US Army brings XM25 to Afghanistan (against all common sense)

[Mr. Freeze]

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/11/24/armys-revolutionary-rifle-use-afghanistan/

I don't like the idea of this at all.

1: $30k apiece.
2: Unwieldy, just like it's predecessor (the OICW)
3: The Airburst System isn't developed for open valleys and mountains
4: $24 for each round of ammo
5: H&K made it
6: The ideal conditions for this thing's operation are very suspect. IMO, it is irresponsible to create a weapon that does its job only at a certain distance (100-500m). If someone is shooting you at a distance, your squad suddenly has one useless soldier because he doesn't have a actual rifle.

Shotguns are different because they are only used in specific situations: door breaching, urban warfare, etc. No one expects a shotgun to replace a rifle in a squad, and a grenade launcher is no different.

The only real advantage it has over the M203 is a ammo magazine. But that doesn't justify the huge cost increase.

I mad.

[Graf Zahl]

I wonder what is more retarded: using that weapon or the article itself. Reading that crap just hurts...

[dew]

haha yeah, all the article needs is a dramatic narration and some 'would you like to know more?' buttons.

[Remilia Scarlet]

Anyone else reminded of the voice from the UAC videos in Doom 3 when they watched the video on the site? Creeped me out.

[Xeros612]

I certainly hope this is just a specialist rifle, because nothing about it seems to be well made for standard issue. And like Freeze said, we've already got M203 underbarrel launchers to do the buggering up of cover among other explosives.

Honestly, in terms of XM rifles, the military really ought to focus more on new standard issue service rifles so we can retire the 5.56x45mm AR-15 platform with something stronger and more accurate. I mean, I know most shots fired in wartime are suppressing fire and not really meant to hit, but when the shots need to count the military needs a calibre that can easily get the job done instead of something just above plinking level. That'd be a better spending of military budget than a glorified mag-fed M203 firing 25mm instead of 40.

Or maybe just run some AK-47s and call it a day. Either or.

[Mr. Freeze]

Xeros612 said:

I mean, I know most shots fired in wartime are suppressing fire and not really meant to hit, but when the shots need to count the military needs a calibre that can easily get the job done instead of something just above plinking level.

No kidding. I still say that we either convert all existing AR15-style rifles in use to fire 6.5 Grendel, or just buy a shitload of SCAR-Hs. Either way is fine.

[wildweasel]

I still wish the US Military had adopted the Bushmaster ACR.

[dontbotherwithmyname]

atleast it looks cool

[Maes]

The way military suppliers get their contracts awarded usually has often little to do with usability/being the best among their peers/etc.

Other than that, it just seems an overcomplication of a grenade launcher (ironically, it's quite close to Doom's RL in design and functionality).

And about the tone of the article...just like any psyop "LET'S PUMP UP AMERICAN WEAPON SYSTEMS!!!" article or documentary. They too blow standard issue/run-of-the-mill technology out of proportion, to make "terrorists" believe that the US has UNIQUE and NEVER SEEN BEFORE WunderWaffe for its uber-army of Ubermenschen.

[Craigs]

dontbotherwithmyname said:

atleast it looks cool

Looks like a prop for a low budget scifi movie to me.

[Lizardcommando]

dontbotherwithmyname said:

atleast it looks cool

No it does not. That retarded looking Halo 2 Battle-Rifle knockoff, the Beretta Cx4 Storm looks better than that gun.

[Csonicgo]

Thanks FOX News for letting the terrorists win by telling them all they need to do to succeed is keep distance and plink.

[Kirby]

Mr. Freeze said:

5: H&K made it

I maybe ignorant here, but does H&K have a bad history with its weapon making?

Also -

...the U.S. Army has unleashed a new weapon in Afghanistan

Does Fox even bother have anyone proof-read their article anymore?

[Xeros612]

Lizardcommando said:

retarded looking Halo 2 Battle-Rifle

A.k.a. retarded looking ACOG FAMAS knockoff.

@Kirby Not that I know of, considering the USP and G36 lines in particular. I've heard they're pretty douchey about selling to the civilian market, but that's just what I've heard. Best I can think of is the US branch of H&K making the XM8 (a.k.a. G36 knockoff with a few bells and whistles), which got rejected because apparently the procurement of the program for the US military's new rifle wasn't "competitive" enough, but that's probably not it.

[Mr. T]

dew said:

haha yeah, all the article needs is a dramatic narration and some 'would you like to know more?' buttons.

Starship Troopers FTW! Anyone who thinks of joining the army should be made to watch that movie.


HK make a lot of US weapons systems including a new M4 (HK416) and MP5 (duh)

What does Mr. Freeze have against HK?

PS of course the airburst system isn't designed for open areas. WTF?

[Qaatar]

To my knowledge (not extensive at all about weaponry), H&K is by far the most widely used manufacturer by special forces around the world. I know for a fact that the MP5 is still the most popular submachine gun with special ops.

I think the difference is that general armies require weapons that are more durable/rugged and can withstand prolonged neglect, while special forces have more expertise/time for weapons upkeep. I'm assuming H&K weapons are high precision, but more fragile. Given the stereotype of German engineering, I'm inclined to believe it.

[Coopersville]

dontbotherwithmyname said:

atleast it looks cool

Pretty much what I was setting up to say until I saw what it really looks like. Maybe with red tiger stripe it'd be decent.

[eargosedown]

A potential battlefield scenario, according to Army officials, might go something like this:

-- A patrol encounters an enemy combatant in a walled Afghan village who fires an AK-47 intermittently from behind cover, exposing himself only for a brief second to fire.

-- The patrol realizes he's just as likely to hit himself, the wall next to him, a bird in the sky, the dirt near him, or anything else with this inaccurate piece of shit weapon

-- The patrol's leader calls for the XM25 gunman, who uses the weapon's laser range finder to calculate the distance to the target.

-- In the mean time, the spray and pray is still happening, but he hasn't hit anything even close to what he was aiming at yet.

-- The patrolmen then uses an incremental button located near the trigger to add 1 meter to the round's distance, since the enemy is hiding behind a wall. Obviously he needs to stop and think about this for a few seconds, because instead of just using a grenade, the U.S. has spent a large sum of money on some flashy new gun.

-- The round is fired, and it explodes with a blast comparable to a hand grenade past the wall and above the enemy, making the soldier who fired question why he didn't just use a grenade to begin with.

Too flashy, too expensive. 430~ Million dollars that we don't really have to piss away.

[Xaser]

That gun looks like a plastic toy. Is the strategy here to make enemy soldiers laugh their ass off and be unable to fight back? :P

[Technician]

Xaser said:

That gun looks like a plastic toy. Is the strategy here to make enemy soldiers laugh their ass off and be unable to fight back? :P

Who cares about ascetics. If I'm stuck exchanging bullets and this gun can successfully remove a mans head while covered, well, it can be pink for all I care.

[Bank]

[Mr. T]

Technician said:

Who cares about ascetics. If I'm stuck exchanging bullets and this gun can successfully remove a mans head while covered, well, it can be pink for all I care.

THIS!

[Technician]

Mr. T said:

THIS!

THAT!

Bank said:

image

Eat shit and die!

[Maes]

All the fancy weaponry in the world won't help you win a "war" where the enemy exists -mainly- in your head, and where believing that he exists -as in an act of Faith- is more important than being able to actually fight him.

Reminds me of those Sturmtruppen comics where the soldiers never actually saw a single "enemy", but their constant thinking about it made them overlook the real causes of their problems, including why they were posted in no man's land under the orders of tyrannical officers.

[StevieWolfe]

That piece of shit looks like its made of plastic.

[Maes]

StevieCybernetik said:

That piece of shit looks like its made of plastic.

And it probably is, for the most part. But hey, call it with the new, fancy names for plastic used in firearms: synthetic stock ;-)

[Mr. Freeze]

Technician said:

Who cares about ascetics. If I'm stuck exchanging bullets and this gun can successfully remove a mans head while covered, well, it can be pink for all I care.

Not trying to bust your balls, but that's actually a bad idea. The eye, being lazy, is attracted to brighter colors over darker ones. In a firefight, you wouldn't want those colors because the enemy can see them easier. And if he can see them easier, he can hit you easier.

[Kirby]

Mr. Freeze said:

Not trying to bust your balls, but that's actually a bad idea. The eye, being lazy, is attracted to brighter colors over darker ones. In a firefight, you wouldn't want those colors because the enemy can see them easier. And if he can see them easier, he can hit you easier.

I think his real point was that it doesn't matter if it looks like a toy or not - if it does what it says it can do then screw how realistic or manly it's supposed to look.

[Mr. Freeze]

Kirby said:

I think his real point was that it doesn't matter if it looks like a toy or not - if it does what it says it can do then screw how realistic or manly it's supposed to look.

Oh I know. I'm just very impulsive.

[Stupid Bunny]

Also, while you were nitpicking you could have pointed out that ascetics and aesthetics are very different things. ;)