Corps to test nonlethal grenade launcher - Military News | News From Afghanistan, Iraq And Around The World - Military Times

Corps to test nonlethal grenade launcher

The Marine Corps recently awarded two competing contracts for the development of a nonlethal weapon system that would allow Marines to fire flash-bang-like grenades from farther away.

The Mission Payload Module – Non-lethal Weapon System could reach an estimated 500 meters, allowing Marines to counter a threat while at a safe distance and in their vehicles, developers say.

The Marine Corps’ wish list asks for the final system to deliver munitions between 10-500 meters and to disable threats for up to five minutes through light and percussion.

Marine Corps Systems Command awarded the contracts in mid-April to Australia-based Metal Storm, for about $1.5 million, and to Falls Church, Va.-based General Dynamics, for about $3 million. Metal Storm is working to produce a multi-barreled 40mm launcher based on its FireStorm grenade launcher. General Dynamics calls its version Medusa. It is also multi-barreled, but will fire 66mm projectiles.

The nonlethal system will attach to the Marine Corps Transparent Armor Gun Shield, commonly seen on top of Humvees and MRAPs, and will move with the .50-caliber machine gun. This allows a machine gunner to quickly transition to a nonlethal option.

With both companies developing devices that can place multiple rounds in seconds, Marines will be able to quickly lay down a large blanket of nonlethal suppression, said Peter D. Faulkner, Metal Storm’s general manager. For example, they could be used to control large crowds.

Initial operational capability is planned for 2016, according to a SysCom spokesman.