Advanced Individual Combat Weapon
 | This article needs to be updated. (November 2010) |
| Advanced Infantry Combat Weapon | |
|---|---|
| Type | Bullpup assault rifle |
| Place of origin | Australia |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) in alliance with Metal Storm and Tenix Defence Systems |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 6.48 kg (unloaded) 7.85 kg (AR loaded) 9.9 kg (Fully loaded) |
| Length | 738 mm (29 in) |
| Barrel length | 508 mm (20 in) |
| Cartridge | 5.56×45mm NATO |
| Caliber | 5.56 |
| Rate of fire | 650 rpm |
| Muzzle velocity | 950 m/s |
| Effective firing range | 500 m |
| Feed system | 30-round detachable box magazine 3-round preloaded barrel (grenades) |
| Sights | Iron sights |
The Advanced Infantry Combat Weapon (AICW) was a prototype assault rifle developed in Australia. The AICW combined a standard 5.56 mm assault rifle based on the successful Steyr AUG platform with a superposed load grenade launcher developed by Metal Storm.
History
The AICW was developed by the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) in alliance with Metal Storm and Tenix Defence Systems, receiving funding primarily through the Australian Government's Capability and Technology Demonstrator (CTD) program.
The AICW aimed to provide the infantry soldier with the ability to fire multiple grenades without having to reload, and to switch between 5.56 mm ballistic rounds and 40 mm grenades without changing sights, trigger or stance, giving the operator more versatility and reduced reaction times in combat.
AICW, with its stacked round grenade launcher, did not require conventional mechanical loading. This made the weapon more compact and potentially far lighter, though this potential does not appear to have transferred to reality since the loaded weapon was heavier than the XM29 OICW.
Development of the weapon ceased following the successful demonstration of the technology and the completion of the CTD program.
See also
Notes
References
- "AICW: Australia's Revolutionary Weapon" by Abraham Gubler in DefenceToday, Volume 3, Issue 5, 2005.
- "New super-gun to be tested in Feb." by Pamela Hess, United Press International (UPI) Pentagon Correspondent, Washington, January 20, 2006.
External links
- Metal Storm homepage
- Metal Storm AICW presentation at National Defense Industrial Association conference
- Metal Storm AICW photos
- Article from world.guns.ru
- AICW brochure on Tenix Web-site, including picture
- Image of the AICW
- Space War article
