[PAA-Discuss] XM-25 Smart Computerized Grenade Launcher Headed to Afghanistan

[Ron and Kris Graham]

This article was disturbing enough, but the comments below the article turn
my stomach. Dumb, war mongering assholes are everywhere it seems.

 

Kris

 

http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-10/xm-25-computerized-grenade-
launcher-headed-afghanistan#
<http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-10/xm-25-computerized-grenade
-launcher-headed-afghanistan> 

 


The
<http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-10/xm-25-computerized-grenade
-launcher-headed-afghanistan>  XM-25 Smart Computerized Grenade Launcher is
Headed to Afghanistan 


By Clay Dillow <http://www.popsci.com/category/popsci-authors/clay-dillow>
Posted 10.14.2010 at 4:34 pm 33
<http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-10/xm-25-computerized-grenade
-launcher-headed-afghanistan?page=#comments>  Comments 

 

Words like "futuristic," "computerized," "explosive," and "grenade launcher"
really tickle our sensibilities, so perhaps it was no surprise that we
honored the XM-25 grenade launcher - that futuristic-looking,
computerized-targeting infantry weapon that hurls smart explosive rounds
downrange - with a Best
<http://www.popsci.com/bown/2009/product/xm25-counter-defilade-target-engage
ment-system>  of What's New award last year. But with so much defense tech
falling victim due to cost overruns, impracticality of deployment, or simple
bureaucratic indecision, we're always pleasantly surprised to see new
systems hit the battlefield. And that's exactly where the XM-25 is headed
next
<http://soldiersystems.net/2010/10/14/breaking-news-army-deploying-xm25-to-a
fghanistan/>  month.

The shoulder-fired XM-25 supposedly deployed with Special Forces in
Afghanistan this
<http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-05/us-special-forces-set-carr
y-laser-guided-smart-bullet-weapon-battle>  summer, though we couldn't tell
you anything about that. The weapon packs 25-millimeter "smart" grenades
that can be programmed to explode at a predetermined range. Each round
contains a small magnet that generates AC current as it spins through the
air, allowing a tiny on-board microprocessor to determine how far it's
traveled. 

The soldier can dial in the range on the weapon itself before firing,
essentially giving him or her the ability to fire around corners. If an
enemy combatant is hiding out of line of sight, the soldier can simply fire
a round over the enemy's head or around a corner, programming the round to
explode near the target (a laser range finder mounted on the gun helps the
soldier make precise distance measurements). The ensuing burst of shrapnel
makes for an unwelcome addition to any combatant's day. 

The Army initially said it would incorporate some 12,000 of the weapons into
its arsenal starting in 2012, but it appears the XM-25 made an impression on
someone up the chain of command. Defense blog Soldier
<http://soldiersystems.net/2010/10/14/breaking-news-army-deploying-xm25-to-a
fghanistan/>  Systems reports five developmental XM-25 systems are bound for
the 101st Airborne in eastern Afghanistan, slated for arrival in November.
An additional 36 weapons will arrive to replace the original five sometime
thereafter.

 

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://paa-tx.org/pipermail/discuss_paa-tx.org/attachments/20101017/c4b6853a/attachment.htm>