Airburst Weapon System

XM25 Prototype

2.5 pound XM25

XM25 'Individual Airburst Weapon System'

XM25 'Individual Airburst Weapon System' is an effective airburst grenade launcher rifle that was derived from the XM29 OICW. It was designed to fire 25 mm grenades. These grenades can be set to explode right in mid-air after they have traveled a particular distance. This is the main reason why the XM25 is so effective when compared with the more traditional grenade launchers that were deployed by the US army. For instance, this military equipment can be more affective at clearing the entrenched positions.

XM25 Rifle

Currently, the XM25 rifle is under the strict development and observation by Heckler & Koch. The whole system was developed in order to address all the existing capability gaps when it comes to defeating the defilade targets. The system was provided with extra features to increase its potential battlefield deployment and this is the main reason why the foreign armies are highly interested to invest their money in the XM25 'Individual Airburst Weapon System'. This system offers improved features that can increase the soldiers' efficiency when engaged in combat because this weapon has an increased ability to hit every type of point target that at a distance of almost 500 meters. An area target can be found at 700-800 meters because this weapon is highly effective when targeting such combat areas.

XM25 'Individual Airburst Weapon System' has 25mm munitions that can be used on the battlefield. These munitions include the highly effective High Explosive Air-Burst (HEAB), door breaching, armor piercing and anti-personnel munitions together with 2 types of munitions that are not lethal: the agent and blunt dispersing airburst. The weapon was designed to provide the soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan with increased ability to set the necessary fuse of every round in order to have it explode over the chosen target. After placing the aim point of the XM25 'Individual Airburst Weapon System' on the target, the soldier will be able to activate the additional laser rangefinder in order for the weapon to evaluate and calculate the necessary range to that particular target. The weapon will convert this to the necessary time of flight requested by the fuse setting. XM25 'Individual Airburst Weapon System' is designed to enable the soldier to utilize the existing XM116 integral fire control system. This highly effective system includes night and day channels thus increasing the battlefield adaptability of the weapon. The system includes a ballistic computer, a laser rangefinder, a compass, a fuse setter and an internal display.

XM29 Individual Combat Weapon

The predecessor of the XM25 is the XM29 Objective Individual Combat Weapon (OICW). This weapon was developed to counteract military criticisms of previous battlefield weaponry, but the development was stopped because the XM25 'Individual Airburst Weapon System' seemed to be a wiser choice. The US army has favored the development of this weapon because the 25mm ammunition seemed to be more effective mainly because it implied the constant use of the grenade launcher and separate weapon rifle. XM25 'Individual Airburst Weapon System' is said to have changed the face of contemporary war because its battlefield effectiveness is greatly improved when compared with other traditional weapons. Its manufacturers are completely sure that the XM25 'Individual Airburst Weapon System' is likely to make the difference when providing the troops with increased abilities. This precision-guided 25mm rifle will be able to take out every possible target behind the artificial and natural barriers such as hills or built walls.

XM25 'Individual Airburst Weapon System'

XM25 'Individual Airburst Weapon System' seems to be a genuine leap ahead when it comes to its lethality and this step is a huge one because the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are likely to be provided with extra combat features. The effects are likely to be similar to the incorporation of a machine gun in a system and the main reason for this is the constant demands coming from the US army pleading for a new and upgraded rifle that is able to combine the low rate of possible collateral damage with a higher rate of combat accuracy. XM25 'Individual Airburst Weapon System' seems to be the solution for all these demands because this weapon weighs just 12 pounds. The soldier will find this weapon easy to use and he will be able to carry it for longer distances without becoming tired. The weapon will weigh about as much as the traditional M16 with the common M203 grenade launcher attached to it. XM25 'Individual Airburst Weapon System' is a semi-automatic weapon that can be used to fire the air-bursting round from almost 600-700 meters. The accuracy of this weapon was already proven by the initial tests and the manufacturers estimate a constant increase in the effectiveness of the weapon. XM25 'Individual Airburst Weapon System' will come with 4 rounds but the manufacturers are constantly seeking for upgraded solutions that will address the demands coming from the US army that urges them to increase the XM25 'Individual Airburst Weapon System' capacity to 9 or even 10 rounds.

The accuracy of the XM25 'Individual Airburst Weapon System' is not the only reason why this weapon is so lethal. The latest versions of the XM25 'Individual Airburst Weapon System' come with a wide range of smart military equipment that can be used in order to increase its effectiveness in battlefield deployment. For instance, this equipment can include the laser range finder, the thermal optic and even the highly effective infra-red and fire-control system. This system can be used in order to wirelessly transmit the accurate distance between the target and the rifle right into the round's fuse just before firing. This rifle control can increase the efficiency of the troops because they will be able to evaluate the real time conditions and targets without being prone to making mistakes and exposing themselves to unnecessary risks. The battlefield deployment of the XM25 'Individual Airburst Weapon System' includes the infantry troops because the soldiers can combat the weapons thanks to the increased capability of the XM25 'Individual Airburst Weapon System'.

Sniper Deterrent

A soldier using this weapon can aim it right at a wall that conceals a sniper. As soon as the XM25 'Individual Airburst Weapon System' is fired, its round is likely to explode right above the enemy, so giving this weapon an extra feature: a sniper detterent. Therefore, this system will be able to get around all the obstructions in order to reach targets and enemy positions without endangering the soldier who is using it. Its accuracy combined with its capability makes the XM25 'Individual Airburst Weapon System' a real cause for excitement in the US troops and among the Army commanders. XM25 'Individual Airburst Weapon System' is still manufactured by Heckler and Koch and its fire-control system is being produced by the L3 Communications. The current plans that are focused on the upgraded versions of the XM25 'Individual Airburst Weapon System' state that the new weapons are likely to be released for their testing from early 2009.