November 30, 2009 at 8:58 am

Concealed Enemy Got You Down? There’s a Weapon for that

by 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