The XM25 fires a High Explosive (HE), air bursting 25mm round capable of defeating an enemy behind a wall, inside a building or in a foxhole.
Posted on 04/30/2005 6:07:30 PM PDT by Gucho
The XM25 fires a High Explosive (HE), air bursting 25mm round capable of defeating an enemy behind a wall, inside a building or in a foxhole.
Minneapolis MN (SPX) Apr 28, 2005 Alliant Techsystems has delivered the first six prototype XM25 advanced airbursting weapon systems to the U.S. Army for field-testing.
The XM25 fires a High Explosive (HE), air bursting 25mm round capable of defeating an enemy behind a wall, inside a building or in a foxhole.
The advanced design allows the operator to program the round so that it flies to the target and detonates at a precise point in the air. It does not require impact to detonate.
The XM25 is ideal for urban combat. It puts precision firepower in the hands of the soldier, allowing them to eliminate threats without causing significant collateral damage.
"The initial field tests are very promising," said LTC Matthew Clarke, U.S. Army project manager, individual weapons.
"A weapon system like the XM25 will prove invaluable to our warfighters. It will be a clear differentiator on the battlefield."
The revolutionary fire control system for the XM25 employs an advanced laser rangefinder that transmits information to the chambered 25mm round.
As the round flies downrange to the target, it precisely measures the distance traveled and detonates at exactly the right moment to deliver maximum effectiveness.
The XM25 increases the warfighter's probability of hit-to-kill performance by up to 500 percent over existing weapons.
It also extends the effective range of the soldier's individual weapon to more than 500 meters.
Looks cool.
Sat Apr 30, 2005 08:13 PM ET
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Guerrillas fired at least seven rockets into the city of Falluja on Saturday, killing three Iraqi civilians and wounding another, the U.S. military said.
Two mortar bombs were also fired into Falluja, about 30 miles west of Baghdad, but caused no casualties, the military said in a statement.
Falluja was a guerrilla stronghold until a U.S.-led military offensive last November in which scores of insurgents were killed or captured. U.S. officials said Falluja had been a nerve center of the insurgency in Iraq.
A U.S. soldier was killed by small arms fire in the town of Khaladiyah on Saturday.
The military said the soldier belonged to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force.
More than 1,200 U.S. soldiers have been killed in action since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
© Reuters 2005.
By CAPT. PETER C. RICHARD - For The Tampa Tribune
Published: May 1, 2005
TIKRIT, Iraq - April 18: For the next two days our mission was to escort a battalion of Iraqi Army soldiers part of the way north to their new operating base. It was an eventful trip from eastern part of Iraq to the north near Tikrit.
While driving down ``IED Alley'' through Baquba, we took small arms fire from individual insurgents who decided to take the opportunity and fire off a few shots at some coalition forces. This fire is poorly aimed and on most occasions consists of a few rounds before the insurgent ducks and runs away.
After a very long convoy north, we finally reached the objective and handed the Iraqi forces off to the escort who would take them further north. Finally, after 15 hours of escort duty, we went to sleep for a few hours of much needed rest.
At 7 a.m., we were abruptly awakened by a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device, which detonated outside the front gate of the base. The loud boom and following shock wave woke us and sent us scurrying under our bunks. In that explosion, some Iraqi police and one American soldier were wounded.
Prior to our departure from the base, we had an opportunity to explore one of the many palace complexes in Iraq that Saddam Hussein called home. The Iraqi dictator spared no expense in building these beautiful palaces.
In the main palace, a staircase is at least 120 feet high and made entirely of fine marble. Embossed every 5 feet on the staircase handrail in pink marble are the letters ``SH'' for Saddam Hussein. Saddam Hussein clearly liked to be reminded of his great power within Iraq.
The main palace is surrounded by a man-made lake and a series of satellite palaces and suites.
When walking through these grand structures it is easy to understand why the people of Iraq live in poverty without infrastructure or basic services.
I recently returned from my two weeks of leave at home. It was wonderful to go home and see my family. I was very happy when I came home and my children almost instantly reconnected with me. They are at such a young age that they do not understand why America is in Iraq. The only thing they know is that Daddy is not home with them.
The hardest part of going home on leave is returning to Iraq after my break is over and saying goodbye to my family one more time. One of the final things I said to them when I left was, ``the next time Daddy comes home it is for good.''
Upon my return to Iraq, the job of training the Iraqi Army continues. At some point in the future, these Iraqi soldiers will be responsible for providing security for their own nation. Our groups of American advisers do our jobs with great zeal because we know the sooner the Iraqi Army can do the job the sooner we go home.
29.04.05 11.20am
BRUSSELS - Belgian doctors sent an Iraqi girl home on Thursday after treating her for leg wounds caused by a bomb during the US invasion - and sent the US$66,650 (NZ$91,490) bill to the US embassy.
"We haven't heard from them yet," said Bert De Belder, coordinator of the humanitarian agency Medical Aid for Third World which brought the girl to Belgium.
"I'm curious to know their reaction," he told Reuters. "We're giving them 10 days to respond ... I don't think they will pay it."
The girl, 15-year-old Hiba Kassim, smiled to reporters as she waited for her flight to Jordan to meet her father.
"Thank you, Belgium," she said.
Doctors brought Kassim to Belgium last year to try to save her left ankle, seriously injured by a cluster bomb that also killed her brother in Baghdad in 2003.
After five operations and weeks of physiotherapy, Kassim is able to walk again, but with a slight limp.
De Belder said he sent the bill to the US embassy because international law dictated that an occupying force was responsible for the well-being of the country's people. US embassy officials were not immediately available for comment.
- REUTERS
May 01, 2005
Uzi Mahnaimi, Doha
THE government of Qatar is paying millions of pounds a year to Al-Qaeda in return for an undertaking to spare it from further terrorist attacks, official sources in the wealthy Gulf state claimed last week.
The money, paid to spiritual leaders sympathetic to Al-Qaeda, is believed to be helping to fund its activities in Iraq. In a recent message broadcast via the internet, Osama Bin Laden told followers that operations in Iraq were costing Al-Qaeda more than £500,000 a month.
The sources said a deal between Qatar and Al-Qaeda was first made before the 2003 invasion of Iraq amid fears that the oil state, a close ally of Washington, could become a terrorist target. The US Central Command for the invasion was based in Qatar.
A senior government source said that the agreement was renewed in March after an Egyptian suicide bomber — thought to be associated with Al-Qaeda — struck a theatre in Doha, Qatar’s capital, killing a British teacher during a performance of Twelfth Night.
“We’re not sure that the attack was carried out by Al-Qaeda, but we ratified our agreement just to be on the safe side,” said a Qatari official. “We are a soft target and prefer to pay to secure our national and economical interests. We are not the only ones doing so.”
Qatar is one of the richest Gulf states and many of its 840,000 inhabitants have a high standard of living. It is also an important base for business.
Al-Qaeda would not be the first terrorist organisation to take protection money in the Arab world. During the 1970s and 1980s Arab rulers paid extremist groups such as the Abu Nidal organisation.
The financial pressures on Al-Qaeda would be a great incentive for it to offer protection to anybody willing to pay. But the deal with Qatar is not purely financial. Qatar has offered a haven for a number of extremists. Federal prosecutors in Miami recently indicted Kifah Jayyousi, a former Detroit school administrator, on charges of conspiring to murder, kidnap, and maim people in other countries, and of providing financial support to Islamic jihadists overseas. He was arrested at a Detroit airport after returning from Qatar.
Security in Qatar is noticeably relaxed compared with that in many Gulf states. While patrol cars and armed men are seen throughout much of the Arab world, they are not obvious in Doha. Even around hotels there are few guards. Locals in brand-new German and Japanese cars drive freely along the city’s wide boulevards.
But it may not be advisable to be too complacent. Al-Qaeda was widely believed at one time to have an unwritten pact with Saudi Arabia. If so, the deal lasted only until it suited the organisation to renege.
7:21 AM May 1
Defence Minister Robert Hill has visited Australian troops based in the southern Iraqi city of Samawah.
Senator Hill says he believes the Australian troops, currently sweltering in the heat at their new base Camp Smitty, will be up to the task ahead.
"They do well in every mission we give them," Senator Hill said.
The Minister says the troops face some risk of attack.
"There is an insurgency in this country," he said. "It has tended to focus further north but it is possible there could be incidents in this province."
About 70 Australian soldiers are already in Iraq's southern Al Muthanna province, with the force to grow to about 450 by the middle of May.
The soldiers are in the area for a six-month tour to train local forces and protect Japanese personnel.
Senator Hill says he is using his visit to talk with local officials and coalition commanders prior to the dispatch of the remaining Australian troops.
"With Australian forces moving into the province for the first time, I wanted to visit the Governor to express to him the wishes of my country to be helpful in the process of building peace and security within the country," he said.
The local Governor has said the area is already secure and the local people complain they need reliable electricity and water more than they need extra troops.
But Senator Hill has rejected suggestions that the Australian troops should be focused on improving services rather than security.
He says their presence is essential to attract reconstruction workers.
"[It is essential to] convince the international community that this is a safe and stable environment within which non-government persons can come and make that contribution," he said.
Source: ABC
SANAA (AFP) May 01, 2005
Yemen has taken delivery of 10 Australian coastal surveillance patrol craft, and is negotiating a deal to buy German warships, the official news agency SABA reported Saturday.
The news came as Yemeni President Ali Abdallah Saleh attended an inaugural ceremony of the patrol vessels at the naval base at Hudaydah.
Yemen will celebrate on May 22 the 15th anniversary of the reunification of the country and Saleh said the country would soon be "inaugurating modern and sophisticated (Russian) MiG-29" military aircraft.
He announced in December 2002 while on a visit to Russia that Yemen would buy six MiG-29 SMT warplanes with ground attack capabilities.
Friday, April 29, 2005
By KEITH EDWARDS - Staff Writer
KENTS HILL -- While television broadcasts of U.S. soldiers in Iraq tended to focus on violent combat with insurgents, much of the work of the Maine National Guard's 133rd Engineer Battalion focused on building schools and security checkpoints and organizing Iraqi contractors to help rebuild the country.
Lt. Col. John Jansen, commander of some 600 soldiers who returned from duty in Iraq last month, presented Kents Hill students with a summary of troops' activities Thursday.
"You're going to see some things you didn't see on the news," Jansen said before starting a slide show of 133rd soldiers and some of the work they did in northern Iraq.
"The greatest experience for many soldiers was our humanitarian projects in the Kurdish areas," he said.
"We built schools, renovated medical clinics, brought in large generators to villages that had no power. It was heartwarming to go into a village where every single thing had been destroyed, and see people coming back, and houses going up."
Students said he showed them a side to U.S. actions in Iraq they hadn't heard much about.
"On the news, we just hear about people getting killed," said freshman Catherine Kendall. "It was really interesting to hear what we're doing for the people. It really changed my opinion about what we were doing there."
Jansen, a 1980 graduate of Kents Hill, spoke at an awards ceremony at which honor roll students and other high achievers were recognized.
"I got a flood of memories coming in here," Jansen said. "My experiences here helped me a lot. It was, however, nerve-wracking, coming back to school today and going to the principal's office and, for the first time, not being in trouble."
The hardest days in Iraq, he said, were when soldiers were killed. Three 133rd soldiers were killed in action in Iraq, and a fourth died of illness in New York while on his way home. The battalion also had 42 people injured in Iraq.
The best day in Iraq, for Jansen, was election day. He said that in the days before the election, insurgents spread the word throughout the large city of Mosul that citizens who voted would be killed. Usually an optimist, Jansen said even he didn't have many expectations that Mosul residents would vote in force.
"We sat back and watched that day and, in Mosul, 56 percent of the people came out and voted," he said. "It surprised me how emotional that was for me. It hit me, this is an amazing thing. That people who were afraid they could be killed went out and did something for the future of their country. Think about that the next time you have an opportunity to vote."
4/30/05 - (47 minutes ago)
By ELIZABETH WOLFE, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - First lady Laura Bush stole the show with a surprise comedy routine that ripped President Bush and brought an audience that included much of official Washington and a dash of Hollywood to a standing ovation at a dinner honoring award-winning journalists.
The president began a speech late Saturday at the 91st annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner, but was quickly "interrupted" by his wife in an obviously planned ploy.
"Not that old joke, not again," she said to the delight of the audience. "I've been attending these dinners for years and just quietly sitting there. I've got a few things I want to say for a change."
The president sat down and she proceeded to note that he is "usually in bed by now" and said she told him recently, "If you really want to end tyranny in the world, you're going to have to stay up later. "
She outlined a typical evening: "Nine o'clock, Mr. Excitement here is sound asleep and I'm watching `Desperate Housewives'." Comedic pause. "With Lynne Cheney. Ladies and gentlemen, I am a desperate housewife."
The line earned particularly rambunctious applause from the area of the Hilton Washington hotel ballroom where actor James Denton from the hit ABC show sat.
Laura Bush added that she and her husband obviously were destined to be together as a couple because "I was the librarian who spent 12 hours a day in the library and yet somehow I met George."
The guest professional comedian, Cedric the Entertainer, next came to the microphone to deliver one-liners, but not before conceding the first lady was a hard act to follow.
Joining the Bushes were Vice President Dick Cheney and wife, Lynne. News organizations hosted show business and sports stars such as Goldie Hawn, Richard Gere, Jane Fonda, Mary Tyler Moore, tennis sisters Venus and Serena Williams and a few supermodels.
Award winners announced earlier this month:
_Ron Fournier of The Associated Press, the Merriman Smith Award for presidential coverage under deadline pressure for his stories on Bush's victory over John Kerry.
_Susan Page of USA Today, the Aldo Beckman Award for her stories on the presidency and the presidential campaign.
_Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Edgar A. Poe Award for a series of stories on athletes' steroid use.
Presidents since Calvin Coolidge have attended the dinner hosted by the association, which was established in 1914 as a bridge between the press corps and the White House.
Bump :)
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