'Paintball Gun On Steroids' Goes To Iraq (Updated)
By David Hambling EmailMay 22, 2008 | 8:44:00 AMCategories: Bizarro, Less-lethal
Isnls Soldiers in Iraq are being issued with an unusual new weapon -- a paintball gun. The weapon, known as the FN303 or Individual Serviceman Non-Lethal System (ISNLS), fires a 6.5 gram projectile containing a mixture of paint and the brittle metal bismuth. RDECOM magazine (warning, giant .PDF!) says that "the shoulder-fired weapons have been deployed to troops for non-lethal crowds and riot control during detainee operations."
While the ISNLS is somewhat similar to what one would find on a paintball course, Picatinny technical trainer Jeff Teats said a typical paintball is regulated at approximately 300-500 pounds per square inch, while the ISNLS is regulated at approximately 900 PSI.
???Basically the Non-Lethal Launcher is like a paintball gun on steroids,??? explained Maj. Thomas Aarsen...
Aarsen said the increased non-lethal capability gives Soldiers another option to influence the actions of targeted personnel before the situation necessitates lethal force... [T]he weapon [also] supports Soldiers by allowing them to engage individuals in the crowd with paint, so instigators can???t later deny their part in a disturbance.
The Army are a bit vague about the effects of the FN303. The bismuth body is designed to fragment on impact, but the makers FN Herstal stress the sheer physical force of these rounds. "The shock and pain caused by the impact instantly stop and neutralize the suspect," the company says.
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