'Smart' grenade launcher heads to Afghanistan

[illuminatidinesh]

The futuristic-looking XM-25 shoulder-fired weapon, a sort of a souped-up grenade launcher, will soon be getting its trial by combat.

U.S. Special Forces soldiers will be trying out the XM-25 in Afghanistan this summer, according to a report Thursday at Military.com. It's not clear how many of those weapons will be going, but the numbers are likely to be quite small, given that it's still early days for the specialized system.

The XM-25, which fires a 25mm airbursting, high-explosive round, packs a whole lot of smarts to go with its punch. With the click of a button, a laser rangefinder quickly determines how far away the target is, and that distance gets displayed in the weapons optics, along with crosshairs already adjusted for factors such as temperature and air pressure. The built-in target acquisition/fire control capabilities also program the relevant data into the sensor- and microchip-equipped ammo. (Wired's Danger Room blog has a photo of an XM-25 round hitting a target.)

The Army says that the whole process takes less than five seconds and can be done by a soldier with just basic marksmanship skills, making it quicker and cheaper to use than mortar or artillery for targets outside the effective range of small arms, or behind cover. (Its formal title is the XM-25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System.) The XM-25 has a point target range of about 500 meters and an area target range of 700 meters.

The 12-pound, 29-inch-long weapon, made by Heckler & Koch, also has a built-in thermal sight, meaning it's effective at nighttime, too.

Smart doesn't come cheap, of course. Military.com reports that cost projections for the XM-25 come to about $25,000 per weapon and that the Army expects to spend $34 million to continue development in 2011, ahead of planned production starting in 2012.

The Army has said it hopes to purchase more than 12,500 XM-25 systems.

Read more: 'Smart' grenade launcher heads to Afghanistan | Military Tech - CNET News

 

[xLancex]

Hell yeah.. now this is what kinda news I've been eagerly waiting for. Any idea if this is gonna be used in pakistan as well?

 

[SpArK]

Looks deadly... would be a great addition for NATO trrops.

 

[Nirvana]

Read more: 'Smart' grenade launcher heads to Afghanistan | Military Tech - CNET News

Wowee
Killer Weapon

The XM-25, which fires a 25mm airbursting, high-explosive round, packs a whole lot of smarts to go with its punch. With the click of a button, a laser rangefinder quickly determines how far away the target is, and that distance gets displayed in the weapons optics, along with crosshairs already adjusted for factors such as temperature and air pressure. The built-in target acquisition/fire control capabilities also program the relevant data into the sensor- and microchip-equipped ammo. (Wired's Danger Room blog has a photo of an XM-25 round hitting a target.)

The Army says that the whole process takes less than five seconds and can be done by a soldier with just basic marksmanship skills, making it quicker and cheaper to use than mortar or artillery for targets outside the effective range of small arms, or behind cover. (Its formal title is the XM-25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System.) The XM-25 has a point target range of about 500 meters and an area target range of 700 meters.

 

[muse]

Great range as well -- and do we have any info on the rate of fire -- Do any of the parts need replacing after some number of grenades fired ?

 

[Vinod2070]

A great weapon for dealing with these terrorists. I am sure we can do with some as well.

 

[illuminatidinesh]

Here is another one...
GPS mortars make Army debut in Afghanistan
The average American uses GPS to navigate a road trip or find cheap gas on the way home from work. Meanwhile, the U.S. Army has long been busy coming up with ways to harness GPS for warfare. Soldiers in Afghanistan have a new, very dangerous GPS gadget in their arsenal: 120mm GPS-guided mortars.

The Army loves acronyms, of course, and as such the GPS shells are known as APMI, or Accelerated Precision Mortar Initiative cartridges. Translation: Fast Accurate Bombs, but FAB wasn't going to fly as a nickname for these weapons.

The usual method for using mortars is to blast off a huge round of them and hope that a few find find the target. That all changes with the addition of GPS. A receiver in the nose works with a set of computer-controlled directional fins to keep the mortar on target.

The Army notes that it had to achieve a certain standard with these mortars before putting them into use in the field. The APMIs have to fall within a 10-meter radius of the target 50 percent of the time. The new mortars actually exceed that goal, says the Army. That may still sound a little vague, but it's a huge improvement over old-style mortars.

According to the Army, the use of APMIs could translate to less collateral damage, civilian deaths, and friendly fire deaths when used in urban areas. One unit in Afghanistan is already using the mortars, but seven more will soon receive them. War will always be hell, but the addition of a little accuracy is a welcome bright spot amidst the rubble.

Read more: GPS mortars make Army debut in Afghanistan | Crave - CNET

A 120mm GPS-equipped mortar knows where it's going.
(Credit: U.S. Army)

Read more: GPS mortars make Army debut in Afghanistan | Crave - CNET

 

[Splurgenxs]

I think the Koreans already made such a Grenade launcher Integrated in the K 11.
Check out the "Super Aegis 2" as well its just what India needs.

 

[indian dream]

Night mare for the terrorists..

 

[muslim282]

drones, armour, satellites, apaches, raptors, bunker-busters, best intell in the world, cruise missiles and now this smart grenade launcher. Jees, uncle sam is really going for it.
But when facts speak, it,s the humble battered out AK-47 and RPG that is beating the crap out of you as it did many years earlier in vietnaam.
Result:- leaving from embassy roof tops in Kabul as it was from Vietnaam.

Winner AK-47 and RPG.

 

[TruthSeeker]

drones, armour, satellites, apaches, raptors, bunker-busters, best intell in the world, cruise missiles and now this smart grenade launcher. Jees, uncle sam is really going for it.
But when facts speak, it,s the humble battered out AK-47 and RPG that is beating the crap out of you as it did many years earlier in vietnaam.
Result:- leaving from embassy roof tops in Kabul as it was from Vietnaam.

Winner AK-47 and RPG.

The "winner" isn't one of these veteran weapons systems, it is the willingness to die. The primary "asymmetrical" weapon the jihadis have is their firm belief that they will be martyrs in the eyes of Allah. The American and other NATO soldiers love their lives more than do the jihadis (or the Viet Cong in their day.)

 

[Perceptron]

Hell yeah.. now this is what kinda news I've been eagerly waiting for. Any idea if this is gonna be used in pakistan as well?

Is NATO allowed a free hand in Pakistani soil ? Then yes, we will see it in action in Pakistan.

 

[DarK-LorD]

India should import some for it's SF.

 

[harpoon]

The "winner" isn't one of these veteran weapons systems, it is the willingness to die. The primary "asymmetrical" weapon the jihadis have is their firm belief that they will be martyrs in the eyes of Allah. The American and other NATO soldiers love their lives more than do the jihadis (or the Viet Cong in their day.)

No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country- Gen George Patton