View source for SCMITR

{{Short description|Experimental military shotgun ammunition}}
{{Distinguish|Scimitar}}
'''SCMITR''' was part of an experimental [[military]] [[shotgun]] [[ammunition]] created in the 1970s by [[AAI Corporation]].  It was a variation on [[flechette]] ammunition, but instead of containing a bundle of tiny needle-like [[steel]] [[Dart (missile)|darts]], the cartridge contained a stack of [[razor]]-edged stamped [[sheet-metal]] [[arrow]] shapes designed to fly [[aerodynamic]]ally.  It was considered to be very promising (in terms of [[lethality]] and effective range) but prohibitively expensive to manufacture, so it has never been mass-produced.<ref name=gunwriters>{{cite web |url=http://www.guns.connect.fi/gow/haulikko.html |title=Atchissonin ryntöhaulikko: 12 ga. A.S.G.}}</ref><ref name=janes>{{cite web |url=http://www.janes.com/extracts/extract/jiw/del01285.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130126172407/http://www.janes.com/extracts/extract/jiw/del01285.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-01-26 |title=AAI Close Assault Weapon System |author=Jane's}}</ref>

==Development==
SCMITR was part of the [[Special Purpose Individual Weapon|CAWS]] (Close Assault Weapon System) program, which investigated ~20&nbsp;mm [[smoothbore]] weapons (basically [[combat shotgun]]s) designed to be effective to ranges of 150 metres against combatants wearing [[body armor]].  Flechettes, with their high sectional [[density]], were ideal for penetrating rigid or soft composite armor, but the wounds caused by the tiny darts were considered insufficient to disable an enemy combatant, as the tiny hole would quickly clot and cause relatively little bleeding.  The SCMITR darts had the same sectional density as flechettes, but the wide, flat shape of the SCMITR produced a larger, more disabling wound.  Since the SCMITR darts were stamped from sheet metal, they had only two [[fin]]s, which is not enough to provide stability.  To overcome this, the fins were twisted slightly, which causes the dart to spin when flying, producing a stable projectile.<ref name=gunwriters />

The SCMITR cartridge was loaded with eight of these flechettes, each weighing about 1 gram. Dispersion was low, with all eight flechettes capable of hitting within a four-metre circle at a range of 150 metres.  Retained velocity at 150 metres was 365&nbsp;m/s, sufficient for the flechettes to penetrate 76&nbsp;mm of pine or 3&nbsp;mm of mild steel.<ref name=janes />

==Applications==
The SCMITR project was cancelled with the cancellation of the CAWS project in the late 1980s.  The most commonly encountered photograph, in Thomas Swearengen's book ''The World's Fighting Shotguns'', shows a SCMITR shell clearly marked as a 20 [[gauge (bore diameter)|gauge]], smaller than the nominal 12 gauge bore used by the AAI CAWS entry.

==See also==
* [[AAI CAWS]]—another product of the CAWS program from AAI
* [[Advanced Combat Rifle]]
* [[HK CAWS]]—another product of the CAWS program from [[Heckler & Koch]]
* [[Needlegun]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.ssaa.org.au/stories/political-up-in-arms.html#.VEgpvPnF9s4 "Up in arms"]—''Australian Shooter''

[[Category:Ammunition]]
[[Category:Flechette firearms]]
[[Category:Shotgun cartridges]]