Less-Lethal Flashball

[_Rekyyli_]

We did a little experiment few months ago with Verney-Carron´s Flash-Ball Less-Lethal launcher. Here is the video about it (in Finnish sorry, but you probably get the idea):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD80E6p_wQA

There was two voluntary members of our staff. First one was without any idea whatkind of force the shot could deliver and second one saw how the first got shot. Main reason for this was to see the effect of the direct hit, but also to see what was the difference between different subjects in the "receiving end".

[CROSSHAIR]

Didn't seem to bother the second volunteer too much but I wouldn't like to be hit in the ********s with one of those balls.

[Straker]

Looks essentially like an impact effect based weapon? Problem is that with most weapons like this it will not physically disable you (unless it breaks a leg, kneecap or the skull) but works on pain compliance. Hence cases where people in the UK have been shot with baton rounds (mostly 40mm from HK69's randomly) and still gotten up and charged officers with swords etc. The second guy must have had a pretty high pain tolerance for him not to go down at all, usually they are on something.

Hard to make it more effective without putting enough force behind it to make it lethal. Possibly why TASER started working on those strange shotgun shells with EMD components.

[xEDGEx]

Looks like a high powered nerf gun.


Finnish is such an awesome sounding language.

[Zoomie]

Man, that first guy who got hit was hilarious squirming around, especially after seeing the second guy walk away essentially with a "That didn't phase me" attitude.

[raid]

Flashball sucks big time. Poor precision, poor window of use (between 7&12 meters, below that lethality risk is too high, and beyond 12 meters you loose too much precision to even strike a human sized target). Even in the 7-12 meters range, precision is lousy at best...

[_Rekyyli_]

True that. Flashball did not impress us much and it is quite easy to understand why it is not in use more widely. It is not very dependable weapon if the object is prepared for the hit or is used to get hit (for example in kickboxing as the second volunteer was) to the stomach area. First volunteer was not and his attitude against the upcoming impact was much more relaxed anyway.

We found that from 12 meters it is easy to hit static object to the stomach area, but in the riot it could be totally different situation. I think that French (for example) Police has their own tactics for the use of Flash-Balls in Riot Control -situations, but also they have issued these weapons for normal patrol cars as well.