back to article US Army: Judge Dredd smartgun in every squad from 2014

The US Army has confirmed plans to equip every infantry squad and special-forces team by 2014 with an XM-25 Judge Dredd style computer smartgun able to hit enemies hiding around corners or behind rocks etc. A soldier aims an XM-25 smartgun. Credit: PEO Soldier A trench won't do it nowadays. The XM-25 has been widely …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Boffin

    shaped-charge warhead

    IIRC shaped charges work best when several inches to a couple of feet away from the target surface, meaning this precise airburst ability could result in some serious AP rounds capable of easily piercing 4-6 inches of hard stuff...

    1. Ainteenbooty
      Thumb Up

      Speaking of shaped charges...

      If it were possible to design a round that always directed its blast toward the source of gravity, you could more reliably spare civilians unfortunate enough to be in the vicinity of the target.

  2. mr-tom
    Grenade

    Where's the bayonet?

    Surely they don't imagine that there's no circumstance under which hand to hand combat might be required?

    1. Elmer Phud

      Bayonet?

      Nah, there's a boxing glove on a long spring instead.

  3. raivn
    Thumb Up

    cool,

    this will be perfect for killing campers in the next modernwarfare game.

    1. Stubar
      Thumb Up

      @ Raivn

      BF 2142 already has them :o)

  4. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Mmmmm. I smell Freedom!!!

    Or, no, that's roasted child flesh isn't it?

    Well, they shouldn't have been hiding behind that building with their beard wearing dad then, should they!

    With five out of every six deaths in the occupation of Afghanistan being civilian, I'm sure they'll appreciate being used for some weapons testing.

    Looking forward to Apparatchik Page towing the party line on censorship.

    1. Ainteenbooty
      FAIL

      Total Bullshit

      And from your ass came numbers that more precisely describe your emotional state than they do reality.

      Even if it were accurate, such a reprehensible ratio would only reinforce the need for more precise kill-zones. This weapon clearly delivers that compared to a hellfire missile. Though I cant expect much in the way of logic from a person inclined to side with the gunman firing from an apartment filled with human collateral. If he gets vaporized, he'll take our reputation with him in the form of the family huddled in the corner. Congratulations: Your attitude just validated his tactic.

  5. jake Silver badge

    Serious question.

    Do the manufacturers really expect to see anything resembling reliability out of this thing in RealLife[tm] combat situations? I can drop my M1911-based Kimber into a sandy, muddy stream, and I know it'll still work when I pull it out (I'm not going to, mind you) ...

  6. Jimbo 6
    Joke

    "plans to equip every infantry squad with a smartgun"

    Well someone has to be the brains of the operation

  7. Lloyd
    Grenade

    I'll bet

    it's not smart enough to stop the Yankee Doodles friendly fire incidents.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Congratulations!

      The Zero Thought, Knee Jerk Reponse of the Day Award is yours, Lloyd! We're all so proud of you!

  8. Craig 28

    re:Shaped Charge

    Or interestingly perhaps the soldier could manually adjust the charge's detonation time to account for special armour additions which would normally detonate the shaped charge prematurely?

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What a relief

    With the deployment of this fancy new weapon, the war will be over, right? Just asking.

  10. Neill Mitchell

    Software safety?

    This thing must run software. I wonder how failsafe it is? Let's just hope it's not running Windows Mobile...

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Unhappy

    The units will also recieve, as part of the package

    Big neon signs saying "I am not an enemy" so the flyboys and tankbusters dont kill them by mistake.

    BTW

    How long before Wikileaks gives the plans for these to the Taliban?

  12. Rogerborg

    I'm sorry, Specialist Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that

    The only thing worse than being handed a weapon designed by committee and built by the lowest bidder is when it's got an 'X' stamped on it.

    Still, got to keep those pork barrels rolling.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Shiny metal tube

    It looks as if it either telescopes down to about half its lengthy (for storage/carriage) or is this perhaps part of some recoil absorbing mechanism?

    I'd be a bit concerned about dirt ingress, but I imagine they've already thought of this.

    Any idea how unpleasant it is to fire, particularly in the standing position?

    1. Glesga Snapper

      A title, damn you!

      I'm guessing that the rod above the barrel is part of the gas system that's used to operate the weapon's breach mechanism.

      I think the toothed bit on the bottom looks like a Piccatinny rail or similar, used for mounting accessories such as torches.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Call of duty 8?

    Would be fun to play with in a Call of Duty game, hopefully it'll be included in the next one :-)

  15. Graham Bartlett

    @jake

    Not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison there! :)

    But I suspect it'd be *more* reliable than the M4 which it's an alternative to. For starters, it's a single-shot weapon - the heat problems with semi/full-auto on the M4 won't exist. For another thing, the larger projectile means that the tolerances can also be a bit wider, making you more robust to grit. And if the software goes tits-up, worst case you should still be able to use it without the special targetting stuff.

    1. jake Silver badge

      @Graham Bartlett

      No, the XM25 is nothing like an M4. It's a grenade launcher. A shoulder-fired mortar. No more, no less. It probably has it's place in the world of "lets kill humans effectively", but as a bog-stock, issued-to-grunts-in-the-mud device? I seriously doubt it. Give me an 81mm mortar, and the crew to run it, all carrying appropriate small arms ...

  16. Graham Bartlett

    @jake

    Sure it's not a direct replacement. But what are the guys out there currently using? Answer: M4s or similar. They damn sure aren't using your M9. ;)

    And for sure it's a grenade launcher. However it's a grenade launcher with smaller (more targetted) ammunition, an ammo box (or magazine?), a decent range and (presumably) decent accuracy. So a straight comparison with a single-shot underbarrel grenade launcher probably isn't appropriate either. Something more like the M32, perhaps?

    1. jake Silver badge

      @Graham Bartlett

      While my Kimber in .45 ACP isn't a Euro-wimp 9mm, the US Air Force & Army both use the M9 as their standard issue sidearm ... US Marines use the slightly different M9A1. But that's not my gripe.

      My whole issue is that this thing is looking to fill a hole that doesn't really exist, and it's likely to cause more problems than it'll cure. I'm what you might call a neo-luddite ... While I understand, make use of, and enjoy looking for new technology, some ideas are just daft. This thingie is a very expensive boondoggle, IMO.

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