XM25 Smart Rifle To Be Game Changer

That blog headline is according to US Military spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Chris Lehner, program manager for the XM25. 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.

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.

It fires 25mm air-bursting shells up to (700 metres), well past the range of most rifles used by today's soldiers, and programs them to explode at a precise distance, allowing troops to neutralise insurgents hiding behind walls, rocks or trenches or inside buildings.

The revolutionary advance involves an array of sights, sensors and lasers that reads the distance to the target, assesses elements such as air pressure, temperature, and ballistics and then sends that data to the microchip embedded in the XM25 shell before it is launched.

The Pentagon plans to purchase at least 12,500 of the guns - at a price tag of $US25,000 to $US30,000 each - beginning next year, enough for one in each Infantry squad and Special Forces team....Gary Oldman could soon be selling the US Military his own weapons in the near future!
Words & Info [VIA]