Less-lethal smart bullets unveiled

SmartRounds Technology (SRT) has unveiled a range of new SmartRounds bullets, which are designed to provide a less-lethal, more intelligent alternative to firearms, while still providing sufficient stopping power to disarm an assailant. According to a 30 January 2012 company statement, the 18 mm, .680 caliber, d-shaped, rifled rounds are fired from gas-powered launchers at upwards of 450 feet per second and have an effective range of 100 yards.

According to the company, the patent-pending SmartRounds will be available in a number of less-lethal versions including micro-mechanical system (MMS) based rounds. The active MMS controlled version senses when the round is fired and when it hits its target. It then activates the payload in a micro-second, reducing the chances of penetration.

One special SRT projectile called ShockRounds contains a liquefied compressed gas and activates a high-powered shock wave that expands rapidly upon impact and attacks three of the five human senses, disabling the assailant. These projectiles are fired from pneumatic rifle launchers, which are modelled after the Colt Industries M4 carbine. Other launchers are modelled after a popular, semi-automatic handgun, ideal for close quarters combat.

The company said it has developed the SmartRounds in response to the fact that in theatres such as Iraq and Afghanistan, it can be ‘nearly impossible for troops to distinguish between enemy combatants and the local population’; and that ‘troops could use these tools to temporarily incapacitate adversaries without harming nearby civilians. These weapons will become even more important to a military that has taken on roles away from battlefields, providing humanitarian assistance or support to civilian agencies, as well as conducting emergency evacuations, crowd control and other peacekeeping missions.’