In the world of Protective Services, the need for equipment and tools that increases the teams and the clients survivability should be a priority to all involved parties.

This new tool is from a company call Veritas Tactical they are a subsidiary of Security With Advanced Technology (www.swat-systems.com). This company specializes in innovative technology for military and law enforcement.

The company has taken the design of an assault rifle and the launcher ability of paintball, pepper ball & underwater launcher to produce the MKIV Non-Lethal Launcher¡.

The MKIV Non-Lethal Launcher uses an 18 round magazine, similar to that of the AR15/M16 weapon system.

The unit has the following features:

Semi-automatic design fire.68 cal PavaBall
Mag-fed system allows for quick loads
Can be shot any angle unlike hopper fed systems
Ability to load with a glass breaker round followed by live PavaBall rounds
Accuracy - Point target 40 meters, Area targets 100 meters
Minimal training required - looks and feels like a M16, AR15, C7 or M4
High-Pressure Air (HPA) propellant is quickly replaceable or rechargeable at any paintball shop or diving store
The MKIV can be totally submerge in water and can still operate
The weapons can be outfitted with laser sight or electronic dot scope.

We at Sykes Group were furnished with one unit for testing and evaluation by Mr. Greg Milan - VP of Sales of SWAT.

At first glances, we where highly impress by the construction of this delivery system. The unit is constructed of a combination metal alloys and high impact plastic, with rear pop-up sites and open ghost-ring front rifle sites.

We then begin learning how the launcher functions. It has the same safety feature as that found on Remington 870 shotgun and load /unload just like an AR15/M16/M4 system. The magazine holds 18 rounds; and must be wound up by a small knob found on the magazine (it took one student approx. 2 seconds to wind and 18 seconds to load the magazine).

At this point, we put the MKIV through a series¡¦ of test with the assistance of students of an Advanced Protective Services class and the instructors. 

Test One:
Maximum effective range of the launcher - As stated in the company brochure, the unit reached out too 100 meters on open sites.

The students and instructors fired this weapon system at various ranges and used it in practical applications during training against moving targets and in crowd control scenarios (impact of PavaBall made one role player a true believer in "cease and desist").

Test Two:
Ruggedness of the system - the test were performed in three environments (woodland, urban and beach).

As the Security with Advanced Technology (SWAT) representative, Mr. Greg Milan said it would. It fired from all angles, through mud/water sand and being draged on the deck of a variety of surfaces.
The weapon was dragged on street surface for approx. 8 yards(see pictures and video below), it was picked up and it fired with no problems. The MKIV survived with only minor scratches.

The last test in ruggedness for the MKIV was impact survivability. We dropped the weapon out of a moving vehicle (10-12 mph). We then dropped it down cement stairs, barrel first. The barrel on the weapon became loose as well  as the air tank (we placed a protective cover over the tank for this test).

Test Three:
The final test for this launcher is accuracy - The MKIV was fired at stationary targets at 15 yards and at 20 yards. The grouping at 15 yards was 3-4 inches against slight wind and 5-6 inches at 20 yards.

From these tests, we found only a few draw backs on the weapon system:
1.High Pressure Air tank - needs an outer protective cover, this protective cover can be bought at any paintball store.
2.The charging handle should be made into a round handle to prevent equipment from being entangled.
3.The unit should be able to take a larger tank for those situations where a prolonged engagement is required.
4.The exposed screws on the weapon needs to be made of a heat & friction resistant alloy.
5.The magazine sometimes feeds multiple PavBalls into the receiver causing the balls to break resulting in powder exposure to the operator.

Concerning this weapon, our company instructors are endorsing this to our students and clients.

For more information on this product you can go to:
Security with Advanced Technology
http://www.swat-systems.com/