Computerized grenade launcher is ready for ‘final tests’

A weapon billed as a “smart” grenade launcher is in the final stages of development, and testing of the device could begin as early as the start of the new year.

The XM25 “smart grenade launcher allows combatants to set ammunition to detonate when it reaches a certain distance. This means a grenade will explode the moment it passes through a window, or just over a target’s ahead; all without having ever struck an object.

While some in the industry are calling the launcher “revolutionary”, many are warning that there are risks involved with it. An earlier prototype was tested in Afghanistan, but it was withdrawn in 2013 after a flaw in the weapon’s program led to a soldier being injured during a training exercise (a grenade primer ignited in one of the test units — a safety mechanism prevented the grenade from exploding, but the solider received minor injuries). 

“It provides combat overmatch,” said Orbital ATK (the XM25’s developer) spokesman Jarrod Krull, who added the weapon could be in use by early 2017.

In terms of functionality, the XM25 is fired from the soldier’s shoulder. It uses a laser rangefinder to help the user determine the distance to the target, and then informs them on how best to adjust their aim to take into account gravitational forces. 

The XM25’s settings can be adjusted so if, say, a window is measured to be about 650 feet away, the grenade can be set to explode after 655 feet of travel, as this would be when it had passed throught the window and entered the room in which the enemy is hiding. 

Orbital ATK added that the weapon could be used to “precisely” kill hidden enemies up to 1600 feet away, or hit them with a power air-burst at a distance of up to 2300 feet. 

Those who’ve witnessed early tests of the launcher claim it to be incredibly effective, and that it will prove particularly useful in open area with long ranges. 

Via the BBC