Metal Storm Australia is to conduct in-flight firings of its 40mm electronic gun system from a Dragonfly Pictures DP-4X vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned air vehicle "in the near future", says general manager Ian Gillespie.
Pending the availability of range space in the USA, the test will follow a ground-based live-firing demonstration conducted last April using a two-barrel configuration. This included single and multiple round firings with the guns in forward and downward firing profiles, with the UAV held above the ground in a rig with its engine running and rotors turning. The two gun mounts were fitted to the side of the VTOL UAV for the demonstration.
The recoil impact from the firings is expected to have a negligible effect on the UAV's flight profile, says Gillespie. The prototype 40mm gun has a recoil dampening system that uses a spring absorber that surrounds the rear half of the barrel. The two-barrel mount configuration loaded with four rounds represents the maximum payload for the DP-4X helicopter, he says. The developmental air vehicle has a maximum take-off weight of 65kg (140lb) and an endurance of up to 8h.
Metal Storm is also working on a prototype eight-barrel mounting arrangement, with this also tested with a DP-4X. Gillespie says whether this is flown depends on ongoing DP-4X development work.
PETER LA FRANCHI / MELBOURNE
Source: Flight International
