Crazy ass new military weapon.

[MJ12]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101201/sc_afp/usmilitaryweaponsafghanistan



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The Pentagon has rolled out prototypes of its first-ever programmable "smart" grenade launcher, a shoulder-fired weapon that uses microchipped ammunition to target and kill the enemy, even when the enemy is hidden behind walls or other cover.

After years of development, the XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System, about the size of a regular rifle, has now been deployed to US units on the battlefields of Afghanistan, where the Army expects it to be a "game-changer" in its counterinsurgency operations.

"For well over a week, it's been actively on patrols, and in various combat outposts in areas that are hot," said Lieutenant Colonel Chris Lehner, program manager for the XM25.

The gun's stats are formidable: it fires 25mm air-bursting shells up to 2,300 feet (700 meters), well past the range of most rifles used by today's soldiers, and programs them to explode at a precise distance, allowing troops to neutralize insurgents hiding behind walls, rocks or trenches or inside buildings.

"This is the first time we're putting smart technology into the hands of the individual soldier," Lehner told AFP in a telephone interview.

"It's giving them the edge," he said, in the harsh Afghan landscape where Islamist extremists have vexed US troops using centuries-old techniques of popping up from behind cover to engage.

"You get behind something when someone is shooting at you, and that sort of cover has protected people for thousands of years," Lehner said.

"Now we're taking that away from the enemy forever."

If, for example, an enemy combatant pops up from behind a wall to fire at US troops and then ducks behind it, an XM25 gunner can aim the laser range finder at the top of the wall, then program the shell to detonate one meter beyond it, showering lethal fragmentation where the insurgent is seeking cover.

Use of the XM25 can slash civilian deaths and damage, the Army argues, because its pinpointed firepower offers far less risk than larger mortars or air strikes.

The result, the Army says, is "very limited collateral damage."

The Pentagon plans to purchase at least 12,500 of the guns -- at a price tag of 25,000 to 30,000 dollars each -- beginning next year, enough for one in each Infantry squad and Special Forces team.

Lehner said the XM25 was special in that it requires comparatively little training, because the high-powered technology does so much of the work.

"This system is turning soldiers with average shooting skills into those with phenomenal shooting skills," he said.

Holy shit, scary.

 

[No Limit]

Cool, now you just need to train programmers to kill people.

 

[15357]

Uh, we've had this for a couple of years now.

K-11 OICW (Formerly XK-11 OICW)

The Daewoo K11 is an assault rifle chambered to fire 5.56mm rounds, as well as 20mm air-burst shells from its overbarrel launcher.[3] Two conventional 20mm shells either detonate immediately on impact or on a timed fuse after impact. A third type of shell is controlled by the weapon's integrated electronics to explode a few meters from the target, yielding an air burst effect capable of killing targets within a 6m area and seriously wounding those within a 8m area. Users enter a range at which the shell is to detonate, allowing targets in ditches, in buildings, or behind walls to be destroyed without requiring the shell to strike the target.[6]

In your face, American Military-Industrial Complex!

 

[Remus]

Cool. Portable railgun next?

 

[jimbo118]

it was in mgs4, too!

 

[ríomhaire]

I thought that was the gun that was supposed to be in HL2 but they cut it because its development was cancelled in real life?

 

[Escaep]

I thought that was the gun that was supposed to be in HL2 but they cut it because its development was cancelled in real life?

Could've been the XM8.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XM8

 

[Remus]

I thought that was the gun that was supposed to be in HL2 but they cut it because its development was cancelled in real life?

No, that was the OICW assault rifle. This gun is a smart automatic grenade launcher, which uses some of the ideas from the OICW project. From what I've heard the reason OICW was scrapped, was because it was too bulky and expensive. Which is hilarious, conisdering that this gun is also bulky and high tech, therefore expensive.

 

[Escaep]

Uh, we've had this for a couple of years now.

K-11 OICW (Formerly XK-11 OICW)

Ours are more expensive and probably cost millions/billions to develop so therefore are automatically better.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

Not to mention they didn't sell us any while the 'combat operations' were still in Iraq. Bastards.

 

[Warped]

I sent this to my friend in the Army. He works in the local armory and will hopefully be seeing these soon

 

[Kisze]

This will be so cheesy to use in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

 

[Vegeta897]

(700 meters), well past the range of most rifles used by today's soldiers,

wat

A simple and effective idea though.

 

[Viperidae]

Yay! Numbers actually got something right!

Ssssssssssssort of! The XM29 was developed for the US Army in the first place! SK was just shameless enough to adopt it when no one else would! In fact, the XM25 is just the XM29, sans rifle! In other news: More journalistic sensationalism! I'm running out!!1111

According to US Army project manager for new weapons, COL Douglas Tamilio, the rounds for the XM25 will cost about $24 apiece.

So cheap la. As much as a GAU 30mm cannon round, and only 96 times more expensive than a 556 round.

 

[Vegeta897]

How much is a 40mm HE grenade?

Wouldn't that be the most reasonable thing to compare it to?

 

[Ridge]

Could've been the XM8.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XM8

The XM-8 and XM-25 were what became after the K-11 project was killed off. They were the same gun, but split off into two different systems. XM-8 program died, XM-25, not so much, it seems...

 

[Ridge]

wat

A simple and effective idea though.

The M16 family of rifles use the 5.56mm round. The maximum effective area target range for that round is about 500m. The M14 uses 7.62x51mm, and gets much better range. But very few of these are on the battlefield in comparison to the M16/M4

 

[Vegeta897]

Well I assumed they were talking about snipers, because it wouldn't matter if they were in cover or not at that range if all they had were 5.56 rifles.

 

[Viperidae]

How much is a 40mm HE grenade?

Wouldn't that be the most reasonable thing to compare it to?

$16. Which is why they're hardly ever used.

The reason they're spouting round costs is to justify why it should be used in the first place: if they can guarantee a certain percentage of successful discharges, then they can claim it's more cost effective than the 40mm.

Thing is, once you factor in the millions of dollars spent on the OICW program over 20 years, it turns out it'll take a loooooong time to offset money saved.

 

[Stigmata]

Solution: fight more wars to increase cost efficiency

 

[Dodo]

Could've been the XM8.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XM8

Sooooo ugly..

 

[Unfocused]

That's essentially how Battlefield 2142 air-burst rockets worked. Cool.

 

[PvtRyan]

Which is hilarious, conisdering that this gun is also bulky and high tech, therefore expensive.

I got this reference. I'm proud of myself. That is all.

 

[MJ12]

This will be so cheesy to use in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Exactly what I was thinking.

"KILLSTREAK. YEEEE-AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH *HEAVY GUITAR SOUND*"

 

[Vegeta897]

As if Call of Duty would ever have a weapon that takes 2 steps to use.

Or have engagement ranges more than 50m.

 

[The Monkey]

Meh.

Both the Americans in Vietnam and the Soviets in Afghanistan learned the hard way that even the most modern and technologically advanced armies in the world can get their asses handed to them by a bunch of motivated guerilla fighters with kalashnikovs. I have a hard time seeing how this can be a "game changer".

 

[Raziaar]

New? I've been hearing about this damn thing for 5 years now

 

[unozero]

Uh, we've had this for a couple of years now.

K-11 OICW (Formerly XK-11 OICW)




In your face, American Military-Industrial Complex!

http://world.guns***/assault/usa/xm29-oicw-e.html

you lie.

 

[15357]

Yay! Numbers actually got something right!

Ssssssssssssort of! The XM29 was developed for the US Army in the first place! SK was just shameless enough to adopt it when no one else would! In fact, the XM25 is just the XM29, sans rifle! In other news: More journalistic sensationalism! I'm running out!!1111


So cheap la. As much as a GAU 30mm cannon round, and only 96 times more expensive than a 556 round.

I'm not understanding what you are trying to say.

Anyway, we have this in Afganistan now.

http://world.guns***/assault/usa/xm29-oicw-e.html

you lie.

Oh, don't be so sad, it's not like it's the first time people have discovered better ways of killing before Americans.

 

[Viperidae]

Sigh. How is this not clear, #s? Unozero provided a link that explains everything: The OICW was an AMERICAN weapons program, where HK tried to fulfill the needs of the Army for a high-tech rifle/gl combo. The K-11 is a derivative design that SK bought the rights to manufacture for cheap after the Army (and everyone else in the Western world) decided it was too impractical to use.

 

[15357]

I highly, highly doubt that, seeing as our OICW research program was pretty much independent.

"Rights to manufacture"? This is not KF-16s we're talking about.

EDIT: I'll admit that the idea prolly came from the American OICW, but we've had had to redesign practically everything, from the optics to the 20mm grenade - which was deemed too ineffective and so we made it longer, etc. etc.

 

[Bad^Hat]

As if Call of Duty would ever have a weapon that takes 2 steps to use.

Or have engagement ranges more than 50m.

I know you're joking, but are you aware they let you use javelins in MW2's multiplayer? They were hilariously inappropriate, but fun!

 

[JUL3]

This will be so cheesy to use in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Haha, that was the first thing I thought when I read the thread title.

 

[Danimal]

More ways to kill people. Cool, I guess(?).

 

[Escaep]

More ways to kill people. Cool, I guess(?).

DON'T YOU MEAN MORE WAYS TO MURDER INNOCENT CIVILIANS??????????????????????????

Spoiler

Am I doing it right?




</serious>

 

[Mogi67]

Maybe now they won't be able to take our freedoms

 

[DEATH eVADER]

Yay! Numbers actually got something right!

Ssssssssssssort of! The XM29 was developed for the US Army in the first place! SK was just shameless enough to adopt it when no one else would! In fact, the XM25 is just the XM29, sans rifle! In other news: More journalistic sensationalism! I'm running out!!1111

According to US Army project manager for new weapons, COL Douglas Tamilio, the rounds for the XM25 will cost about $24 apiece.

So cheap la. As much as a GAU 30mm cannon round, and only 96 times more expensive than a 556 round.

Is that $24 for each individual PROGRAMMABLE round. Are they going to explode accidently?