Posted on 11/30/2010 6:57:14 PM PST by Bad~Rodeo
A new gun the US military hopes will help take on the Taliban has been unveiled.
Called the XM-25 it has been described by the US Army as a 'game changer'.
It uses a laser guidance system and specially developed 25mm high explosive rounds which can be programmed to detonate over a target.
Richard Audette helped develop it for the US Army and says it's a big leap forward because it's the first small arms weapon to use smart technology.
Full solution
"The way a soldier operates this is basically find your target, then laze (laser) to it, which gives the range, then you get an adjusted aim point, adjust the fire and pull the trigger.
"Say you've lazed out to 543 metres... When you pull the trigger it arms the round and fires it 543 metres plus or minus one, two or three metres."
It means the weapon can be used to target insurgents hiding behind walls or in ditches without the need to call in air strikes.
"That makes it a full solution fire control weapon".
It's already been issued to soldiers in the US military serving in Afghanistan and could be used by British special forces too.
In a statement the MOD wouldn't
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
Cool gun. I wonder how much the bullets cost per round?
Cool gun. I wonder how much the bullets cost per round?
Anything that will cause Tommy Taliban to have a really bad day is a good thing.
Shoulder fired light artillery?
Apparently so. What amazes me is that it’s a full solution fire control weapon
somebody posted yesterday that it was about $200/shot.
Military tech is truly fascinating.
Is there a ping list for this kind of stuff?
SnakeDoc
I’m sure there is but not sure who has one
I want one. In “urban grey.”
Cool stuff
a 12 pound weapon (not couting spare batteries)
special purpose ammo used ONLY by this weapon
And the gunner carries - what? An M-9 or an M-4?
Some of the comments posted on MIL blogs are not too keen on this ‘wonder-weapon’- US or Brit.
South Korea (Corea) had issued (a copy of) this weapon (in 20mm) some time ago. Not well recioeved in the field.... Daewoo K-11 - it weighs in at a 1.5 pounds heavier than the US 25mm version.
The Neopup, a South African entry (sold since 2006) into the grenade launcher field is about the same weight, but does have a 7 rd magazine.
Sounds like an answer to a question nobody asked.
The 82nd has now in the field a replacement for the older M203 - oddly called the M-320.
Using the existing (and very deadly) 40MM round, and most importantly, it weighs in at only 3.3 pounds, the M320 and be fired from the M4 or alone. It has a laser rangerfinder and the normal sights are part of the weapon (a big deal if you ever had to deal with the hassle of the -203).
A well trained operator can easliy hit small targets up to 300M distant consistantly.
Be interesting to see how this is issued and used in the ‘Stan. I’d be willing to bet they find their way to watch towers - and not much else.....
I’d be willing to bet they find their way to watch towers
***Oh, great. The JW weapon.
http://sawiggins.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/watchtower.jpg
I was thinking Jimmis "All along the watchtowwer"
OK, point.
Found in OPs -- check out these photos, then ask yourself -- would I want to hump an extra 12 pounds UP and down that valley?"
I believe that the advantage of this weapon over a grenade launcher is the programmed detonation.
Less than jet fuel.
Do you think this trooper needs an extra 15+ pounds added to that load?
To go a bit further - do you think ANY grunt want to add an additional 12+ pounds for the weapon, and then even more for the ammo - for the listed benefit?
Is the weapon a real whiz-bang and hi-tech? Yes, yes it is. Does it bring enough lethality to the battlefield to warrant the that much additional weight? From what I have seen on the MILboards, the answer is, at least now, not only NO, but he!! NO.
Thanks for the reply, it will be interesting to see how well, or if at all, this new weapon will be adopted by the troops.
Thank you for the intelligent, well though-out discussion of this weapon. It is a relief after reading the tin foil hat conspiracy comments on another thread about this weapon this morning.
Thank you for the kind words.
THe 82nd now has - o hand- the M320 40,, launcher. It will do a lot of what this new wonder weapon promises to do - for 3.3 pounds and uses existing (and far cheaper/more lethal) 40mm rounds.
Look it up - the difference in cost is staggering.
I did some Internet searches on that this. What I am reading it is between 63 to 70 pounds. Which is still to heavy. WWII our guys was carrying about 40 pounds.
If it is 90 pounds someone in command is hurting our soldiers. Why would they do this to them?
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