brainplay
10-03-2008, 07:31 PM
For once it seems the Army is actually turning fiction into science.
After nearly a decade in the shadows -- with billions spent on earlier versions long since abandoned -- the Army is moving quickly to field a revolutionary new weapon to Joes a lot sooner than anyone had ever imagined.
It's a weapon that can take out a bad guy behind a wall, beyond a hill or below a trench, and do it more accurately and with less collateral damage than anything on the battlefield today, officials say. It's called the XM25 Individual Air Burst Weapon, and by next month the service will have three prototypes of the precision-guided 25mm rifle ready for testing.
A 'leap ahead' in lethality
"We've done a lot of testing with this, and what we're seeing is the estimated increase in effectiveness is six times what we'd be getting with a 5.56mm carbine or a grenade launcher," said Rich Audette, Army Deputy Project Manager for Soldier weapons.
"What we're talking about is a true 'leap ahead' in lethality, here. This is a huge step," Audette added during a phone interview with Military.com from his office at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey.
http://images.military.com/pics/lead_080926_morn.jpg
Born of the much-maligned and highly-controversial Objective Individual Combat Weapon -- a 1990s program that sought a "leap ahead" battle rifle that combined a counter-defilade weapon with a carbine -- the XM25 only recently gained new momentum after the Army formalized a requirement and released a contract in June for a series of test weapons.
http://www.military.com/news/article/army-to-test-air-burst-weapon-for-joes.html?ESRC=dod.nl
This seems like old news with a new spin but then I read the entire article and found this. Thought the AGL version was a bit too high tech and situation specific to be that effective vs. the old 40mm. Looks like its going to go solo first in the hands of a dedicated grenadier.
the Army plans to push an initial batch of test weapons out to the field beginning in March 2009. That could include the first use of such a weapon in combat, Cline said.
Whoa!
Are there any Vietnam vets who would like to share some experiences or comments about dedicated grenadiers including problems, solutions, and other issues you came across with the M79 Thumpers? Did you guys ever feel at a loss without a rifle? So far no flechettes or non-explosive "hard" rounds (penetrators) have been announced, just the mini grenades (25mm).
After nearly a decade in the shadows -- with billions spent on earlier versions long since abandoned -- the Army is moving quickly to field a revolutionary new weapon to Joes a lot sooner than anyone had ever imagined.
It's a weapon that can take out a bad guy behind a wall, beyond a hill or below a trench, and do it more accurately and with less collateral damage than anything on the battlefield today, officials say. It's called the XM25 Individual Air Burst Weapon, and by next month the service will have three prototypes of the precision-guided 25mm rifle ready for testing.
A 'leap ahead' in lethality
"We've done a lot of testing with this, and what we're seeing is the estimated increase in effectiveness is six times what we'd be getting with a 5.56mm carbine or a grenade launcher," said Rich Audette, Army Deputy Project Manager for Soldier weapons.
"What we're talking about is a true 'leap ahead' in lethality, here. This is a huge step," Audette added during a phone interview with Military.com from his office at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey.
http://images.military.com/pics/lead_080926_morn.jpg
Born of the much-maligned and highly-controversial Objective Individual Combat Weapon -- a 1990s program that sought a "leap ahead" battle rifle that combined a counter-defilade weapon with a carbine -- the XM25 only recently gained new momentum after the Army formalized a requirement and released a contract in June for a series of test weapons.
http://www.military.com/news/article/army-to-test-air-burst-weapon-for-joes.html?ESRC=dod.nl
This seems like old news with a new spin but then I read the entire article and found this. Thought the AGL version was a bit too high tech and situation specific to be that effective vs. the old 40mm. Looks like its going to go solo first in the hands of a dedicated grenadier.
the Army plans to push an initial batch of test weapons out to the field beginning in March 2009. That could include the first use of such a weapon in combat, Cline said.
Whoa!
Are there any Vietnam vets who would like to share some experiences or comments about dedicated grenadiers including problems, solutions, and other issues you came across with the M79 Thumpers? Did you guys ever feel at a loss without a rifle? So far no flechettes or non-explosive "hard" rounds (penetrators) have been announced, just the mini grenades (25mm).