allows soliders to look around corners.

I read some of people bashing the xm-29 in other post for it having to use batteries as a major weakness. If the battery runs out on the m-29 it will only lose air burst on its grenades it will function as a semi auto impact gernade launcher and rifle.

The new aussie weapon looks sweet I love the metal storm tech dont have to worry about any jams with them. Plus if it has a fire rate near any of the american metal storm guns It will put all those gernades down range very quickly if they want

I dont know why they want to have the gun fir normal NATO rounds for...mechanically....

Why not use metal storm technology for all of it?

here is the problem with metal storm tech in rifles ok you use all of your grenades at once to fire them then you have to put and replace the grenades with new rounds every time you fire all of the grenades so you better have big pockets to carry those extra rounds also try doing this when your getting fired at


[edit on 26-6-2004 by WestPoint23]

Very nice system, I'm just sorry I left the Australia Service when I did!

Originally posted by WestPoint23
here is the problem with metal storm tech in rifles ok you use all of your grenades at one to fire them then you have to put and replace the grenades with new rounds every time you fire all of the grenades so you better have big pockets to carry those extra rounds also try doing this when your getting fired at

Tha'ts not true. You fire them one at a time, or one straight after the other. It's entirely up to your trigger finger and what you want to do.

Electronically firing means that it doesn't need a mechanical part to fire the first grenade that comes out of the barrel. What it does is sends it a little elctriccal signal that somehow fires the grenade out of the tube, though the other grenades get left behind. This hapens because of what size teh cylinder (the tube the grenade comes out of is), and the size of the next grenade to be fired's head. Heat generates, metal expands, metal contracts. Read up on the metal storm tech before you go talking about what you think happens without any basis and what actually happens.

You dont think they'd be getting all this funding for research if they had such a stupid flaw like that would do you?


They should do exactly the same thing with the bullets.

Originally posted by DaRAGE
They should do exactly the same thing with the bullets.

... so that instead of just changing clip they have to put cartridges to barrel or change the whole barrel thing.
Very rational!

And you don't do anything with those fast fire rates which this metal storm tech would enable. (at least in "handgun")

Originally posted by DaRAGE
They should do exactly the same thing with the bullets.

That may not be a good idea. Less bullets will fit in the barrel and inserting a meter long tube is... not handy... so is puting single cartriges in the barrel.

looks like a poor mans OCIW...

do those electrical signals still get sent after the rifle gets wet or is in water does water affect them at all?

I wonder how these weapons would affect combat skills in the future.

Magazine fed weapons are useless without magazines. You also have to pack the magazine with rounds before you can load it into the weapon. Which is essentially the same as packing the rounds straight into the weapon, just cuts out the middle man (magazine).

I think that moving towards magazine-less weapons could be a good thing in the long run. They just need to develop more practical ways of packaging and loading rounds into the metalstorm weapons.

I'd still prefer a sniper rifle any day. But a sniper rifle with the tech. of an XM-29 or AICW that would be something. Who knows what could be developed. Who knows maybe bullets without the need for shells.

Oh yeah a few questions. Why does Australia need this and no offense to Australia but how would they afford these things. And why have a grenade launcher that fires so fast, normaly one does the trick anymore is a bit of a hazard in the hands of an inexpirienced soldier.

[edit on 6/26/2004 by cyberdude78]

CD that is what i am trying to say it is a waste of ammunition to fire all of them at once.