The United States Army has awarded a $650,000 contract to PepperBall for nonlethal guns. The weapons are designed to shoot paintballs filled with pepper spray and are intended to support troops in Afghanistan, giving them a way to defuse potential threats without killing.
The contract is for PepperBall’s Variable Kinetic System (VKS). The VKS is modeled after the Army’s M4A1 carbines, enabling soldiers to quickly become comfortable with the weapon. The VKS uses a canister of compressed gas like a typical paintball gun. This canister is located in the shoulder stock, although it can also be used with a remote airline if desired.
According to the company, the VKS has an effective range of 120 to 150 feet (about 36 to 46 meters). The weapon can fire 20 balls per second. It is fed by either a typical paintball-style hopper which holds 180 rounds or a 10 to 15 round magazine of the type used for bullets.
Unlike the M4A1, the VKS does not fire 5.56mm bullets. Instead, it fires one of three types of .68 caliber paintballs. The company sells a “Live” model of the ball that contains 5 percent pelargonic acid vanillylamide (PAVA) which is a synthetic form of pepper spray designed for the military. The pepper spray available to civilians contains only 3 percent PAVA.
The company also sells a “CS” model that has 2.5 percent CS gas, also known as tear gas. The third type of ball available from the company contains a mixture of both gasses. According to the company’s website, the effects of the spray will incapacitate a person for as long as fifteen minutes without causing permanent damage.
It is not known how many of the VKS weapons the Army is purchasing, nor which type of PepperBalls they will be using in them.
The purchase will be made to support the US Forces-Afghanistan (USFOR-A) Joint Force Protection Directorate, so it is assumed that the weapons will be used in Afghanistan. The Army has not stated how they intend to use the weapons, but they are ideal for crowd control and riot scenarios. It is also not known when the weapons will be delivered to the troops in Afghanistan.
The VKS was tested by members of the National Tactical Officers Association, who recommend the weapon.
PepperBall claims that their products are used by thousands of agencies in the US and internationally. The VKS is only available for government and agency sales. It is possible, though, to purchase paintball guns and pepper spray-filled paintballs from Amazon.
By Bob McGrath CC BY 2.0
The USFOR-A is based in Kabul, Afghanistan. They are tasked with maintaining the momentum of the campaign in that region and managing the manpower and other resources needed to carry out instructions from National Command. They also assist NATO and US troop movement in Afghanistan while supporting the development of a sustainable Afghan economy. Logistics, training, and equipping the troops in Afghanistan are the primary functions of USFOR-A.
The PepperBall was developed by Jaycor, a defense contractor who began serving the US military in the 1970s and continued for the next 30 years. Jaycor was tasked with developing a nonlethal alternative weapon for government agencies and commercial markets.
Read another story from us: The Desperate Battle for Hill 3234 in Afghanistan
The PepperBall was the first product they chose to be made available commercially. In 1998, a business division named PepperBall was created within Jaycor in order to bring the product to market. United Tactical Systems, LLC owns the trademark and brand name.