A machine gun capable of firing bullets at a more rapid pace than ever recorded before is currently being developed by Chinese researchers.
and engineers.
Traveling at speeds exceeding 7 times the speed of sound.
Compared to the US military’s most powerful Phalanx system, which has a maximum firing rate of 4,500 rounds per minute.
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That consumes millions bullets per minute has been considered an insurmountable challenge. But Chinese researchers in the industrial hub of Taiyuan in central China have developed a brilliant solution: a container-like magazine that can be replaced. Individual compartments inside the magazine hold bullets that get discarded, along with the entire container, once the bullets are fired.
This box-type rotary firing technology can “improve loading speed, enhance the conservation of barrel strength and precision despite repeated loading, and attain the combat objectives of multiple strikes, sustained operations, and swift counterattacks”, the project team led by Lu Xutao, an associate professor of mechanical and electrical engineering at the North University of China, stated in a peer-reviewed article published in the Chinese Journal of Detection & Control in December.
The camera can take 7,500 shots per second. To address this challenge, Lu and his colleagues created an electronic trigger consisting of coils.
The touch-free trigger instantly melts the metal alloy in the bullet, creating a high-energy metal jet that sets off the explosive. At an unprecedented level of efficiency, this electronic trigger is capable of firing in just 17.5 microseconds. Test results show that it “is sufficient to meet the target performance of 450,000 rounds per minute per barrel”, according to Lu’s team.
Inventor Mike O’Dwyer in the 1990s, Metal Storm Inc, founded by O’Dwyer, produced a 36-barrel test system which achieved a firing rate of 1 million rounds per minute.
The Department of Defense paid attention to the initiative and worked with O’Dwyer to create new weapons systems for the military theater. Nevertheless, due to issues with technology and other complications, the project was ultimately cancelled, and Metal Storm Inc filed for bankruptcy in 2012.
China has continued to invest in this technology, mobilizing national scientific and technological resources for systematic research and development. According to available information, some teams are focusing on the extremely complex fundamental physical problems involved in firing bullets that are tightly loaded in sequence. Some teams have developed test bullets with sensors and chips, while others are working on reducing the cost and improving the reliability of disposable barrels.
Significant advancements have been achieved in recent years. Many researchers, including Lu, are now convinced that China’s own Metal Storm system can surpass the original Western version by at least tenfold in terms of firing speed, and has the potential to be applied in various military contexts.
“Increasing”, Lu said.
Metamaterial weapons have already become indispensable gear for safeguarding territorial waters and airspace.
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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media outlet covering China and the Asia region.
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