Shoot around corners

[Mighty_Emperor]

Firm Unveils Gun That Fires Around Corners

Monday, December 15, 2003

SHOHAM FIRING RANGE, Israel — Veterans of Israeli anti-terror units on Monday demonstrated a new gun that can fire at a target from around the corner, making it particularly effective in urban combat.


Israel plans to start using the weapon next week, U.S. forces have already begun training with it and U.S. SWAT (search) and police teams have expressed interest in purchasing it, Amos Golan, the device's developer, said at a demonstration Monday at a firing range near Tel Aviv.

"The Americans are very interested in this," Golan said. "I believe from what I have seen and heard that it can be a big success in Iraq because the Americans are dealing with an urban area there."

The U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv had no immediate comment.

Golan thought of the idea for the weapon after years of pondering a failed Israeli army operation in the West Bank during the first Palestinian uprising in the late 1980s. Several Israeli soldiers were wounded when they stormed a house through the door and were hit by automatic fire shot from inside, Golan said.

An Israeli-American company, Coral Gables, Fla.-based Corner Shot Holdings (search), showed how it can be fired through an exploded doorway around the corner into a house, or from a hall into a room. A soldier sees the target on a small TV screen mounted on the barrel of the gun.

Armies from 15 countries are testing the system, said Golan, a former deputy commander of Israel's anti-terror unit.

The system is the only weapon that allows the user to stay safe around a corner and away from a target, Golan said.

The device swivels at the middle, 63 degrees to the left or right, with the stock, trigger and the small screen at the hand-held end. The entire firing mechanism, fitted with a pistol that sits over a mini-camera with a zoom lens, is located at the front end.

A lever positioned under the stock allows the user to quickly move the firing end to another position to better focus on the target.

The development of the idea took three years, and sales began three months ago. The weapon system costs between ,000 and ,000, depending on the components.

The device can be fitted with different kinds of pistols, including the Baretta 92 (search), which is used by the American army, the Glock (search) and the Colt (search). It can also be adapted to fit an M-16 rifle or tear gas launcher.

The camera can view between 200 and 400 yards, depending on the model. Accessories include an infrared laser illuminator, rubber bullet launcher, various lenses and a silencer. A video-out socket allows the shooter to film action in a room around the corner and transmit the images to commanders far away.

The mechanism has been patented in the United States and will be sold only to official government agencies, Golan said.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,105808,00.html

Not quite as good as it intially sounds

Emps

 

[Anonymous]

i think in WW2 Some German tanks had a gun that shot round corners ... it was to stop Audi Murphy climping on top and bunging a hand grenade down the turret as well know can be done soo easy.

 

[Anonymous]

Actually, the Germans had an attachment for their rifles consisting of a bent pipe and a mirror. Same effect, at a fraction of the cost.
Space-pen syndrome strikes again.

 

[wembley8]

Apparently, "In 1916, Jones Wister of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania inventeda rifle for shooting around corners. It had a curved barrel and periscopic sights."

"The WWII German Sturmgewehr 44 had an optional Krummerlauf, a bent barrel with a persicope sighting device for shooting around corners. It was produced in several variants, an "I"-version for infantry use, and a "P" version for use in tanks (to cover the dead areas in the close range around the tank to defend against assaulting infantry), versions with 30°, 45°, 60° and 90°, and a version for the StGw 44 and one for the MG 42. Only the 30° "I" - version for the StG44 was produced in any numbers"

The US had a version of the M-2 machinegun with the same idea.

There is nothing new under the sun...

 

[Anonymous]

I can't help thinking that this sort of weapon will be kind of slow to use and tricky to line up.
Not what you want if you're kicking in doors and storming a building.

You don't want the people inside to have time to roll a hand grenade out.

 

[Anonymous]

There are no real practical applications for this weapon, or the earlier versions would have been taken farther before now. It's just another nice, new toy.
Yes, when you are storming buildings speed is everything, poking gun barrels around corners will get you killed, as interior walls will rarely stop a bullet.