Weapons: The eye of the storm | ADM Jul 2010
By Metal Storm’s own admission, 2009 was a financially trying year for the weaponry developer; but 2010 has begun with some key contract wins.
Jane Symonds | Brisbane
In mid May, staff and students from the Capability and Technology Management College (CTMC) visited Metal Storm’s Brisbane facilities, receiving an overview of product development and capability with a tour of production facilities.
Visitors were given an opportunity to view the company’s past and present technology, following development of its electronically fired stacked projectile systems and munitions.
Metal Storm CEO Dr Lee Finniear told ADM he hoped the visit had created interest and understanding amongst officers going on to postings in Capability Development Group (CDG) and the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO).
Air Vice Marshal Jack Plenty, Head Capability Systems, RAAF, and Major General John Caligari, Head Modernisation and Strategic Planning, Army, as well as a DSTO representative, will visit Metal Storm this month for a live firing demonstration.
Despite severe financial pressure during 2009 – in his annual report, Finniear suggested it was “the most challenging year” the company had faced since it first listed on the ASX in 1999, as the company approached insolvency before reaching an agreement for an equity line of credit with UK-based investment fund Global Emerging Markets (GEM) – Metal Storm moved from bench firing to consistent shoulder firings of its weapons systems, and is currently involved in a number of international development contracts.
MAUL in Canada Metal Storm’s MAUL system, a modular 12-gauge, five-shot semi-automatic shotgun, is being supplied to Defence Research and Development Canada as part of the four-year Soldier Integrated Precision Effects System (SIPES) program.
SIPES aims “to demonstrate the viability, utility and usability of integrated novel small arms related to lethal and non-lethal technologies for future, lightweight, small-calibre weapon systems which address current capability deficiencies”.
Canada has a planned introduction date of around 2020 for future weapon delivery.
“Obviously there are plans for a great deal of further R&D in the interim and Metal Storm hope to be able to assist with both shotguns and grenade launchers,” Finniear told ADM.
“Metal Storm weapons can provide specific emphasis on the electromagnetic interference (EMI) and electromagnetic vulnerability (EMV) characteristics of the future system.”
The MAUL system is an 800 gram module which can be mounted on most military combat rifles, or used on a standalone stock.
It will be offered with a range of less lethal munitions such as blunt impact, electro-muscular incapacitation, frangible nose chemical and marker munitions, together with door-breaching and lethal munitions.
Technology development
In April this year, Metal Storm announced it had been awarded a US$1.48 million contract by the US Marine Corps (USMC) for the Mission Payload Module – Non-Lethal Weapon System (MPM-NLWS) program.
The initial award is a Cost Plus Fixed Fee Contract for Technology Development Phase, which will evaluate demonstrated payload effectiveness, munitions fusing/functioning and weapon platform compatibility.
Metal Storm, leading a team that includes BAE Systems, is providing its FireStorm multi-barrel 40mm electronic system for the development phase.
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems has been awarded a similar contract for its Medusa weapon system.
The MPM-NLWS is to launch a new non-lethal munition that will incapacitate personnel through light, sound and pressure stimuli, providing longer range, greater area coverage, extended duration, and better scalability of effects than current non-lethal weapon systems.
The system is to be mounted onto the Marine Corps Transparent Armor Gun Shield (MCTAGS), on the HMMWV Humvee vehicle (or its replacement).
The System Development and Demonstration Phase is scheduled to run through financial year 2011, with a Low-Rate Production decision due for the first quarter of FY2012.
The production contract will be subject to open bidding for a production period in FY2012-2013.
The USMC plans to acquire 312 systems.
The FireStorm system is capable of firing a range of non-lethal and high-explosive projectiles, and can be mounted to fixed or mobile platforms.
Earlier this year, a FireStorm four-barrel 24-shot system, mounted on an iRobot 710 Warrior unmanned ground vehicle, participated in a US Navy live-fire demonstration in China Lake, California.
Counter-IED capability Metal Storm’s latest contract success has seen the first of 45 improvised explosive device (IED) Training Kits delivered to the US Marine Corps.
The kits, which will be delivered to US Marines Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams around the world, include a range of equipment and materials used by EOD units to replicate IEDs currently found in the theatre of operation, allowing realistic training.
Finniear said that the company had received interest from two other military forces in the IED Training Kits, and that the company was “in dialogue to establish an understanding of their requirements”.
“Metal Storm has considered the IED/EOD market as strategic to business development process,” Finniear said.
“Our involvement working with the Department of Defense us law enforcement communities, and discussing the need for a multi-shot EOD disruptor, has generated great interest in the Metal Storm technology.
“Electronic ballistic technology is our primary focus; the IED kits represented an opportunity that lines up well with our core competencies.
“This contract has a two-fold purpose – it provides exposure for our capabilities to a community we are continuously marketing to, while generating income to support continuing operations,” Finnear told ADM.