News Review: Metal Storm completes non-lethal development contract | ADM June 2011

The US subsidiary of Metal Storm has completed its contribution to the US Marine Corps’ Mission Payload Module Non-Lethal Weapon System (MPM-NLWS) Technology Development Phase.

Metal Storm has been a participant in the program since 2005 when the Marines began evaluating alternative solutions for the MPM program. This latest phase of the Procurement Process required the development of a non-lethal payload with suppressive effects.

“We were able to solve many of the difficult challenges in developing a system that maximizes the incapacitating effects while at the same time, minimizing the risk of injury to the targeted personnel,” Metal Storm Inc. president Peter Faulkner said.

Metal Storm developed a version of its FireStorm that can deliver a large volume of non-lethal munitions at ranges up to 150m. The munition was co-developed with Safariland, a division of BAE.

“Safariland’s primary area of focus was development and characterization of an explosive payload design to meet the system requirements for light and sound stimuli, personnel incapacitation, and nonlethal effects,” Safariland operations and engineering Director John Kapeles said.

“The non-lethal human effects, combined with the high-volume payload delivery made possible by the Metal Storm launcher system, will provide the warfighter an increased capability to project non-lethal force accurately at extended ranges.”