Metal Storm Limited is a defence company that develops and produces projectile launching systems utilising its unique, electronically fired, stacked projectile technology.
Metal storm technology is an electronically initiated, stacked projectile system that removes the mechanical elements required to fire conventional weapons. Effectively, the only moving parts in Metal Storm technology are the projectiles themselves. Multiple projectiles are stacked in each barrel. The technology allows each projectile to be fired sequentially from each barrel.
Metal Storm stacks its projectiles in the barrels nose to tail. Metal Storm technology achieves its unique performance by having the ability to fire each round independent of the other. In other words when the propellant of one round in the stack is ignited the other rounds are not affected.
Rather than using a firing pin impacting on a primer, Metal Storm weapons are electronically fired. A computerised fire control system precisely controls the firing signal to each round in the barrel. As there is no need to mechanically reload the barrel after each round is fired, Metal Storm has complete control over the timing and rate of fire. As a result, the weapon can be used to deliver a single round or dozens of rounds instantaneously at the target. Moreover, when combined with airburst munitions, Metal Storm weapons can use precisely timed firing to create a pattern of fragmentation and blast to meet specific needs, such as to intercept an incoming RPG or missile.
Due to the light weight of Metal Storm barrels, most non-infantry configurations use multiple barrels, usually between 4 and 64. This provides increased firepower and the ability to mix munitions - to have a weapon configured to respond to different threats in different ways - such as having less than lethal or marker rounds instantly available as an alternative to the use of lethal force.
Today, Metal Storm converts conventional munition warheads, such as 40mm grenades, into Metal Storm munitions by attaching a special Metal Storm tailpiece, containing the propellant and primer. With this approach, Metal Storm can quickly adapt the certified warheads preferred by its customers to be used in a Metal Storm weapon system.
