Weird gun...

Rubberanvil · Post by **Rubberanvil** » 2003-01-21 02:45am

In other words, the Metal Storm is the most overrated weapon concept in the past five years.

Whoever thought a Metal Storm gun system could replace landmines is a f--king idiot.

Post by **Vympel** » 2003-01-21 04:27am

Metal Storm is stupid.

Go to the website. Look at all the idiotic concepts they put forth.

Crayz9000 · Post by **Crayz9000** » 2003-01-21 04:35am

With the power they require, what's the feasability of using the THEL system developed for Isreali missile defense on large warships?

(Nothing moves faster than light, after all

)

Dargos · Post by **Dargos** » 2003-01-21 07:51am

Some around here seem to think these things (Phalanx CIWS and others) are the primary defense against incomming AS missles. SAMS and ECM are the primary defenses...CIWS are last line, hope to god, bend over and kiss your ass goodbye if this doesn't work, line of defense.

Post by **Vympel** » 2003-01-21 08:15am

Dargos wrote:Some around here seem to think these things (Phalanx CIWS and others) are the primary defense against incomming AS missles. SAMS and ECM are the primary defenses...CIWS are last line, hope to god, bend over and kiss your ass goodbye if this doesn't work, line of defense.

Pretty much, especially considering that the really big Soviet anti-ship missiles (AS-4 KENT, SS-N-12 SANDBOX, SS-N-19 SHIPWRECK) weigh about 5,000kg and are flying at supersonic speed. If your fighters haven't deal with the launching aircraft (Tu-22M), or your escorts hasn't taken out the launching ship (Slava, Kirov) or submarine (Oscar II) or the missiles haven't dealt with them, a 20mm CIWS doesn't have a chance- *if* it strikes the missile, several 1,000kg of flaming wreckage will still slam into the hull at supersonic speed.

kheegster · Post by **kheegster** » 2003-01-21 09:02am

Hmm...what about the effects on LIGHT ASMs? Did the British ships in the Falklands have CIWS?

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2003-01-21 11:22am

kheegan wrote:Hmm...what about the effects on LIGHT ASMs? Did the British ships in the Falklands have CIWS?

Shrapnel damage isn't too much of an issue with light ASMs like Penguin or Sea Skua (IIRC), but it becomes a danger with things like Exocet or Harpoon.

The British ships in the Faklands did not have CIWS, PDMS or ILMS systems. They relied totally on CAP to engage fighters going low and slow.

Interesting thing about the war, there was nearly a carrier battle, but the winds shifted and the Argentine carrier could not launch her Skyhawks (which pilots trained in the antiship role and carrying properly-fused bombs).

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2003-01-21 11:30am

Crayz9000 wrote:With the power they require, what's the feasability of using the THEL system developed for Isreali missile defense on large warships?

(Nothing moves faster than light, after all )

Wait a few years. The US Army is trying to get a solid-state, mobile THEL system working first, and then the Navy might use that technology for their own purposes. With the amount of energy the gas turbine on a warship pumps out, it should be enough for a quick burst from the laser to engage the incoming missiles.

Whether the defender can swat enough missiles out of the sky quickly enough is another issue entirely.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2003-01-21 11:36am

phongn wrote:
Crayz9000 wrote:With the power they require, what's the feasability of using the THEL system developed for Isreali missile defense on large warships?

(Nothing moves faster than light, after all )
Wait a few years. The US Army is trying to get a solid-state, mobile THEL system working first, and then the Navy might use that technology for their own purposes. With the amount of energy the gas turbine on a warship pumps out, it should be enough for a quick burst from the laser to engage the incoming missiles.

Whether the defender can swat enough missiles out of the sky quickly enough is another issue entirely.

Multiple turrets redirecting the beams around the ship, so you have one laser producing the "ammo" for a whole area of laser turrets. Plus the ability for a pulsed laser to hit numerous targets with ease is pretty solid, just point and click, only the radar and reaction servos need be worried about.

Indidentally, at what wavelength do mirrors become useless at reflecting light?

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2003-01-21 11:50am

I find this all very facinating. Do you all have some links to some of this equipment you are talking about? I know, I'm lazy.

The Dark · Post by **The Dark** » 2003-01-21 01:34pm

Sea Skimmer wrote:Firing 260,000 round per minute is nice, except you'd g through abused amounts of ammo and the fire control system is still not going to be on target with the first rounds. And once you do hit, a half second and 2,100 rounds later, the wreckage will still hit your ship and do major damage. Keep in mind your average CIWS mount only has about 1500 per gun.

A mach 2 missile must be exploded at least 2,000 meters away for safety, mach 3 at 3,000 meters. A light auto cannon can't reach out that far accurately. Firing even more ammo closer is just pointless.

I think that's why Millenium Gun fires rounds that dispense subprojectiles in a cone, so it only has to be close, then fire a spray of projectiles to hit the missile. I don't know if it would work, that's something for the LockMart and Oerlikon engineers to figure out.

Typhonis 1 · Post by **Typhonis 1** » 2003-01-21 02:10pm

what are the stats on Metal Storm?