I'm more concerned about the way you can get matching camo outfits for your gun now...If you're going to slaughter your enemies with explosive smart bullets be sure not to clash... that would be wrong.
"It's only matter of time before these mean motherfuckers hit the streets"
Charles, this ignores the fact that most street crime is committed with cheap, readily available guns.
Further, that weapon is not readily concealable, there are very few crimes whose success would be improved by such a weapon, and should it come to the point that one was wanting 25mm high explosive rounds to proximity kill people, the pending official response probably dwarf the projected gain of street action.
This weapon, or a version of it, has been in development since at least 1995 (back then as the OICWS). The unit price of these things is too high and will always be too high. They will only ever be produced in relatively small numbers.
Mudede, this will never be approved for civilian ownership.
@14: But you don't need that many of them to be effective; they'd be issued to soldiers trained as specialists with the gun. Have 2 or 3 per company equipped with that monster and let the rest carry standard assault rifles/submachine guns.
how is having guns in the hands of all the war lords in Africa working out for your people Chuckie? Seems like America is a helluva lot safer than an entire continent, even if we have more guns. No genocide here....
It fires 25 mm grenades that are set to explode in mid-air at or near the target. A laser rangefinder in the gun is used to determine the distance to the target... The gun automatically transmits the detonating distance to the grenade in the firing chamber. The grenade tracks the distance it has traveled by the number of spiral rotations after it is fired.
I'm guessing the price of the gun is trivial compared to the price of its ammo.
On a related note, I'd love to go to a shooting range with 5280, assuming we had help with all the duffel bags.
I've read ammo costs as $25-40/round, but knowing how the US government likes to throw money at defense contractors, it'll probably be higher than that. Good reason to aim carefully.
@21, I don't really have three of these; I figured as long as Charles was taking a piss, I could too, though. I do, however, have a 20mm. And if you're ever in Denver, look me up. I'll be happy to go to the range with you.
No, it isn't a matter of time before these hit the streets. Proof? When was the last time you saw, say, an M203 launcher on the streets? Or a Bushmaster 25mm cannon? Or an AT-4 rocket launcher? Sure, once in a good while these things are confiscated from arms traffickers, but you don't see gang-bangers and spree-killers sporting such things. The reasons are fairly numerous, but here are a few: tighter control, hard to conceal, hard to get rid of (you can drop a gat down a stormdrain, but not an XM-25), expensive weapon, expensive ammo, etc. That's some lazy journalism, Chuck.
Why do you want to interfere with American citizens' Constitutional right to bear arms and hunt for deer with laser guided exploded munitions? If I can't shoot a bullet-that's-also-a-grenade at the potential robber cowering in a puddle of his own urine behind the retaining wall near my house, how am I supposed to protect my family?
Here's what happens now when a typical platoon encounters an enemy behind a wall. It's tricky to pop a grenade effectively at distance even with a M205 launcher, so they either keep shooting lots of rounds to keep that guys head down while other soldiers try to flank him without getting shot, or they call in a very expensive missile strike and level the whole wall along with the house, the yard, barn, neighbors, etc.
Having the ability to have one of your guys quickly and accurately blast the enemy with something just powerful enough to take him out, even at $25 a shot is far better and cheaper than spending $50,000 on a single hellfire missile from a multimillion dollar helicopter or the hundreds of thousands it cost to treat a wounded US soldier over time.
Cheaper and better still is not having to go halfway around the world to kill people, but that's another issue altogether.
Charles,
I understand your "taking a piss on the gun culture". Fair enough. But, this gun's distribution and sale will violate the laws of capitalism if it ever gets on the open market. The average criminal will not able to obtain this weapon at least in the USA. It is too cost prohibitive as is the ammunition for it as well. It also looks too cumbersome to conceal. Concealed handguns do enough lethal damage as they are used today especially at close range. This weapon (XM-25) simply wouldn't be necessary for the kind of criminal activity in the USA.
And, I believe a far more inexpensive and still lethal firearm at least in the world is the AK-47 assault rifle. I'm pretty certain that firearm has killed more humans than any firearm in the 20th century. And it didn't take geniuses to use it and service it in the field. I am about to read a book on its history entitled "The Gun".
This is the exact same shit Fox does. He blows shit completely out of proportion. You wonder why conservatives have the kneejerk panic that the liberals are going to take their guns away. You make the left look bad. I only needed the first line to id this as a Muede.
Who are the dumb Americans? Army infantry? Is that because a lot of them are black? That's racist.
"Smart cars in the hands of dumb Americans—can you imagine anything worse? Dumb cars in the hands of dumb Americas is bad enough."
These things cost $35,000 each, gangbangers aren't going to be getting them for a drive-by. But don't let that stop Charles from trying to be clever.
Charles, this ignores the fact that most street crime is committed with cheap, readily available guns.
Further, that weapon is not readily concealable, there are very few crimes whose success would be improved by such a weapon, and should it come to the point that one was wanting 25mm high explosive rounds to proximity kill people, the pending official response probably dwarf the projected gain of street action.
also, i was taking a piss on morbid gun culture, gun worship.
@14: But you don't need that many of them to be effective; they'd be issued to soldiers trained as specialists with the gun. Have 2 or 3 per company equipped with that monster and let the rest carry standard assault rifles/submachine guns.
http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afre…
On a related note, I'd love to go to a shooting range with 5280, assuming we had help with all the duffel bags.
I'm not saying soldiers are wussy, it's just funny to see the wussy ones all geared up with this modern equipment.
Amazing.
Having the ability to have one of your guys quickly and accurately blast the enemy with something just powerful enough to take him out, even at $25 a shot is far better and cheaper than spending $50,000 on a single hellfire missile from a multimillion dollar helicopter or the hundreds of thousands it cost to treat a wounded US soldier over time.
Cheaper and better still is not having to go halfway around the world to kill people, but that's another issue altogether.
I understand your "taking a piss on the gun culture". Fair enough. But, this gun's distribution and sale will violate the laws of capitalism if it ever gets on the open market. The average criminal will not able to obtain this weapon at least in the USA. It is too cost prohibitive as is the ammunition for it as well. It also looks too cumbersome to conceal. Concealed handguns do enough lethal damage as they are used today especially at close range. This weapon (XM-25) simply wouldn't be necessary for the kind of criminal activity in the USA.
And, I believe a far more inexpensive and still lethal firearm at least in the world is the AK-47 assault rifle. I'm pretty certain that firearm has killed more humans than any firearm in the 20th century. And it didn't take geniuses to use it and service it in the field. I am about to read a book on its history entitled "The Gun".
Do I get a prize for the most interesting time?
the Liberals on Slog get to display
their racism
and
their total ignorance of the manly military arts....
Why is Zimbabwe such a shit-hole? Because it is full of Zimbabweans.