Posted on 05/27/2009 10:37:30 AM PDT by Reaganesque
May 27, 2009 The XM25 Individual Air Burst Weapon is looking likely to be the shoulder-fired weapon of choice for the US military to kill or neutralize hidden targets. Due for field test this summer, the lightweight XM-25 "smart weapon" uses High Explosive Air-Burst (HEAB) munitions that can be programmed to detonate at a precise point in the air without the need to impact, spelling trouble for elusive targets, be they behind a wall, inside a building or in a foxhole.
Developed jointly by the German arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch and the US company Alliant Techsystems (ATK Corporation), the XM-25 is a semi-automatic, shoulder-fired weapon with a five-round magazine and weighs in at around 14 pounds (6.3kg) – about the same weight as an M-16 with a 203 grenade launcher. The weapon's XM116 integral fire system provides the weapon with its precision and is capable of controlling individually each of the 25mm rounds in real time. Based on a thermal optic, day-sight, laser range finder, compass and infrared light, the system can precisely measure the distance to the target and program each round to explode close to the mark via the wireless connection. Capable of hitting a point target at 500 meters and area targets at 700 meters with a range of munitions including HEAB, anti-personnel, two types of non-lethal munitions – blunt and agent dispersing airburst - plus armor piercing, and door breaching munitions, this is one very nasty piece of ordinance and a must have on any soldiers list.
In a nutshell, it operates with the soldier sighting the target and the advanced laser rangefinder transmitting range information to the chambered 25mm round. The soldier then essentially points and fires. After the round leaves the chamber and moves towards its target, the system precisely measures the distance traveled and detonates it at exactly the right moment to deliver maximum effectiveness. ATK says that the XM25 increases the warfighter’s probability of hit-to-kill performance by up to 500 percent over existing weapons and extends the effective range of the soldier’s individual weapon to more than 500 meters.
Another high-tech weapon recently field tested by the military is the Lightweight .50 Caliber Machine Gun (LW50MG). Unlike the XM25, which doesn’t offer a weight advantage, the LW50MG weights in at 64 pounds (29kg) complete with tripod, i.e., half the weight of the M-2 .50 caliber machine gun. With 60% less recoil than the M-2, the LW50MG will also offer greater accuracy and speed than the veteran M-2.
For more information visit ATK and Heckler and Koch
*ouch*
this should give local Twin City moonbats something more to protest outside the local ATK ...I love it!
Maybe the projectile has attitude control based on programmed range? Would be interesting to see some design specs on the projectile.
;'}
I think we still give ‘em combat knives...
I would too. Only 5 rounds and more operating steps to sight, range lock and fire. Definitely not for rapid fire if your trying to be effective. Bet the rounds are quite a bit more expensive too! $500 per round??
Failing that, it's just a piece of plastic.
Batteries are just another logistical issue and an engineering problem. They can be solved.
This is the grenade launcher that was part of the OICW, correct? The one that allows precise airburst detonations (like X meters inside a window opening, for example). Very cool idea, but there were some problems with it during testing of the OICW. I'll have to search for the specifics, but maybe they've worked the bugs out.
I heard of this several years ago. At that time the expected cost of the rounds was shockingly high. An attempt was made to justify this by an argument about how much more effective this weapon could be.
I have one of these shotguns. Keeping it in ammo is the issue.
Given that from the US Civil war up to Desert Storm the average number of rounds fired per enemy dead remained nearly constant at ~100,000, $500 for a practically guaranteed kill is a bargain.
Awesome!
I know. I’ve done some work on the problem.
Not to disparage the current incarnation...
Rumor has it an early prototype (from the OICW days) was demoed to a bunch of very high-ranking officers. One was given the opportunity to fire it. He took it, entered the desired distance, and pulled the trigger. It fired, the distance was automatically measured, and it duly detonated at the indicated range: 1 meter.
My understanding of the projectile functioning is this:
1. barrel rate of twist is known with precision and it matches the ro of the fired projectile
2. projectile has internal sensor that logs each 360 rotation
3. rotation number logged therefore indicates projectile distance traveled
4. intial range determination (and subtration or addition of desired detonation point) marks rotation number at which projectile is to detonate
5. projectile detonates when match is achieved between metrics for designated rotation mark and distance traveled.
H&K Makes some neat stuff.
It was reliable and fun. Kinda heavy though.
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