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NewsDear Friends Life may never get any better if we just wait for
good luck to come. If you’re tired of being a bystander and believe that each of
us can make a positive change we would like to invite you to join our new party.
The radical changes we so desperately need today are well beyond the capacity of
any single individual. We can only achieve our ambitious goals if we join forces
and put some of our inevitable little differences aside. We’re keen to share
your dreams and hope that your membership shall add new dimensions to your
life. As you may guess, we are in the very beginning of
this exciting project and it may take some time until all formalities associated
with registration, taxation, banking, etc. are settled. Until then membership is
free – just fill in your application form (see Join or Donate) and mail/email it
back to us. Good luck. World's deadliest gun:
Australian storm of metal terror
Wanda Fish It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war
that can thoroughly understand the profitable way of carrying it on. — Sun Tzu,
The Art of War In
the wake of the Metal Storm, an Australian company whose shares have recently
skyrocketed on the stock exchange, has developed a robotized killing machine
capable of firing more than 1 million rounds a minute — enough to shred an
entire building in the blink of an eye. The
potential applications, being developed with the US Department of Defense,
Boeing, Lockheed and Metal Storm technology, invented by a
Multiple projectiles are stacked in a barrel, each separated by a
propellant load. The technology allows each projectile to be fired sequentially
from the barrel. Metal Storm’s fully loaded barrel tubes are essentially serviceable
weapons, without the traditional ammunition feed or ejection system, breech
opening or any other moving parts. Metal Storm barrels can be effectively
grouped in multiple configurations to meet a diversity of deadly applications.
Working with the US Army and other weaponry and surveillance
companies, Metal Storm’s terrifying force can ultimately be deployed on land,
underwater, over water and from the air with unmanned robots and helicopters
that are remote controlled. Despite claims that Metal Storm’s work is shrouded
in secrecy, this In
one such posting, David Crane reported that Metal Storm had successfully
completed a series of live-fire tests in front of senior personnel from the US
Department of Defense using a 16-round prototype 40mm grenade launcher system
which was mounted to an unmanned ground vehicle. The
Defense Review article also mentioned that an in-flight live-fire demonstration
of an unmanned aerial vehicle did not receive clearance due to “operational
restrictions”. The test would have mounted the Metal Storm 40mm weapon onto a
Multiple applications The
development of this weapon takes on a new and frightening application in the war
on terror, where authorities are now encouraging police to “shoot to kill” in
urban environments. Metal Storm proudly boasts that the technology can be used
for “non-lethal” or lethal applications in “hostile urban environments”.
The
potential for this weapon to be used by civil authorities to control angry
crowds of protesters cannot be dismissed. Given the overwhelming response by
millions of anti-war protesters prior to the invasion of Iraq, it seems only
logical that Coalition of the Willing governments are keen to find new and more
effective means of crowd dispersal, particularly if pre-emptive invasions of
nation states continue. But
it is the wartime applications that are most disturbing. With Metal Storm’s
technology, Coalition soldiers can remain safely behind the front line while the
Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UVG) uses sensors and targeting capabilities to attack
hostile urban areas. This development could be the turning point in the
Now, the surviving Iraqi civilians face the terrible spectre of a
robot that can devastate every living creature in a hailstorm of more than one
million bullets a minute. While the Iraqi death toll has the potential to mount to tsunami
proportions, American soldiers can “safely” annihilate entire urban populations
without personal risk. Metal Storm’s UVGs will be able to penetrate resistance
pockets such as Fallujah, and indiscriminately kill every man, woman, child and
animal in a storm of lethal bullets. “Integrating Metal Storm’s electronic weapon system with small,
lightweight UAV helicopters, will enable them, for the first time, to undertake
small scale strikes to support ground troops by day or night, escort convoys,
clear roads and retaliate against mobile, man-launched ordnance such as those
used in Iraq recently”, said Mike O’Dwyer, the inventor of this formidable death
machine which has become the world’s only known fully electronic ballistics
system. In the time you have taken to read this, Metal Storm’s super “gun” can
have fired several million bullets. O’Dwyer recalls watching World War II footage of kamikaze aircraft
attacking Allied ships, and the difficulty of dealing with them. When he
developed the weapon and launched the company in 1999, he had no way of
understanding how this invention could turn the tide in a war waged by suicide
bombers and a world besieged by terrorism. Exposed: $200m missile
bungle
Tom Allard A
DEFENCE bungle could force
At
a potential cost to taxpayers of about $200 million, , the failing electronic
warfare system was chosen against the initial advice of an expert panel - and
now the blunder threatens
"It's a disaster," one Defence source, intimate with the program,
told the Herald. "It's blowing up in their faces. This is putting our people at
risk." The
lucrative contract was awarded to the Adelaide-based BAE Systems, even though
the firm's technology was unproven. Now its system, known as the ALR2002, cannot
be properly integrated into the Hornet's flight system, according to several
sources close to the project. It
is the latest in a series of high-profile blunders by the military's procurement
arm. In
2001 an internal Defence panel of specialists in aerospace and electronic
warfare recommended against the
A
committee of Defence officials has been appointed to handle the
crisis. Electronic warfare systems incorporate some of the most advanced, and
highly classified, technology in the world. They enable pilots to detect
transmissions from enemy missiles, aircraft, surface-to-air guns and ships. It
gives them time to take evasive action or launch a strike, and signals whether
their jets have been spotted by enemy radar. BAE
Systems would not comment on the problems but a spokeswoman, Shelley Mearns,
said the technology was still in a "developmental test phase". Any "formal
acceptance from Defence will come later in the
year". A
Defence spokeswoman said: "There was recognised be to an element of
developmental risk involved in the selection of the ALR2002. However, this was
offset by the potential advantages in developing an indigenous electronic
warfare capability within
The
spokeswoman declined to confirm or deny the problems, but said analysis of
flight trials in recent weeks would be presented for Defence management "in the
next few weeks". But
as technicians and flight crew at Williamtown air base, near
Funds were already being diverted from other programs for the upgrade
of the Hornets, a source said. The electronic warfare project was priced at $350
million to $400 million in 2004 but the problems mean it is likely to rise by at
least 50 per cent. "It may be cheaper to go back to the drawing board and start
again," a source said. "It's that bad." RAAF pilots are among the best trained in the world but are
frustrated with the shortcomings of the ALR2002. Their concerns are acute
because of the wide proliferation of new-generation missiles, including
shoulder-launched weapons, in the past decade. Also, countries such as
The
Hornet will be
OTHER BLUNDERS
- Tiger helicopters - the attack helicopters could be $700
million over budget and were accepted despite failing more than a dozen
airworthiness tests, the Auditor-General found. - Joint Strike Fighter is still in design phase. Up to $15
billion for 100 jets but concerns about big delays and cost
blow-outs. |