Vortex ring gun

[4][5] The nozzle of a vortex ring gun is designed to both contain the short pulse of accelerating gas until the maximum pressure is lowered to atmospheric and to straighten the exhaust into an axial flow.

[6] The objective is to form the vortex ring with the highest possible velocity and spin by colliding a short pulse of a supersonic jet stream against the relatively stagnant air behind the spherically expanding shock wave.

[8] These were never employed for military purposes, and after the war Shelton developed them into vortex ring toys, specifically the Flash Gordon Air Ray Gun.

The kit, consisting of a nozzle with chemical reservoirs and belts of blank 40 mm cartridges modified to detonate at pressures up to 100,000 psi (690 KN/sqN), was being designed for the Navy MK19-3.

[11] Single-shot field tests performed without optimized nozzles led to the conclusion vortex rings were unsuitable for non-lethal crowd control.

Knock-down test of a 109 mph (175 km/h; 49 m/s) vortex ring gun.
Spark photography image of a vortex ring in flight.
The vortex ring gun concept for maximum possible velocity and spin.
A degraded vortex ring fired without a nozzle.
MK19-3 40 mm grenade launch machine gun.