Oleg Zabluda's blog
Saturday, August 11, 2018
 
Army’s XM25 program officially goes kaput
Army’s XM25 program officially goes kaput
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The Army has formally terminated its effort to develop a 25 mm airburst weapon, [...] The ill-fated weapon, known as the XM25 and nicknamed “The Punisher,” was once hailed as a game-changer for ground troops who would be able to use it to target enemies hiding behind cover. But it came under closer scrutiny several years ago after schedule slippage, cost overruns and aborted operational testing in Afghanistan.
[...]
The shoulder-fired, semi-automatic weapon was designed to fire 25 mm high-explosive grenades that burst in mid-air over enemy troops taking cover behind walls or inside bunkers or trenches where they’re difficult to hit.
[...]
“After cancelling the program last year, the Army has since received rights to the program’s research and development [...] This is in addition to the 20 existing XM25 systems — to include high explosive air-burst and target practice rounds — that the Army garnered as part of the negotiated settlement.”
[...]
Operational testing of the XM25 in Afghanistan from 2010 to 2013 delivered mixed results and was halted after three soldiers were slightly injured by malfunctions. After an initial assessment, an Army Ranger unit had reportedly refused to take the cumbersome weapon on a raid in place of a primary weapon like an M4.

A key complaint was that the weapon’s basic load of 36 rounds was heavy and easily depleted during direct-fire engagements
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https://www.stripes.com/news/army-s-xm25-program-officially-goes-kaput-1.541971
https://www.stripes.com/news/army-s-xm25-program-officially-goes-kaput-1.541971

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