Less Lethal Technology Isn’t New, but It Is the Future

Sponsored by FN America.

When the need arises to modernize and better equip law enforcement departments and officers to subdue and dissuade conflict while ensuring the safety and security of the communities they serve, reach for the FN 303 Less Lethal System.

The system was developed in 2001 in response to law enforcement’s request for technology that reduced force, focused on safety of the general public and the individual officer, and advanced existing crowd-control response. Since then, the company has been on the forefront of less lethal technology, providing one of the safest and most effective tools in modern policing.

This fully integrated Less Lethal system, comprised of two launchers and several projectile options, is capable of delivering reduced force but with enough power to subdue and discourage further escalation.  The 0.68 caliber FN 303 Launcher is a shoulder-fired launcher and is accompanied by the FN 303-P, a pistol variant of the full-size launcher. The shoulder-fired (full size) version holds a high-capacity 15 rounds of the special munitions in its magazine while the pistol variant holds seven per magazine. Both were developed for the safety and security of officers and the communities they’ve sworn to protect.

With an overall length under 30” and a barrel length of 10 inches, the FN 303 Launcher provides the deployed officer with 15 rounds of fin-stabilized projectiles that can deliver a washable, indelible or pava powder payload into a crowd. While the launcher has an integrated sighting system as well as a MIL-STD-1913 rail for mounting other optics, its nature and projectiles allow it to be deployed to disperse a crowd as opposed to having to select a single target. However, if the preference and need is for a single impact, that is possible as well. In other words, this less lethal launcher was designed to allow the deploying officer versatility of use dependent on circumstance.

The magazine used is circular and clear on the back face – the part that the deploying officer can most easily see. This allows the officer to see the type of load / munition being fired next and how many rounds of what ammunition remain. The projectiles themselves are fired by power of compressed air and have a recommended maximum engagement distance of twenty yards.

The deployment of less-lethal munitions using this tool is relatively simple but should not be done by an untrained or non-certified officer. “All operators of the FN 303 Less Lethal System (to include the FN 303-P) must be certified by FN’s Training Team prior to deploying either less lethal system.” That is the training requirement / warning as published by FN and available publicly.

While no agency or law enforcement officer wants to be put in the position of having to deploy force, having multiple options that reduce force and take safety into consideration are preferable when that eventuality occurs. Having options that create minimal, almost non-existent risk of injury but deliver crowd behavior modifying impacts and irritants increases an agency’s ability to perform necessary duties without delivering unnecessary injury. FN supports that goal wholeheartedly and displays that company ethos by providing such less-lethal tools as the FN 303 Less Lethal Systems.

Carry the Future with the FN 303 Less Lethal System. For more information, please visit FN online at fnamerica.com/law-enforcement/less-lethal.