Re: Metal Storm

From: Dan Holdsworth (dan1701usenet_at_ntlworld.com)
Date: 02/13/05 

Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2005 23:10:06 GMT

On 12 Feb 2005 23:54:42 -0800, Tony.Williams@quarry.nildram.co.uk
 <Tony.Williams@quarry.nildram.co.uk>
was popularly supposed to have said:

> In general, it is difficult to see many applications where it has a
> clear advantage over existing technologies. I have described in as 'a
> solution looking for a problem'. Its major selling point is an
> extremely high rate of fire, but this is in fact of little practical
> use.

As I see it, them only real application is in the field of robotic
weaponry, where a robot could be air-dropped into an area as a sort of
area-denial tool. In that case I'd think that a variant on metal storm
where the projectile is a shot shell would be the best idea; shotguns
require less accuracy and are shorter range, meaning the robotic system
would be a local nuicance only.

The advantage of robotic weapons is that they aren't alive. Robots don't
have families that vote, so you can deploy them in free-fire zones
fairly freely; the downside is complexity. Metalstorm weaponry would
reduce the possibility of weapon jams, so a robotic gun platform would
have one less thng to go wrong on it. 

-- 
Dan Holdsworth PhD                   dan1701usenet@ntlworld.com
By caffeine alone I set my mind in motion, By the beans of Java
do thoughts acquire speed,  hands acquire shaking,  the shaking
becomes a warning, By caffeine alone do I set my mind in motion

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