# The Army's New Bullet. Even A MISS Can Kill
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-armys-new-bullet-even-a-miss-can-kill/254499
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [July 10, 2004, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-armys-new-bullet-even-a-miss-can-kill/254499 "2004-07-10T23:22:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2004, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-armys-new-bullet-even-a-miss-can-kill/254499/1 "2004-07-10T23:22:55Z")
[The description almost sounds like a WMD.](http://www.rdecom.army.mil/rdemagazine/200312/itl_ardec_thermobaric.html)
> [@](#):
>
> When the 25mm munition functions, it produces an initial explosion dispersing very fine metal particles that fill the surrounding air. Reacting with oxygen in the atmosphere, these particles self-ignite to create an overpressure, which envelops the surrounding area, attacking a volume of space and the occupants in it. The round is particularly effective inside buildings and caves.
I’ve never fired a gun in my life, but I’d _sure_ like to snap off a couple of rounds of those!
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### Author:  [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2004, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-armys-new-bullet-even-a-miss-can-kill/254499/2 "2004-07-10T23:50:42Z")
A miss from a 20mm can kill and they’ve been around since [Vietnam?] [Korea?] For awhile at least.
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### Author:  [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2004, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-armys-new-bullet-even-a-miss-can-kill/254499/3 "2004-07-10T23:59:47Z")
What the hell is a “thermobaric event”? Sounds like the pressure-wave of an explosion, quite frankly. The language of this article looks to my (admittedly untrained-in-munitions) eyes like a lot of techno-mumbo-jumbo for “We’ve got a new kind of explosive round. It blows up and kills things in a new and special way.”
“An overpressure”? WTF is that? Again, seems little more than technobabble for a concussive pressure wave from an explosion.
You can call it “barotrauma”, if you like, but it means you got the shit pounded out of you by the force of an explosion. Neat, but why all the meaningless pseudo-geek-speak? Sounds like they’re trying to sell something from RONCO.
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### Author:  [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2004, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-armys-new-bullet-even-a-miss-can-kill/254499/4 "2004-07-11T00:05:47Z")
Even an Imperial Stormtrooper could hit someone with these bullets!
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### Author:  [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2004, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-armys-new-bullet-even-a-miss-can-kill/254499/5 "2004-07-11T00:21:33Z")
Yes, this is basically a “bigger boom” story. [Here is another article about a much bigger cousin of the small arms round.](http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/blu-118.htm)
As I understand it, a thermobaric shell is optimized to create increased atmospheric pressure rather than to fling out shrapnel. Apparently in tunnel and bunker systems, a sudden severe overpressure followed by return to lower pressure has greater destructive potential.
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### Author:  [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2004, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-armys-new-bullet-even-a-miss-can-kill/254499/6 "2004-07-11T00:32:15Z")
> [@Loopydude](#):
>
> Neat, but why all the meaningless pseudo-geek-speak? Sounds like they’re trying to sell something from RONCO.
“The aircraft next to which I am currently standing is one of our most cost intensive ordnance delivery vectors.”… or something.
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### Author:  [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2004, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-armys-new-bullet-even-a-miss-can-kill/254499/7 "2004-07-11T00:50:50Z")
I was once very nearly killed by a miss. She grazed my eyebrow with a nine iron. :smack:
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### Author:  [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2004, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-armys-new-bullet-even-a-miss-can-kill/254499/8 "2004-07-11T00:58:23Z")
> [@AskNott](#):
>
> I was once very nearly killed by a miss. She grazed my eyebrow with a nine iron. :smack:
Now dat is foolishness, as you are obviously a 5 iron shot.
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### Author:  [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2004, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-armys-new-bullet-even-a-miss-can-kill/254499/9 "2004-07-11T01:22:06Z")
I don’t have to miss with my [url=]Metal Storm. I like the second to last video, now that’s firepower!
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### Author:  [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2004, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-armys-new-bullet-even-a-miss-can-kill/254499/10 "2004-07-11T01:51:59Z")
> [@dnooman](#):
>
> I don’t have to miss with my [. I like the second to last video, now that’s firepower!
I presume that [URL=http://www.metalstorm.com/04\_videos/videos.html]this](]Metal Storm[/url) is the link you wanted.
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### Author:  [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2004, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-armys-new-bullet-even-a-miss-can-kill/254499/11 "2004-07-11T01:55:54Z")
I’m sure it will be used in the [XM29](http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/m29-oicw.htm)
A very interesting weapon.
> [@](#):
>
> OICW gives the infantry soldier a capability to acquire targets and precisely detonate an air bursting 20mm projectile approximately 1 meter over the threat. It can also detonate on impact. These capabilities are required out to ranges 2–3 times the existing M16/M4/M203 system, or up to 10 football fields. The system provides both an integrated day and night battlefield sight capability allowing effective weapon usage 24 hours a day.
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### Author:  [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2004, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-armys-new-bullet-even-a-miss-can-kill/254499/12 "2004-07-11T02:16:01Z")
> [@Chairman Pow](#):
>
> I presume that [this](http://www.metalstorm.com/04_videos/videos.html) is the link you wanted.
Hmm, my first broken link. I wonder how that happened?
The Great State of Altered recognizes and thanks the **Chairman**.
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### Author:  [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2004, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-armys-new-bullet-even-a-miss-can-kill/254499/13 "2004-07-11T02:18:36Z")
I don’t have to miss with my [Metal Storm](http://www.metalstorm.com/04_video_live_firings.html). I like the second to last video, now that’s firepower!
There. I hate to leave mistakes unresolved.
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### Author:  [@Ninja\_Pizza\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ninja_Pizza_Guy)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2004, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-armys-new-bullet-even-a-miss-can-kill/254499/14 "2004-07-11T05:34:58Z")
> [@dnooman](#):
>
> I don’t have to miss with my [Metal Storm](http://www.metalstorm.com/04_video_live_firings.html). I like the second to last video, now that’s firepower!
>
> There. I hate to leave mistakes unresolved.
It’s really fun if you weld a half-dozen or so to the top of a SheVa.
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### Author:  [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2004, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-armys-new-bullet-even-a-miss-can-kill/254499/15 "2004-07-11T06:28:06Z")
Consider it done.
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### Author:  [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2004, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-armys-new-bullet-even-a-miss-can-kill/254499/16 "2004-07-14T01:47:42Z")
You know, I just had a thought. If you’ve ever seen the show “Mail Call” on the Hitler-er, History Channel, you’ll know that R. Lee Ermey likes _nothing_ better than “blowing crap up.” So, if all of us send him an email, we just might get to see these things in action…
[http://www.historychannel.com/mailcall/mailcall.html](http://www.historychannel.com/mailcall/mailcall.html)
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### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2004, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-armys-new-bullet-even-a-miss-can-kill/254499/17 "2004-07-14T05:51:46Z")
Bet the A-Team still couldn’t kill anyone with these things.
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### Author:  [@Bongmaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bongmaster)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2004, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-armys-new-bullet-even-a-miss-can-kill/254499/18 "2004-07-15T21:11:26Z")
> [@Really Not All That Bright](#):
>
> Bet the A-Team still couldn’t kill anyone with these things.
Did the A-Team ever kill anybody? 😉
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### Author:  [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2004, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-armys-new-bullet-even-a-miss-can-kill/254499/19 "2004-07-15T23:15:25Z")
> [@](#):
>
> The Army’s New Bullet. Even A MISS Can Kill
A miss has **always** been capable of killing: all this does is change which of the two parties dies. 😉
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### Author:  [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2004, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-armys-new-bullet-even-a-miss-can-kill/254499/20 "2004-07-15T23:20:06Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#):
>
> A miss has **always** been capable of killing: all this does is change which of the two parties dies. 😉
Such a small thing. Hardly seems worth the investment, does it? 😛