Reply With QuotePrecision Guided?
I would have thought that means something like a TOW that can change course in flight?
Bloop gun 2.0?
http://www.military.com/news/article...ml?ESRC=dod.nlFor 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.
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.
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.
Whoa!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.
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).
Precision Guided?
I would have thought that means something like a TOW that can change course in flight?
The article does not mention any active guidance. At least, not in the sense of a missle that can steer itself to its target. What it does do, in short, is allows precise adjustment of elevation (probably from the weapon and not from active guidance) and detonate at a specified range.
Here is the relevant part of the article:
A 'smart' weapon
Brains are what really makes this Buck Rogers gun work -- it has them. The weapon combines a thermal optic, day sight, laser range finder, compass and IR illuminator with a fire-control system that wirelessly transmits the exact range of the target into the 25mm round's fuse before firing.
A Soldier can aim the XM25 at a wall concealing a sniper, for example, but "dial in" or adjust the distance by an additional meter above the target. When fired, the Alliant Teksystems-built round will explode above the enemy's position, essentially going around the obstruction, Muldowney said.
"It's so accurate, that when I laze to that target I'm going to be able to explode that round close enough that I'm going to get it," Audette added.
The service hopes to field several other types of 25mm rounds for the XM25, including ones for breaching doors, piercing vehicle armor and non-lethal air-bursting and blunt-impact rounds.
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wow i didnt think it could get any uglier...... i was wrong
We used the M79 up until 2001. It was a secondary weapon, usually slung in a way that led to it smashing you in the back of the head when you went to ground, turned around to quick, or just sitting there quietly.Originally Posted by brainplay
Sounds like a beloved piece of kit.
x2
used it in 1986-1987 ,also we didnt have anything propper to carry the ammo except those ****ty ,flimsy,bandolers.
Can someone tell me the operational advantage of having the GL attached permanently to the rifle as opposed to going back to having the GL as a separate entity?
That the GL (e.g. M79) was difficult to carry is not the fault of the GL. It is simply because no one spent enough time to come up with some kind of rig or holster etc. Besides, modern day GL are foldable and probably lighter than the M79.
I'm not a qualified grenadier, but I have fired 40mm grenades through the M16/M203 on a few occasions at the range. I found the weapon handling awkward when firing either the 40mm or the 5.56mm, probably because I'm not used to it. And for the same reason find it to be uncomfortably front heavy.
If you don't need to fire grenades or if you've run out of 40mm, the UGL becomes a deadweight in your hands and it cannot be detached and stowed.
I think the reason the M203 was attached to a rifle was simply to increase a squad's firepower. I believe that in the U.S. Military the M79 was generally carried on it's own, not along with a separate rifle. For what it's worth, they're still in use with U.S. Forces today. I actually prefer an M79 to any other 40mm grenade launcher I've used; the ergonomics work for me and it is comfortable to shoot.
Funny how things work out...
The stand-alone M79 was replaced (in general-issue terms, I mean) by the rifle-mounted M203, only to have the M203 itself replaced by stand-alone launchers like the M32 and the above XM25.
Slightly off-topic...
In Singapore rifle coy, only the GPMG and SAW gunners (obviously) do not carry an rifle.
What I can't remember is whether in the support coy, do the 84 AT gunners carry a rifle?
How about your military?
Yes, antitank gunners in the United States carry a rifle as well as whatever AT weapons they have.
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