• A Great friend to the HardForum with a great kid that he is trying to get a scholorship to continue his schooling. Please give hime a vote! Only 24 hours left! Thanks.
    If you have an VOTE FOR KEENAN!

'Smart' Grenade Launcher

J

John_Keck

Limp Gawd
Joined
May 3, 2010
Messages
379
What do we love more than computers? Grenade launchers with computers in them! This hoss has a targeting system which has a point-target range up to about 500 meters.

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
Click to expand...
 
Receiving a security warning when trying to view the fact sheet is encouraging... :rolleyes:

Pretty slick lil' unit though if it performs as well in combat as it does in testing.
 
XM-25? Careful US. Military. Intel might sue over what it might feel could be a confusing product number to their X-25 SSD series. :p

I wish these things would start showing up on gotwarporn.com

I understand the Russians were providing prototype tank killer shoulder fired missiles to the insurgents that they have been using to knock out M1A1 / M1A2 Abrams tanks.

The US provided anti-air stingers to Afghanistan years and years ago that they used to bring down tons and tons of Russian helicopters. And I think at the time, those were new tech as well.

There is also supposed to be a assault rifle that fires small exploding rounds they have been working on for awhile. They are intelligent rounds that explode inside the building after they've penetrated windows and walls, also over free standing walls / obstacles and around corners.
 
SixFootDuo said:
XM-25? Careful US. Military. Intel might sue over what it might feel could be a confusing product number to their X-25 SSD series. :p

I wish these things would start showing up on gotwarporn.com

I understand the Russians were providing prototype tank killer shoulder fired missiles to the insurgents that they have been using to knock out M1A1 / M1A2 Abrams tanks.

The US provided anti-air stingers to Afghanistan years and years ago that they used to bring down tons and tons of Russian helicopters. And I think at the time, those were new tech as well.

There is also supposed to be a assault rifle that fires small exploding rounds they have been working on for awhile. They are intelligent rounds that explode inside the building after they've penetrated windows and walls, also over free standing walls / obstacles and around corners.
Click to expand...


Prototypes are always prefaced by an X, so it wouldn't be permanent.

Also why the hell are they making 25mm rounds, that seems kind of silly seeing as 40mm is pretty much the standard.
 
SixFootDuo said:
They are intelligent rounds that explode inside the building after they've penetrated windows and walls.
Click to expand...

MPAT round set for Air, fired directly at a building wall -- best way to pop an exterior room with minimal collateral damage :)


This would definitely be useful, especially with auto-airburst calculation/timing for wide dispersal AP capabilities
 
If used properly they should also be air bursting, which is deadlier than the normal ground burst.
 
This concept was used in the Vietnam war for artillery shells. It was called "killer junior"

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

One time they deliberately set up a tiny base in a vulnerable position, set up seismic sensors around the woods surrounding the base and when they detected walking activity they set off the arty in that direction with the pre-determined explosion range and they killed the shit out of the enemy.

I'm not so sure why the concept took this long to implement into smaller sized mobile guns?
 
Daaaamn! I wonder what range and damage increase these things will get when overclocked!
 
The tech and theory behind it is great, that particular weapon itself, not so much. Thankfully they are not talking about placing more than one per squad with that system. I would still hate to be the one that had to lug the extra weight of it around, since it does not replace the m4/m16 a soldier would still need to carry with him provided he did not want to lack the ability to fire back at close range.

Let us hope that this is not another Bradley debacle.
 
There is something that bothers me about handing this to a soldier with "basic marksmanship skills", and saying, go blow shit up. Looks neat though.
 
It looks like this is being brought out because the rifle mounted M203 system is only effective to about 150 yards. Some special force units have been using the old Vietnam War era M79 grenade launchers because of their longer range as a result. The XM-25 will return a long range indirect fire weapon to the rifle squad that's needed for the long range fighting in Afghanistan but which wasn't in the close quarters action in Vietnam or Iraq. Fighting in West Germany was planned to be highly mechanized meaning the IFVs could provide the heavy weapons support.
 
SixFootDuo said:
There is also supposed to be a assault rifle that fires small exploding rounds they have been working on for awhile. They are intelligent rounds that explode inside the building after they've penetrated windows and walls, also over free standing walls / obstacles and around corners.
Click to expand...

Which is functionally the same as the XM-25?
 
At first I thought this was old news since I saw a tv show spotlighting this weapon on the Military or Discovery channel about a year and a half ago. But then I read the true gem of this article, which is that it is being deployed in Afghanistan right now. Very interesting stuff.
 
The weapon I saw was from a Future Weapons show on the military show or history channel.

It was a larger version of the classic assault rifle design, had a computer system integrated. I also think there was a LCD for peering around corners avoiding direct line of fire.

I'm not sure if it was the same weapon, this was a few years ago. I think it's safe to assume the military has several teams working on several future weapons. Many of these weapons will have a lot similar features no doubt.

The show I saw had a GI with this weapon and a small one room structure about 75 years to 100 yards away. There was test dummies behind the building and inside the building. He fired single shots and then several short bursts, each time the camera crew stopping to examine the damage to the test dummies.

While the wounds were like huge gaping wounds, there were many many metal spinter entrance and exit wounds that would have still been fatal to humans.

I do believe the system I saw had a laser range finder. You lazed the target, got the distance then the GI was able to program the rounds to detonate a certain distance once inside the structure or behind the structure.

It was pretty incredible.

I saw this show maybe 2 years ago.
 
Weenis said:
Prototypes are always prefaced by an X, so it wouldn't be permanent.

Also why the hell are they making 25mm rounds, that seems kind of silly seeing as 40mm is pretty much the standard.
Click to expand...

40mm 'nades are heavy. They are hard to get good velocity and range because of their mass. Plus as someone else said, logistically speaking it'll give more rounds and more killing power in a given amount of weight.
 
This things been in development for the past decade. Atleast. The XM-29 is in Ghost Recon 2. I'm pretty sure this project has been canceled more than once.
 
SixFootDuo said:
XM-25? Careful US. Military. Intel might sue over what it might feel could be a confusing product number to their X-25 SSD series. :p

I wish these things would start showing up on gotwarporn.com

I understand the Russians were providing prototype tank killer shoulder fired missiles to the insurgents that they have been using to knock out M1A1 / M1A2 Abrams tanks.

The US provided anti-air stingers to Afghanistan years and years ago that they used to bring down tons and tons of Russian helicopters. And I think at the time, those were new tech as well.

There is also supposed to be a assault rifle that fires small exploding rounds they have been working on for awhile. They are intelligent rounds that explode inside the building after they've penetrated windows and walls, also over free standing walls / obstacles and around corners.
Click to expand...

This is the end result of that program. the original weapon system was an 5.56mm rifle paired with a 20mm version of the XM-25. the system was VERY heavy, (18 pounds) and the rifle tended to melt in sustained fire.... needless to say, the system was cancelled, but the grenade launcher was promising and with an increase in size of the projectile to 25mm, the XM-25 was born.
 
IIRC, this concept was in development for many years ago, back then it was part of this OICW thing which was discontinued.

Anyone who played the game Soldier of Fortune 2 should be familiar with the OICW assault rifle, it was featured in that game. :p

It was huge and bulky. Glad to see the grenade launcher idea is still alive and kicking.
 
Danny Bui said:
Probably lighter and therefore you can carry more. In addition, the 25mm rounds that the XM-25 have more explosive power than the 40mm grenade rounds due to having dual warheads.

Here's a good writeup on why XM-25 is important to the U.S military:
http://defensetech.org/2010/05/06/army-sending-precision-grenade-launcher-to-afghanistan/
Click to expand...

Yeah I don't doubt the need, it just seems like the concept is flawed.

it looks large and bulky which means an encumbered soldier/marine. Combine this with the idea that everyone needs to be cross trained on its use and :/

Although that's a different type of issue, the basic infantryman won't be carrying one..

It might sound silly but I think small fletchette rockets would work great for shooting in windows etc.

As for exploding rounds over walls/cove etc.. You think it'd be easier to have another weapon system blow the cover away..

Because the system has to be really smart to do the trig for elevation differences... unless we expect the soldiers to do trig on the fly :)
 
Does no one here realize that this has been designed to kill people, right?

All this talk about "efficiency" and "better than old tech" and "prototype" and not a single one about how this is designed to kill people?

For shame.
 
Deluded said:
Does no one here realize that this has been designed to kill people, right?

All this talk about "efficiency" and "better than old tech" and "prototype" and not a single one about how this is designed to kill people?

For shame.
Click to expand...

The first computers were used to kill people more efficiently by breaking encryption faster than doing it by hand.
 
guitarslingerchris said:
Great, the noob tube wasn't awful enough already.
Click to expand...

what I thought first but as I understand this can’t be attached as a secondary weapon to a rifle.

pissboy said:
The first computers were used to kill people more efficiently by breaking encryption faster than doing it by hand.
Click to expand...

irrelevant, your current computer is not designed to kill and you can't call it a weapon, kitchen knife can kill but you can’t ban it for that. this can do one thing only and that it killing. which is not a bad idea if the if related to freedom ,liberty and defense. no one builds these things then say well lets go kill some people. ok they do but the world’s population is getting out of control :D lets just hope Dice won't nerf this too.
 
Deluded said:
Does no one here realize that this has been designed to kill people, right?

All this talk about "efficiency" and "better than old tech" and "prototype" and not a single one about how this is designed to kill people?

For shame.
Meh, it will still be bested by some dirt poor farmer who can make a push-to-make switch and has access to old soviet shells.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Weenis said:
Yeah I don't doubt the need, it just seems like the concept is flawed.

it looks large and bulky which means an encumbered soldier/marine. Combine this with the idea that everyone needs to be cross trained on its use and :/

Although that's a different type of issue, the basic infantryman won't be carrying one..

It might sound silly but I think small fletchette rockets would work great for shooting in windows etc.

As for exploding rounds over walls/cove etc.. You think it'd be easier to have another weapon system blow the cover away..

Because the system has to be really smart to do the trig for elevation differences... unless we expect the soldiers to do trig on the fly :)
Click to expand...

Large and bulky? never had to to carry a radio along with an M-16/M-4, or been an SAW gunner or worse, a m-60 gunner then, I take it...

and yes, the basic Infantryman will be carrying one. it is designed to be part of each Infantry squad, 1 per, as a support weapon. the weapon works by exploding the grenade past heavy cover in an airburst. you laze the cover in front of your target, use a thumb switch to add or subtract the range at which the projectile will detonate, then adjust your point of aim over the obstructing cover, the computer progams the fuze in the grenade before the weapon is fired. the projectile will travel over the wall/through the window and boom.
 
Draax said:
Deluded said:
Does no one here realize that this has been designed to kill people, right?

All this talk about "efficiency" and "better than old tech" and "prototype" and not a single one about how this is designed to kill people?

For shame.
Meh, it will still be bested by some dirt poor farmer who can make a push-to-make switch and has access to old soviet shells.
Click to expand...


Human nature is interesting that way. We have been killing each other since the beginning. We have always sought after, and found, faster, more efficient ways to kill each other. From tooth and nail to nuclear weapons.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Deluded said:
Does no one here realize that this has been designed to kill people, right?

All this talk about "efficiency" and "better than old tech" and "prototype" and not a single one about how this is designed to kill people?

For shame.
Click to expand...

Oh btw, this "Weapon" is designed to kill people.....

Thats what they do. and hopefully, this one does it very well. considering its going to be carried by friends of mine that will depend on it for thier life.

your chathandle is very descriptive :rolleyes:
 
There are less than lethal rounds as well, if anyone actually clicks on the link.
 
I say overclock it so that it can target in under 5 seconds. I'm pretty darn sure that a 5 sec delay can be a awfully long time if in the middle of combat.
 
In that picture seems like the soldier is not holding it very firmly into his shoulder. Wonder how much recoil it has.
 
TechLarry said:
I wonder if they run Symantec AntiVirus ?
Click to expand...

iono why but that made me lols

mryerse said:
In that picture seems like the soldier is not holding it very firmly into his shoulder. Wonder how much recoil it has.
Click to expand...

i think in that picture he's aiming/marking the spot (to allow the computer to make its calculations) prior to readjusting the needed angle change for firing.



btw: whens this unlock getting patched into to my bfbc2? =D
 
Danny Bui said:
Probably lighter and therefore you can carry more. In addition, the 25mm rounds that the XM-25 have more explosive power than the 40mm grenade rounds due to having dual warheads.

Here's a good writeup on why XM-25 is important to the U.S military:
http://defensetech.org/2010/05/06/army-sending-precision-grenade-launcher-to-afghanistan/
Click to expand...

I'm also thinking that avoiding standards mean that if the weapon fell in enemy hands, they wouldn't have the proprietary ammo needed to use it.
 
This does look like the result of the OICW program. I never liked the OICW because it was trying to cram too many features into one very costly weapon with a high chance of failure and malfunction in the field, something like $18,000 per unit, whereas your typical bad guy overseas can buy an AK-47 and a crapload of ammo for under $500. I remember the programmable grenade being problematic. There was an article where the OICW was shelved due to an accident. One of the grenades decided to go off at zero range. The gun exploded during testing and took the guy holding it with it, if I remember correctly. I'm hoping they worked that little kink out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top