Metal storm: 1,000,000+ rounds per minute

Jehosephat,

Actually, this-

en.wikipedia.org...

Is a far better precis on what the Metal Storm is and what it's potential limitations include. I wouldn't waste breath on it until they develop a convention breach/ramming system as the MS devices only real advantage is it's ability to rapidly engage multiple targets before reload and/or to saturate a target /volume/ (the time:space through which say an AShM must pass) with min-spacing on rounds.

The former only works if you have adequate (offmount) multitarget autotracking to justify the high instantaneous ROF. While the latter is beaten by muzzle induction fuzed rounds like the AHEAD.

i.e. Metal Storm is less a volley gun than an exceptionally high-rated conventional barrel burst weapon for which the mechanics of load cycling a stack of rounds beats the _mechanical wear and mount vibration_ of a conventional cartridge only so long as the total system weight/footprint (barrel clusters) itself is not extreme.

>>
Sounds like a great system for point defense.
>>

No. Even a 40mm class round, operating at full barrel pressures, is only going to be able to kill a target roughly .5-1nm out, which is where 'point' becomes 'terminal' as you have less than a 10 seconds to coarse-align, track and engage. Less with a supersonic weapon. If you want decent VSHORADS you have to go laser or missile and get the engagement range out to /at least/ 2-4nm with the ability to measure instantaneous target damage (and beam steer) 'as you go'. Or to salvo launch on multiple bearings and then come BACK to retarget any leakers with at least a mile or so to go.

Even this is pushing close aboard wardet or motor deflagrative factoring.


KPl.