TwistedSifter

What do you do when your target is hidden behind a wall or dug into a foxhole? Until now, you would have to resort to a rocket, mortar or grenade, with a definite chance for collateral damage. That was before the development of the XM25 ‘Individual Airburst Weapon System’, an effective airburst grenade launcher rifle designed to fire 25 mm grenades. These grenades can be set to explode right in mid-air after they have traveled a particular distance.

The mini-grenades are a nice touch but what really separates this weapon is the aiming system. The weapon com­bines a ther­mal optic, day-sight, laser range finder, com­pass and infrared illu­mi­na­tor with a fire-control sys­tem that wire­lessly trans­mits the exact range of the tar­get into the 25mm round’s fuse before fir­ing. Thus, a soldier can aim the XM25 at a wall con­ceal­ing a sniper, for exam­ple, but “dial in” or adjust the dis­tance by (+/-) 3 meters above the tar­get. When fired, the round will explode above the enemy’s posi­tion, essen­tially going around the obstruc­tion.

The system is under development by Heckler & Koch and Alliant Techsystems (ATK). The target acquisition/fire control is developed by L-3 IOS Brashear. The weapon costs about $25,000 each, but experts are quick to point out that a fully-loaded M4 for optics and point­ers costs pretty close to $30,000. Each ATK-made 25mm round costs about $25.

SPECIFICATIONS

- Caliber: Low-velocity 25 x 40 mm grenade
- Range: 500 meters (1,640 ft) point, 700 meters (2,296 ft) area
- Operation: Gas operated semi-automatic
- System weight: 14 lbs (6.35 kg)
- 4x thermal sight with zoom
- 2x direct view optical sight
- Ballistic computer
- Digital compass
- Laser rangefinder
- Ammunition fuze setter
- Lightweight material composites

Awwww cute-overload! Colour-coded ammunition

Sources
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XM25_Individual_Airburst_Weapon_System
- http://defensetech.org/2008/09/26/starship-troopers-meets-g-i-joe/
- http://www.atk.com/Customer_Solutions_MissionSystems/cs_ms_w_fp_IAWS.asp
- http://peosoldier.army.mil/factsheets/SW_IW_XM25.pdf

That camo does not match his surroundings

pew-pew-pew

Chargin’ mah lazer

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