CHINA is developing what could be the most powerful machine gun in human history – with five barrels that can fire off a human-shredding wall of bullets.
Dubbed “Metal Storm”, the weapon is capable of firing an incredible 7,500 rounds per second per barrel – and will potentially be used as an air defence system.
With the unprecedented firing rate, the machine gun can even shoot down air-to-surface missiles travelling at speeds exceeding 5,000mph.
By comparison, the current most advanced anti-aircraft machine gun called the Phalanx system can only fire 75 rounds per second.
If successfully developed by China‘s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), it could potentially become the most advanced land-based anti-aircraft system in the world.
Chinese researchers Taiyuan have developed what they call a box-type rotary firing technology.
It allows the weapon to use a disposable container-like magazine loaded with barrels that are pre-packed with bullets.
After each firing round, the barrels and the entire container come as a single unit, and the second one is ready to load.
In addition to the new firing technology, developers have also created a new electronic trigger technology that helps the weapon to reach the unprecedented firing speed.
The new contactless trigger heats up and melts an alloy wire embedded in the bullet, forming a high-energy metal jet that ignites the explosive and shoots the bullets.
This allows the machine gun to fire all the rounds in each barrel in just 17.5 seconds.
Lu Xutao, an associate professor at North University of China, said: “This technology can improve loading speed, reduce the decrease in barrel strength and accuracy due to repeated loading, and achieve the combat objectives of multiple strikes, continuous operations and rapid counter-attacks.”
The weapon, which is currently in its testing phase, was first produced by Australian inventor Mike O’Dwyer in the ’90s.
Originally called Metal Storm he created a 36-barrel testing gun system that reached a firing rate of one million rounds per minute.
He was approached by the Chinese army in 2006 and was offered $100million for the technology, South China Morning Post reports.
The US Department of Defence then collaborated with O’Dwyer to built the weapon.
However, due to technical challenges, they ultimately abandoned the project.
Experts now believe that China’s own version of the Metal Storm weapon could surpass the Western prototype from a decade ago by at least 10 times in firing rate.
Lu added: “The speeds of weapons such as missiles and aircraft will continue to increase.
“Metal Storm weapons have already become essential equipment for defending territorial waters and airspace.”
