12-gauge, non-lethal, untethered munition design capable of engaging and incapacitating a target out to 100+ meters for the Marine Corps

Harkind Dynamics , based in Colorado, recently wrapped up its first Phase I small business innovative research (SBIR) project for the U.S. Marine Corps Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate.  HDLLC showed the feasibility of its 12-gauge, non-lethal, untethered munition design capable of engaging and incapacitating a target out to 100+ meters.  This munition can be deployed from any 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, overcoming the drawbacks of other devices, like TASERs, which have limited range and accuracy.  
Conducted Energy Weapons, like the TASER X-26, currently have insufficient effective operational range and duration of incapacitation effect to meet Warfighter needs. Company, DOD official release.

These limitations unnecessarily put Warfighters in close proximity to potentially dangerous persons and limit the time the Warfighter has to safely neutralize the threat. We are proposing a fuzed, extended range, long-duration, human electro-muscular incapacitation (HEMI) munition which can be deployed from a 12 gauge small-arms weapon in the DOD inventory. A 12-gauge munition will have improved aerodynamic stability, flatter trajectory, and better accuracy than larger munitions, such as 40 millimeter.

Additionally, higher muzzle velocities can be used, thereby increasing effective range, by employing an electrode propulsion system to propel the electrodes forward of the munition towards the target, while simultaneously reducing munition velocity prior to impact, aiding in reduction of blunt impact injury. Blunt impact injury is further reduced through utilization of a deformable nose, whose material properties are tailored to the application.

Recent developments in small-scale, high voltage, solid state devices make packaging of a high voltage pulse forming network into a 12-gauge form-factor feasible. Utilizing nanosecond electrical pulses further improves this capability by requiring reduced charge delivery to the target, as compared to TASER CEW’s.

​

HDLLC will wrap up the Phase I Option effort in July 2020 and hopes to continue to prototype development in Phase II in the summer.