TOY ROCKET INSPIRES VARIABLE-SPEED BULLETS

David Hambling, NewScientist.com news service, 16:43 21 July 2008

http://technology.newscientist.com/article/dn14372-toy-rocket-inspiresvariablesp\
eed-bullets.html

A gun that fires variable speed bullets and which can be set to kill or to
wound is being
built by a US toy manufacturer. The weapon is based on technology used to
control a toy
rocket system.

Lund and Company Invention, a toy design studio based near Chicago, makes
toy rockets
that are launched using liquid hydrogen as a fuel. Varying the fuel-air mix
in a combustion.
chamber, allows the user to control the impulse the rocket receives at
launch.

Now the company is being funded by the US army to adapt the technology to
fire bullets
instead of toy rockets.

Bruce Lund, the company's CEO, says the US Army has always had difficulty
persuading
soldiers to swap rifles for non-lethal weapons. However, he realised that
they wouldn't have
to if the same rifle could be used to fire bullets at various speeds.

SNIPER VERSION

The new weapon, called the Variable Velocity Weapon System or VWS, lets the
soldier to
use the same rifle for crowd control and combat, by altering the muzzle
velocity.

He says the gun works by mixing a liquid or gaseous fuel with air in a
combustion chamber
behind the bullet. This determines the explosive capability of the
propellant and
consequently the velocity of the bullet as it leaves the gun. "Projectile
velocity varies from
non-lethal at 10 metres, to lethal at 100 metres or more, as desired," says
Lund.

The company says that the weapon produces less heat and light than
traditional guns. It
can also be made lighter and could have a high power setting for long-range
sniping.

Police already firing non-lethal projectiles from standard shotguns. These
are known as
"beanbag" rounds, bags of lead shot which will knock down a suspect at
ranges of up to 10
metres. They are termed "non-lethal", but can cause bruising or even broken
ribs.

'HANDGUN TO HOWITZER'

Lund says that the new weapon system will use different types of bullet for
lethal and nonlethal
use. Police forces already use separate shotguns for non-lethal loads –
typically
marking them with bright orange tape to prevent any confusion – so this
shouldn't be an
issue.

The existing VWS design is a .50 calibre (12.7 mm) rifle weapon, but Lund
says the
technology can be scaled to any size, "handgun to Howitzer".

Steve Wright, a security expert at Leeds Metropolitan University, UK warns
of the potential
risk of variable lethality.

"In a high-stress, high-personal-risk zone, there will be a real temptation
for soldiers to turn
the tuneable lethality switch up to 'kill' mode so that all doubt is
removed."

A demonstration version will be ready within six months, and the VWS could
go into
production within 18 months of approval, according to Lund and Company.