FN 303 Less Lethal Launcher

To appreciate the complexity of situations where police or military forces charged with peacekeeping duties utilize force, one must conceptualize force not as a static concept but rather as a continuum of responses, ranging from verbal commands, as a minor exertion of force, to deadly force, the maximum amount of force possible to apply.  A use-of-force continuum relies on the concept of multiple categories of increasing officer perceptions of suspect resistance linked to similar groupings of the officer’s response to those perceptions.

 As personnel are expected to make split second decisions based on rapidly evolving situations, the incorporation of a use-of-force continuum into departmental policy provides guidance in making force decisions.  Most conflicts inherently contain a fear of escalation.  The use of less-lethal weapon systems in the early stages of a conflict may reduce the risk of escalation, and give reason a chance to work.  Unlike the traditional law enforcement or military capabilities associated with lethal weapon systems, the mission context for the employment of less-lethal capabilities is not always obvious.  Arguably, less-lethal weapon systems have a potentially broader range of application than do lethal systems.

The FN 303 less lethal platform is a semiautomatic shoulder fired launcher.  The FN 303 launcher uses compressed air stored in a removable and refillable bottle to launch projectiles stored in a fifteen round disc magazine.  Though initially developed by paintball gun designers, the FN 303 is far from this genre with its potential quickly seized upon for less-than-lethal uses.  FN Herstal brought the design to fruition.  The FN 303 launcher weighs 5 pounds and measures 29 inches.  

Its .68-inch diameter barrel measures 10 inches in length.  While it comes with foldable iron sights it has a section of Picatinney rail that red dot optics can be mounted to for greater precision.  The FN 303 can be broken into four major components: 1) upper stock assembly 2) lower stock assembly 3) magazine 4) air reservoir.  A point of interest is that the lower stock assembly can be configured to mount under an M16/M4 style rifle (or any other rifle with Picatinney forend capability) offering flexibility to an entity that chooses this configuration.

The FN 303 launcher is only part of the story as its variety and effectiveness of its projectiles are the true heart of the system.  The FN 303 .68-inch projectiles are fin stabilized and weigh 8.5 grams.  FNH USA currently offers the following projectile types all specifically color coded for easy identification when loaded into disc magazines: indelible paint (yellow) , PAVA powder (orange), clear, washable paint (pink), and inert powder (white).  An interesting note on the PAVA is that it is a synthetic version of OC (oleoresin capsicum) called Capsaicin II that is reportedly two times hotter than OC and has longer shelf life.  The PAVA is very handy for area clearing and denial.  

The FN 303 with its multi-round capability can create enough of a PAVA mist to affect general area denial; though its primary goal is to impact specific subjects with PAVA powder released into targets sensory organs.  The FN 303’s semiautomatic firepower is a major plus delivering PAVA loaded projectiles in rapid fashion.  Do not forget even with the PAVA payload the blunt force trauma of being struck with the FN 303 projectile will have its own effect on a subject’s decision making process.  This is one of the keys with the FN 303.  As with most other less lethal devices, blunt trauma is its major attribute and source of effectiveness.  However, the FN 303 also has benefit of secondary effectiveness in terms of various payloads delivered – PAVA, indelible paint, etc.