Article Posted on : - Nov 30, 2010

The XM-25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System is US Army's first "smart" shoulder-fired weapon. It launches 25mm dual-warhead, low velocity, flat trajectory ammunition designed to explode over a target. Photo: US Army.

KABUL (BNS): After nine years of war in Afghanistan, the US Army in the country have been reportedly provided with the latest game-changing "revolutionary" rifles called the XM25, which have the capacity to figure out an enemy, even when he is hidden behind buildings or other barriers, a news report said.

According to Fox News, the XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System, designed by Minnesota's Alliant Techsystems, has been in development for about seven years and the first prototypes have been provided to US combat units in Afghanistan earlier this month.

The semi-automatic, shoulder-fired XM-25 with a five-round magazine of 25mm dual-warhead ammunition weighs in at about 14 pounds (about the same as an M-16 with a 203 grenade launcher) yet it’s only a few inches longer than an M-4 Carbine with the shoulder stock extended.

"The XM25 is a "game-changer" that will lead to new ways of fighting on the battlefield, beginning this month in Afghanistan. With this weapon system, we take away cover from (enemy targets) forever," Lt. Col. Christopher Lehner, project manager for the semi-automatic, shoulder-fired weapon system for the U.S. Army's Program Executive Office Soldier, was quoted as saying in the news report.

The XM25 rifle uses bullets that be programmed to explode when they have travelled a set distance, allowing enemies to be targeted no matter where they are hiding.

The rifle also has a range of 2300 feet making it possible to hit target which are well out of the reach of conventional rifles.

The weapon system, which cost up to $35,000 per unit, is highly sophisticated and so easy to use that soldiers become proficient within minutes, the report added.

Lehner also said that, the US Army is planning to purchase at least 12,500 XM25 systems beginning next year.