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US military unveils 'smart gun'
BBC ^ | 30 November 2010 | Dan Whitworth

Posted on 11/30/2010 6:57:14 PM PST by Bad~Rodeo

A new gun the US military hopes will help take on the Taliban has been unveiled.

A US soldier prepares to fire the XM-25

Called the XM-25 it has been described by the US Army as a 'game changer'.

It uses a laser guidance system and specially developed 25mm high explosive rounds which can be programmed to detonate over a target.

Richard Audette helped develop it for the US Army and says it's a big leap forward because it's the first small arms weapon to use smart technology.

Full solution

"The way a soldier operates this is basically find your target, then laze (laser) to it, which gives the range, then you get an adjusted aim point, adjust the fire and pull the trigger.

"Say you've lazed out to 543 metres... When you pull the trigger it arms the round and fires it 543 metres plus or minus one, two or three metres."

It means the weapon can be used to target insurgents hiding behind walls or in ditches without the need to call in air strikes.

"That makes it a full solution fire control weapon".

It's already been issued to soldiers in the US military serving in Afghanistan and could be used by British special forces too.

In a statement the MOD wouldn't

(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Military/Veterans; Science
KEYWORDS: military; smartgun; technology
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1 posted on 11/30/2010 6:57:19 PM PST by Bad~Rodeo
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To: Bad~Rodeo

Cool gun. I wonder how much the bullets cost per round?


2 posted on 11/30/2010 7:02:13 PM PST by Sawdring
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To: Bad~Rodeo

Cool gun. I wonder how much the bullets cost per round?


3 posted on 11/30/2010 7:02:13 PM PST by Sawdring
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To: Bad~Rodeo

Anything that will cause Tommy Taliban to have a really bad day is a good thing.


4 posted on 11/30/2010 7:03:01 PM PST by FlingWingFlyer (Sittin' in da back of da bus since January 2009.)
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To: Bad~Rodeo

Shoulder fired light artillery?


5 posted on 11/30/2010 7:03:25 PM PST by Past Your Eyes (I'd open it myself but I don't have any thumbs.)
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To: Bad~Rodeo
Kind of a very bad tag-your-it for the enemy. :-)
6 posted on 11/30/2010 7:05:36 PM PST by A CA Guy ( God Bless America, God bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
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To: Past Your Eyes

Apparently so. What amazes me is that it’s a full solution fire control weapon


7 posted on 11/30/2010 7:07:27 PM PST by Bad~Rodeo (Don't overthink common sense)
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To: Sawdring

somebody posted yesterday that it was about $200/shot.


8 posted on 11/30/2010 7:09:58 PM PST by RC one (WHAT!!!!)
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To: Bad~Rodeo

Military tech is truly fascinating.

Is there a ping list for this kind of stuff?

SnakeDoc


9 posted on 11/30/2010 7:16:06 PM PST by SnakeDoctor ("They made it evident to every man [...] that human beings are many, but men are few." -- Herodotus)
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To: SnakeDoctor

I’m sure there is but not sure who has one


10 posted on 11/30/2010 7:19:48 PM PST by Bad~Rodeo (Don't overthink common sense)
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To: Bad~Rodeo

I want one. In “urban grey.”


11 posted on 11/30/2010 7:40:22 PM PST by Avery Iota Kracker (He hate me.)
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To: Bad~Rodeo

Cool stuff

a 12 pound weapon (not couting spare batteries)

special purpose ammo used ONLY by this weapon

And the gunner carries - what? An M-9 or an M-4?

Some of the comments posted on MIL blogs are not too keen on this ‘wonder-weapon’- US or Brit.

South Korea (Corea) had issued (a copy of) this weapon (in 20mm) some time ago. Not well recioeved in the field.... Daewoo K-11 - it weighs in at a 1.5 pounds heavier than the US 25mm version.

The Neopup, a South African entry (sold since 2006) into the grenade launcher field is about the same weight, but does have a 7 rd magazine.

Sounds like an answer to a question nobody asked.

The 82nd has now in the field a replacement for the older M203 - oddly called the M-320.

Using the existing (and very deadly) 40MM round, and most importantly, it weighs in at only 3.3 pounds, the M320 and be fired from the M4 or alone. It has a laser rangerfinder and the normal sights are part of the weapon (a big deal if you ever had to deal with the hassle of the -203).

A well trained operator can easliy hit small targets up to 300M distant consistantly.

Be interesting to see how this is issued and used in the ‘Stan. I’d be willing to bet they find their way to watch towers - and not much else.....


12 posted on 11/30/2010 8:06:58 PM PST by ASOC (What are you doing now that Mexico has become OUR Chechnya?)
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To: ASOC

I’d be willing to bet they find their way to watch towers
***Oh, great. The JW weapon.

http://sawiggins.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/watchtower.jpg


13 posted on 11/30/2010 11:33:22 PM PST by Kevmo (Has Obama resigned yet?)
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To: Kevmo
LOL

I was thinking Jimmis "All along the watchtowwer"

OK, point.

Found in OPs -- check out these photos, then ask yourself -- would I want to hump an extra 12 pounds UP and down that valley?"

14 posted on 11/30/2010 11:50:57 PM PST by ASOC (What are you doing now that Mexico has become OUR Chechnya?)
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To: ASOC

I believe that the advantage of this weapon over a grenade launcher is the programmed detonation.


15 posted on 11/30/2010 11:58:19 PM PST by Jeff Chandler (Judas Iscariot - the first social justice advocate. John 12:3-6)
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To: Sawdring
I wonder how much the bullets cost per round?

Less than jet fuel.

16 posted on 11/30/2010 11:59:44 PM PST by Jeff Chandler (Judas Iscariot - the first social justice advocate. John 12:3-6)
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To: Jeff Chandler
The average approach march load weight is now at 96 pounds or 55 percent of an average rifleman's body weight - and add more weight if you are a medic or other specialty.

Do you think this trooper needs an extra 15+ pounds added to that load?

To go a bit further - do you think ANY grunt want to add an additional 12+ pounds for the weapon, and then even more for the ammo - for the listed benefit?

Is the weapon a real whiz-bang and hi-tech? Yes, yes it is. Does it bring enough lethality to the battlefield to warrant the that much additional weight? From what I have seen on the MILboards, the answer is, at least now, not only NO, but he!! NO.

Thanks for the reply, it will be interesting to see how well, or if at all, this new weapon will be adopted by the troops.

17 posted on 12/01/2010 8:35:43 AM PST by ASOC (What are you doing now that Mexico has become OUR Chechnya?)
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To: ASOC

Thank you for the intelligent, well though-out discussion of this weapon. It is a relief after reading the tin foil hat conspiracy comments on another thread about this weapon this morning.


18 posted on 12/01/2010 8:49:12 AM PST by Jeff Chandler (Judas Iscariot - the first social justice advocate. John 12:3-6)
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To: Jeff Chandler

Thank you for the kind words.

THe 82nd now has - o hand- the M320 40,, launcher. It will do a lot of what this new wonder weapon promises to do - for 3.3 pounds and uses existing (and far cheaper/more lethal) 40mm rounds.

Look it up - the difference in cost is staggering.


19 posted on 12/01/2010 9:02:49 AM PST by ASOC (What are you doing now that Mexico has become OUR Chechnya?)
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To: ASOC
"The average approach march load weight is now at 96 pounds"

I did some Internet searches on that this. What I am reading it is between 63 to 70 pounds. Which is still to heavy. WWII our guys was carrying about 40 pounds.

If it is 90 pounds someone in command is hurting our soldiers. Why would they do this to them?

20 posted on 12/02/2010 1:30:42 AM PST by Steve Van Doorn (*in my best Eric cartman voice* 'I love you guys')
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