The Punisher
US troops apparently love the XM-25. Honestly, who doesn’t love an airburst grenade launcher?
Remember, I do this to entertain me, not you.
Uncle Pays the Bills
 |
|
Find Local
|
Categories
- ATF (769)
- Death Match (10)
- Eminent Domain (225)
- In the bag (9)
- Notes to Junior (546)
- Poker (74)
- Recipes (142)
- Shotgun Noob (11)
- The Airing of Grievances (19)
- uncategorized (47,725)
February 15th, 2011 at 12:15 pm
Japete
February 15th, 2011 at 12:49 pm
Jimmy Jihadi can’t hide behind that thick mud-wall with a detonator anymore, the air-burst says “I see you!” like a *magic* peek-a-boo.
February 15th, 2011 at 12:50 pm
Army is shopping for 36 more?
If this is what our boys need, let’s make it 36,000 more. Dear .gov, please divert all my tax money to the purchased of the XM-25 for our fighting men.
February 15th, 2011 at 1:03 pm
As I understand it, the XM-25 is still not mature enough in the development cycle to enter full rate production. The ones being used now are essentially hand built prototypes for all intents and purposes.
This trial fielding will go a long way towards ironing out the last kinks and getting it into mass production though.
February 15th, 2011 at 1:23 pm
wonder how much that is going to cost us.
I like getting the troops the best, but there comes a point where we cant afford that and every other pet project out there.
February 15th, 2011 at 2:11 pm
This is one of the good ones, especially considering the reactions of the troops on the ground. Get it into production, and it should be less than a kilobuck for the M25 and maybe 5 bux a pop for the grenades, if that much. For the capability this represents, there should be one in each squad.
February 15th, 2011 at 2:15 pm
The alternative to using one of these would probably the calling in of air support or artillery. This is much cheaper, even if we bought 36 thousand more.
February 15th, 2011 at 2:53 pm
No kidding they don’t want to give them back. What’s not to like about man portable, laser sighted, artillery?
If only we had 500 small programs like this instead of the massive future combat mentality in DOD today.
February 15th, 2011 at 3:05 pm
Damn, but that’s a cool weapon. I can see how troops everywhere would be clamoring for one.
February 15th, 2011 at 3:27 pm
Not me.. The thing weighs a ton plus the soldier who carries it is left with only a pistol to protect himself if it quits working. The shells self arm 50 metres from the muzzle. In close combat such as an ambush this thing would be a slug gun and not much else… Also the recoil is in the 10 gauge shotgun class… Each cartridge weighs 6-8 ounces. Think of trying to carry an m4+ammo to back you up it this thing fails…. Not a fun thought…
February 15th, 2011 at 3:51 pm
My next thought comes from the small tinfoil recess of my brain, but how long till they make a “less lethal” version of this for police / swat use?
February 15th, 2011 at 5:00 pm
@11
Maybe I’m just unimaginative, but I’m not sure how you make a grenade that flies a set distance through a window/over a trench, then detonates and creates a burst of shrapnel “less lethal”. I wouldn’t think you could use gas in the round, as you have the forward momentum of the round carrying the gas to worry about. Also, If it has recoil equivalent to a 10 gauge like John Smith says, impact alone could be lethal, which would make it poor for anything involving crowd dispersion.
February 15th, 2011 at 5:18 pm
Less lethal is never a guarantee of non lethality. Flash bang grenades were one only used for military, same with M4’s and drones.
It would be possible to make a concussion / OC round that would deliver it in a concentrated area.
The more i see the weapons being created that are out of the hands of the people paying for them, the more I stop to think. is it keeping me up at night, no, but you cant say it is not completely off the table.
February 15th, 2011 at 5:35 pm
True, I just think the system is inherently “more” lethal than say flashbangs. Plus, in most police situations, I don’t see what it does that a existing systems don’t do almost as well. When are swat teams going to have to put a nade through a window at 200 yards? Not that most teams wouldn’t like to have the option, I’m sure. I’m not claiming to be an expert, just the opposite: I’m an armchair warrior. I just am having a hard time of seeing how the system could effectively transition to a “less lethal” system.
February 15th, 2011 at 5:59 pm
@John Smith: I assume the XM25 will mainly be replacing the M32, so the soldiers actually carrying it will see an improvement. Given the advantages it brings by being able to shoot around cover, I could see an increase in the number of squads with someone designated as a grenadier in certain situations.
For a soldier who already carries the M32, the advantages are pretty significant: the smaller rounds make up for the size and power difference with the greater accuracy and the programmed air-burst capability, while allowing them to carry more rounds for the same weight/volume penalty.
As far as CQB conditions, a) if the recoil is the same at a 10 gauge, I wouldn’t want to get shot with one within 50m even if it’s not going to explode; b) I assume that the developers and the army picked 50m for a reason – I’m not sure I’d want it to be capable of exploding closer than that if I was the one firing it.
February 15th, 2011 at 6:03 pm
You load it with fairy dust or unicorn farts, and make your target so happy he comes out from hiding and just hugs you and all is forgiven! All I’m saying is it should be a squad weapon, like the SAW. Have the capability on call. The guys that carry it exclusively have done so voluntarily. The 50m thing could be tweaked if it’s found to be too long. There are solutions. It’s still in prototype. Relax! Something’s going right! Let it!
February 15th, 2011 at 6:58 pm
It is like turning on “God-Mode” and raining down fire and brimstone. Hell, why not legalize it for everyone? I’d like to play with one without the enlistment commitment.
February 15th, 2011 at 10:41 pm
You see the combat load out is 30 rounds which at 6oz per round is quite a bit of weight. 11.25lbs for ammo alone. The weapon weighs roughly 18 lbs empty and an additional 36 oz for the cartridges alone. Unsure of magazine weight empty. The weapon is designed as a medium range device.. At cqb it is not very effective with only a 6 round magazine.. If I was issued one of these I would be doing some serious weight lifting not only to support the main weapon but an m-4 with ammo if their is a malfunction. The weapon is a squad weapon. If you get separated from the squad you are easy pickings at ranges less than 50 metres. Also if the squad is ambushed at less then 50 metres the operator with only a 9mm is about useless in a firefight unless the said enemy decides to stay in one position.. Not likely. The results in an urban environment are not that impressive. The advantages are in areas where attacks come from mountainsides or fields. The weapons recoil when standing up is enough to knock a soldier with 128 lbs of and armor at greater than a 45 degree angle… The weapon is best used propped against debris or with a makeshift bipod which it does not come with… In the right environment the xm25 is a devastating weapon. Outside those parametres it becomes far less effective. M32 shells arm between 15-25 metres….
February 16th, 2011 at 9:30 am
According to the Army Times article, the XM25 is very popular with the troops. But it is still in development. Each round cost $1,000 because they are currently hand made. The XM25 costs about $35,000. Price will come down once it enters mass production.