U.S. Army Unveils 'Revolutionary' XM25 Rifle in Afghanistan

Okay, so this weapon explodes mini-grenades above a person hiding behind cover.

Big deal.

If anyone thinks this is going to "change warfare" seriously underestimates the enemy.

This just means the enemy is going to attack us differently. This means the enemy will no longer engage us in environments where they can't hide from the line of fire of this weapon. That is all.

It means more IED's. It means after enemies engage us, they will learn they must run away from the location where they were last seen.

It means the enemy will tell a child to stay behind the wall, while they run away.

In short, you think of a measure, the enemy develops counter-measures.

I thought the XM25 was supposed to be a depleted uranium round firing weapon?

I'm sorry. I was thinking of the dead XM-29 OICW project. According to the brief google reasearch, it seems like the XM25 has replaced it. Depleted uranium is too unpredictable anyhow.

reply to post by TwiTcHomatic


Yea,that weapon is part of the future force soldier suit. The soldiers are placed in units of only 4 soldiers with no medics or medical equipment and forgotten about until a new recruit comes to replace them.

reply to post by harrytuttle


You can cry all you want about the enemy being able to think. But it does not change the fact this is a revolutionary piece of hardware that is on our side.

Originally posted by TwiTcHomatic
"The XM25, designed by Minnesota's Alliant Techsystems, has been in development for about seven years and the first prototypes have been doled out to combat units in Afghanistan earlier this month."

Read more: www.foxnews.com...

This seems like an amazing piece of weaponry.. although I am against killing other individuals, if you are in a firefight, this seems like something you would want on your side.

The price tag of $35,000 a unit is crazy.. I can only wonder what the rounds alone cost.

That's a pretty intense weapon. Still don't understand why they would need it unless they were going to fight off some menacing extraterrestrial life.

reply to post by whipsandchainsamerica

It's not revolutionary. It's got some advantages, it's got some disadvantages. It's different, for sure, and I'm sure that for a few years, it will be a shock to the enemy. But they will adapt, just as they always have to what ever it is we throw at them.

Originally posted by mistafaz

Originally posted by Tayesin
How long until local Police Units have this weapon?

Line two thanks.

Its lightweight design allows for the possibility for mounted units to use it and it's ability to blow-up where you want it allows for better dispersal of CN or CS gas in crowd control situations. The thing looks like one hulking multipurpose rifle.

Police will never have this weapon. Police does not use explosives, and this weapon less ideal for less than lethal applications than the existing "civilian" grenade launchers - while being prohibitively expensive.

It has two advantages over existing grenade launchers: one being the air burst capability which is pointless if not using explosives, the other is the straighter flight path from higher muzzle velocity - even a bean bag hit at full power could be deadly. Grenades for policing use carry a lot less propellant for exactly this reason.

This weapon IS a game changer. This is all coming from an ex USMC Infantryman (Me). This was a concept I heard about when i was still enlisted. It has so much potential for areas full of cover and micro-terrain like A-Stan. Those mud/block walls that our not so friendly fighters hide behind becomes a non-issue. My old 203 grenade launcher was great and all, but the ability to have range programmed air bursts is amazing in a one man weapon. Instead of having to hit a bldg with a SMAW or AT4 or Mk19 to really get it opened up to get the bad guys when CAS isnt an option, this thing takes the cake. And it would leave the building standing... Send a round through a window or Ma Deuce hole (cz they make big holes) and you have the potential to end the fight without having to take a building on foot. As a person that was formerly the one that would take the building on foot, thats a big deal.

reply to post by harrytuttle


being that our enemy is who they are, they would most likely fire RPGs and spray with AK's then hand those to any kid standing by hoping the kid will get schwacked while they run off to beat their women and kids. Yeah our enemies will adapt, I agree with the increased use of IED's, but they are at that point now also. They stepped up their IED placements alot because they cant stand toe to toe 99% of the time with us in a firefight. When they get the balls to step out of the shadows, they find out real quick they are in a world of sh*t. However, they are not stupid, they are cunning, and have massive assistance (money and weapons and training) from Syria, Iran, Pakistan, ect. There will be IED's, Ak's, and RPG's till the sun sets. But the fancy new grenade launcher will in fact change the game. The bad guys have to hide somewhere, and if they are within hundreds of meters, they dont have much to hide behind when this weapon is on the battlefield.

While I like this weapon, and think it has a niche on the battle field, I don't think it will be a game changer.

Mind you I'm not aware of the specifications of it (rate of fire, magazine count, actual laze time etc)... It won't be able to do much more than say a full auto MK19 can do. Of course the Mk19's range, rate of fire, and magazine count is much much higher. I foresee it staying locked up in many arms rooms.

However a Mk19 is just a little bit larger (vehicle mounted typically) =P