New U.S. Army Rifle!!!
The XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System has a range of roughly 2,300 feet - and is to be deployed in Afghanistan soon. I would call it the “Equalizer.” Some call it the “Punisher”.
The rifle’s gun sight uses a laser rangefinder to determine the exact distance to the obstruction, after which the soldier can add or subtract up to 3 meters from that distance to enable the bullets to clear the barrier and explode above or beside the target.
Soldiers will be able to use them to target snipers hidden in trenches rather than calling in air strikes.
The 25-millimeter round contains a chip that receives a radio signal from the gun sight as to the precise distance to the target.
Lt. Col. Christopher Lehner, project manager for the system, described the weapon as a ‘game-changer’ that other nations will try and copy.
He expects the Army to buy 12,500 of the XM25 rifles this year, enough for every member of the infantry and special forces.
Lehner told Fox News: “With this weapon system, we take away cover from [enemy targets] forever. Tactics are going to have to be rewritten. The only thing we can see [enemies] being able to do is run away.”
Experts say the rifle means that enemy troops will no longer be safe if they take cover. The XM25 appears to be the perfect weapon for street-to-street fighting that troops in Afghanistan have to engage in, with enemy fighters hiding behind walls and only breaking cover to fire occasionally.
The weapon’s laser finder would work out how far away the enemy was and then the U.S. soldier would add one meter using a button near the trigger.
When fired, the explosive round would carry exactly one meter past the wall and explode with the force of a hand grenade above the Taliban fighter.
The army’s project manager for new weapons, Douglas Tamilio, said: ‘‘This is the first leap-ahead technology for troops that we’ve been able to develop and deploy.”
A patent granted to the bullet’s maker, Alliant Techsystems, reveals that the chip can determine how far it has travelled. Mr. Tamilio said: “You could shoot a Javelin missile, and it would cost about $69,000. These rounds will end up costing $25.00 apiece.”
They’re relatively cheap. Lehner added: “This is a game-changer. The enemy has learned to get cover, for hundreds if not thousands of years. Well, they can’t do that anymore. We’re taking that cover from them and there’s only two outcomes: We’re going to get you behind that cover or force you to flee.” The rifle will initially use high-explosive rounds, but its makers say that it might later use versions with smaller explosive charges that aim to stun rather than kill.
What one of the revolutionary bullets looks like that can be pre-programmed to explode to hit troops that are hiding.

The xm has been around for a few years now, and was never utilized. I wonder why, from what tv shows that had tested the rifle it was amazing deadly, the rounds could punch through a door a take out all the enemies in the room. It really makes you ask how many soldiers would be alive today because of having that weapon to use.

I guess better late than never. Yes it would have saved alot of lives.

The XM25 is not a rifle. It's a grenade launcher. The "advance" here is in the fusing of the projectiles (impact, delay, VT).

It will be interesting the basis by which this will be issued. I suspect it'll be issued at about the same density as the M240B (given its cost, and the logistics of the ammunition) and to Infantry units primarily.

Although the ability to select the munition's fusing is a notable development, I wouldn't want to be the guy to have to give up my M4/M203 for something that does just one thing. However, I would be highly surprised if this weapon were to completely replace the M203, for which both the weapon and grenades are considerably cheaper, though probably more difficult to maintain proficiency with.

Yep, a grenade launcher, not a rifle. It actually has been deployed in very limited numbers in Afghanistan since 2010. It seems to be getting very good reviews and seems to work very well. Hopefully it will be a good addition to our soldiers arsenal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XM-25