I guess the tank commander had better be pretty damn sure that no good-guys are on the wrong end of this thing when they light it up...

russdanger

@cudthecrud: Once upon a time it was fired from field cannons at advancing infantry.

CaseyG

"Gentlemen, I present you, the Jericho lite."

*BOOOOOOOOM*

Klappstuhl

The problem with canister shots is that the energy dies down quickly due to the low mass of each of the individual pellets in the canister. A better (but of course way more expensive and complex) option is something like the Bofors 40mm programmable ammo. You can use many different options of ammo e.g. sabot slug, high explosive round or a round with 1200 tungsten pellets and with different programmable settings. Against infantry, for example, you can set a timed fuse (or timed with dispersion for several rounds) based on distance. That way you can fire slightly above entrenched troops and have the rounds explode right above them and spray them with the tungsten pelelts from above - even if you don't have line of sight from the gun itself to the troops!

Check out this video on YouTube that demos the Bofors 40mm on a Swedish infantry fighting vehicle:

+ Watch video

It's a great piece of high-tech weaponary used in the Nordic countries these days.

Kim98

"And like a shotgun, its destructive power at close range is now mostly used in urban warfare"

Was it used to hunt wild game in the past? Or do you mean that once upon a time it was only used in non-urban environments?

cudthecrud

Wow, I never knew about the buckshot! They shoot those at people? scary stuff...

CribbageLeft

ouch

Sasquatch

i'm sure the velocity, mass and energey transfer are quite sufficient for anti-personnel purposes.

now show us some DS rounds!

tegronin

wow... i admire that cameraman.

josecardozo

how the hell do you track with something at that speed?

rudeadly

@MyPetFly: ahaha...wait..sting?

dandaman247

@rudeadly: Probably a fixed camera at a distance, with a rotation that matches the projected velocity of the canister. the further it is the slower it needs to rotate to the left to follow the shot.

Overheal

That would sting if you got in the way. Good thing Dick Cheney doesn't use that for hunting with friends.

MyPetFly

@Kim98:

That is beyond absurd.

Boot Shrew

I don't even want to think about the collateral damage these things are going to cause. If you happen to be a civilian trying to hide in the general direction of this thing your done.

Duncam

@dandaman247:

Deadpan humor... ;)

MyPetFly

@thefutureisnow: gonna try this again since my last one got messed up. I would like to see some depleted uranium rounds.

thefutureisnow

@undefined

thefutureisnow

That was no tank, it was McCain campaign's collective brains exploding over the latest polls:

-----------Biden----Palin
CNN---------51------36 

CBS ---------46------21 

Fox----------61------39

Survey USA----51------32

MediaCurves---67------33

Rasmussen ----45------37

johnnyabnormal

@johnnyabnormal:
I wonder if you watched the video.

roflwaffles

@johnnyabnormal: Wow that was predictable.

got no clutch? You ain't much.

@johnnyabnormal: Thanks for the non sequitur...

Keep your politics to yourself, I mean seriously, what was the point there? I imagine that people who spout off uninvited political opinions are like the people that wear belts and suspenders at the same time, stupid.

TC2COOL

@johnnyabnormal: Noone cares about these polls. Anyone who is the least bit educated in politics already knows who they are voting for before the canidates are chosen. In Palin's case the recent bashing of her and calling her stupid/uneducated is being aimed at people who love her for the exact reasons the media doesnt. Middle America likes the fact that she didnt go to Harvard/Princeton and that she is so charismatic. And as ur polls show Repulicans though McCain/ Palin won, and Democrats though Obama/Barach won. It will be that way for every debate. As far as independents go, if the independents in that poll means all the smaller parties than it makes sense because most of those smaller liberal parties. However if it means "independents" (Bill O'reilly and other people on Fox/NBC/CNN, etc) im not sure how to take that poll. Overall i dont think the McCain campain is dissapointed with Palin's performence at all. I doubt they care about these polls. They care how their candidate actually does

tkohrs2002

@tegronin:
So much for my Nintendo-based weapons system...

(tears sheet off of the board)

strider_mt2k

@roflwaffles: I did. It was probably the most expensive money shot ever filmed.

johnnyabnormal

@got no clutch? You ain't much.: Aw, poor baby.

johnnyabnormal

@TC2COOL: Make me keep my politics to myself, "stupid".

johnnyabnormal

@tkohrs2002: Gee, that made sense.

johnnyabnormal

@Kim98: and the problem with the system you've described is cost.

compare the cost of a programable shell to a simple canister round.

ok it's not as fancy.. but it's way cheaper, less things to go wrong and just as effective at close range.

KhaiJB

What we humans won't do to kill each other!

97Intruder

@johnnyabnormal: Studies show that the power of the tanks canister shot still pales in comparison to the destructive power of the Ban Hammer.

4ster

@johnnyabnormal: i'm emailing gizmodo

shorty6049

@johnnyabnormal: Yes, Yes it did. Why did u even bring up political polls in this?

tkohrs2002

@shorty6049: Good for you. I'm sure they'll tell you I'm WAY off base (no pun intended) by making a joke using a miltary/politics analogy. Wow, I better keep my views to myself. Uh huh.

johnnyabnormal

@johnnyabnormal:

yeah, lotsa newbs around the last couple weeks. face it the 2 teams are always gonna say that their guy is the best, and here's a poll to prove it.
was it Twain, or Rodgers who said "there are lies, damn lies, and then there are statistics".

well, off to the poker game to offset the dough i spent on a new media player. check ya later homie.

godwhacker

@godwhacker: Hey friend, I know...hahaha. Did you know some men have vaginas? The proof is in the thread above. Mentioning politics is the new TV-B-Gone! I'm glad you can laugh, even though our views aren't 100% aligned.

johnnyabnormal

@97Intruder: At least modern war tech kills more efficiently. Look up some of the techniques from Europe's past and this will seem like a humane improvement.

johnnyabnormal

@johnnyabnormal:

heh, heh, heh
i see what you did there......

did you want a spoon with a longer handle to stir that pot?

godwhacker

@4ster: Since the only friend you have is (surprise) yourself, let me clue you in to something: Some people comment often in here, which is how they get large lists of friends and followers. If you've been around for a while and have contributed a lot to the threads, you're not likely to be banned because some small posse of butt-hurt douche bags want to silence you. But hey, spout off all you want, I know I have. The fact remains that I have never gotten so much as a warning or a "disemvowelment" from any of the editors. If I did, I would take it seriously, but till then you guys are pissing up a rope.

johnnyabnormal

@godwhacker: GadgetPlay said it best to me just a while ago via pm: "It's more of a snapshot than a prediction". See you later, hope you win big.

johnnyabnormal

@tkohrs2002: Ok, I'll bite. I'll tell you why you didn't make sense:

"noone cares about these polls."

Tell that to every news organization on the planet, all of the people reading about them and all the campaigns worrying about them.

"Anyone who is the least bit educated in politics already knows who they are voting for before the canidates are chosen."

So you're saying swing voters are just too "stupid" to be completely polarized? please.

"In Palin's case the recent bashing of her and calling her stupid/uneducated is being aimed at people who love her for the exact reasons the media doesnt."

You mean, letting her do 3 interviews where she comes off as completely vapid and unqualified (in her own words) is "bashing" her? Are you saying people love her more because she is as unqualified to run this nation as they are? Sorry, I prefer to have a pilot flying the plane. Being a "elite" at what you do is a good thing, you know.

Elite = A group of people considered to be the best in a particular society or category, esp. because of their power, talent, or wealth. Only idiots make being skillful seem like a insult.

"Middle America likes the fact that she didnt go to Harvard/Princeton and that she is so charismatic."

I'd expect that much from Jesus-land. Well, they had a dummy with George Bush and blew it. Sorry, we don't need any more dolts in charge. I'll be voting for the smart people, thank you.

"And as ur polls show Repulicans though McCain/ Palin won, and Democrats though Obama/Barach won. It will be that way for every debate. "

These aren't my polls. Either way, your point is? It shows three perspectives, so what? The data that is more important in all of these polls is who the undecided voters are learning towards.

"As far as independents go, if the independents in that poll means all the smaller parties than it makes sense because most of those smaller liberal parties."

What? So now you're calling undecided voters "liberals"?

"However if it means "independents" (Bill O'reilly and other people on Fox/NBC/CNN, etc) im not sure how to take that poll."

What? Do you know what a poll is and how they are conducted? Are you calling a FOX "News" pundit (or any pundit) independent?

"Overall i dont think the McCain campain is dissapointed with Palin's performence at all. I doubt they care about these polls."

Sure, they just ignore the polls. Right.

"They care how their candidate actually does"

Uh huh. Polls don't help in that respect at all, huh?

johnnyabnormal

Any DEPLETED URANIUM involved in these?

LarrySlade

@Decaye: "Nobody cares", yet so many respond. Thanks for proving yourself wrong. You have saved me a lot of typing with your own self-contradictions. Nobody asked you for your thoughts either, yet you are yammering away, trying to keep me from expressing mine. Maybe you could learn from your own statement to cudthecrud: "I know you were attempting to be clever. You failed."

johnnyabnormal

@LarrySlade: Why would you want a DU shotgun? These thing aren't designed to be fired against armored targets. People, cars, and trucks mostly. Though it would make one hell of a breaching gun!

Barry99705

@Duncam: The point of newer tech weapons is to bring the hurt to the enemy as fast as possible. Civilians do and will always get caught in the cross fire. Any one thinking they won't, or that given enough technology will prevent that is deluding them selves.

Barry99705

@johnnyabnormal: Wow, I bet you feel really impressed with yourself right now. Good job trying to derail a simple post about an awesome piece of military hardware with something totally unrelated.

What's worse is that no one cares. I don't mean to say that no one cares about the polls, plenty of stupid people care about the polls, but no one cares what you have to say. Everyone either watched the debates and formed their own opinion, or ignored the debates on purpose. No one asked you for your thoughts, because no one cares what you think.

Decaye

@cudthecrud: Or perhaps canister shot and shotguns are both used in urban environments right now. I know you were attempting to be clever. You failed.

Decaye

That shell has to be CG'd right...or else we're witnessing the greatest camera operator known to mankind????

davecw

To heck with the political commentary (which doesn't belong here, at least not in the form I've read on this posting so far), that is one AWESOME video! Probably one of the most amazing I've seen in a very long time. Remember the Mythbusters episode in which they blew up the cement truck? I wish they had video this good!

hnkelley

@davecw: Yup, one with one hell of a neck ache. :)

johnnyabnormal

@hnkelley: "Say it ain't so, hnkelly...there you go again pointin' backwards again. Now doggonit, let's look ahead." *winks*

johnnyabnormal

did anybody else think that it was AWESOME in the first part of the video where the round hit the camera almost dead center? now there is a brave (and probably dead) camera man. okay i know it was on a tripod but still, imagine that on an imax!

mfusion

@Kim98:

Cool gun and all, but what's up with the execution of that V-front VW camper van? That's just gratuitous. The Ford Transit I can understand, the world is littered with them, but those VWs are rare classics. Next they'll be blowing up split window 'vettes and studebaker trucks.

Airport_Whiskey

@undefined: well, it is basci mathematics, a round that size and distance doesn't take the corealis effect into account so it's just a matter of calculating the rate of velocity over time and projecting the movement of the camera from a distance, notice that the camera did lose frame for a while, that would presumably be because of disturbances in the air currents changing the rate of velocity at that time, those dispersion rounds really change the shape of the air which is hard to predict so the mathe is a little fuzzy and takes an average. my guess is that was the best of a few shots. (pun intended)

mfusion

@Airport_Whiskey:

Amen to the Studebaker reference. This is insane. People are replaceable! (J/K lifer zealots)

FrankenPC

the force of air around the projectile when it was first fired was amazing! who knew the that force was so destructive?:)

hindsight2020

...I can't help but fear that one day I'll be staring down the business end of one of these, because I didn't feel like starving to death in the good'ol USA.

...while Bush and Cheney enjoy the rest of their days living in their private military compound, hidden in the jungles of Columbia.

newgalactic

@mfusion: Normally in situations where a camera could get hit, due to their costs, they set them up at right angles to the thing being filmed, and use a mirror to take the impact. So this camera would more than likely have been behind a concrete barrier, with only a mirror sticking our. High speed film cameras aren't cheap, and if you destroy the camera, you usually destroy/ruin the film as it gets exposed to light.

Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->

Canister shots are bad, but a flachette round is even worse. They say as the whiz past/towards you, they sound like bees.

Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->

@Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->: Yikes. You weren't joking. Those things look evil:

johnnyabnormal

@johnnyabnormal: @johnnyabnormal:

Good sir. You are a prime example of douchebagery. Imagine that pro-Obama websites saying Biden won....shocking!!!! yeesh man get a fucking grip.

Nastro

@newgalactic: yes.. while Obama wages war on the rest of the Rebels that defy his socialism.

Nastro

I'm sure this travels much slower than a HEAT or sabot round, but I'm still amazed that we can make a camera pan fast enough to track it, in focus all the way.

FuturePastNow

@Nastro: I'm sorry, were you addressing both of me? We need to work on your reading comprehension: Your beloved FOX said Biden won amoung undecided voters. Shocking, indeed.

But hey, you're too modest. I can't steal your thunder regarding douche bag status: You are the clear winner. The honor is yours, sir. I know you try really hard and I can't take credit what you do best.

johnnyabnormal

@Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->: I think Cheney would pull out a shotgun and blast humidity in the face.

johnnyabnormal

@newgalactic: That's just ignorant. Cheney couldn't handle the humidity of Columbia. It would wear down his pacemaker. If you insist on making asinine comments, check your facts.

Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->

@Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->: *Star flies overhead* "The more you know."

00000000

Jesus! WTF is that!? They've mated the shotgun and a tank. Whoa.

00000000

@Kim98: I'm assuming that for the price of ONE Bofor 40mm, you could level the area of about 15 anti-personel buckshots.

danson

This is a weapon designed to shred anti-armor teams. You could cut the wires to a missile and kill the gunner before the missile hits. Tankers have had these for generations, they can scrub pesky infantry from your buddy's tank. IIRC, this new round is using tungsten pellets. Just point in the general direction of an RPG gunner and he's toast. The cannister shot has always had the weakness of being relatively short range. A Colonel Shrapnel solved this problem and designed a cannister that had a timed fuse so the round would disperse the pellets just in front of the enemy formation. This is where the term comes from, even though most shrapnel these days is technically fragments.

HadleyEileithyia

@Kim98: In the 19th century, British artillerymen were renowned for their use of fuse-timed direct-fire canister shot. They would arc them over the enemy formations and set them to explode on the way down, showering shot directly in to the troops. This prompted the development of indirect fire, which is harder to counter since you can't see the guns.

That being said, this type of multifunction programmable munition is the future. The US Army developed a 20mm programmable round for infantry for the OICW, which was killed for a variety of reasons.

I still wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that bofors. Trust the swiss to lead in developing the high tech weapons so desperately needed by EU countries to remain militarily relevant.

[en.wikipedia.org]

aurispector

Did you expect some really nice replies to this? With all the politics I see wherever I go, I'd appreciate not seeing them here.

vista64guy

It's amazing how the camera pans with the bullet movement. It's almost like the cameraman was hit simultaneously by another tank shell fired at the same time.

vista64guy

@rudeadly: Radar guidance, with a computer controlled pan tilt head. They use the same thing to track howitzer shells.

Barry99705

@mfusion: Some where in youtube there's video of a new camera getting shot off the shoulder of a camera man. Some dumb ass was taking hostages and took a shot at the cameraman, luckily he missed the guy.

Barry99705

"The Man" creates the most destructive tings known to mon mon.

FinalValgas

No 'cameraman' can pan at that speed and precision. That is a sensor-controlled camera, or a camera set to pan as a certain speed automatically.

pegasus_

@aurispector: You do realize that "the swiss" refers to the people of Switzerland, not Sweden?

TetsuBo

Thats a weapon thats beyond scary... I don't care that they have programmable granades, or pinpoint precision missiles, but anything that is essentially a massive 105mm shotgun shell should not be used in any modern theatre of war. Collateral damage, anyone? I could see some over zealous tank commander taking one and just lobbing rounds into villages...

knyghtryda

For a guy named Jesus he sure seems to post non-pacifistic items.

EricAlder