Thursday 28 May 2009

XM25: Now that's smart

The US military has just started field trials on a new high-tech smart gun that can "shoot round corners".

The manufacturers claim that the XM25 Individual Air Burst Weapon can take out a bad guy behind a wall, beyond a hill or below a trench. As the gun can hit targets without the need for mortars, rockets, grenades and airstrikes, the XM25 is
expected to reduce the high number of innocent civilian casualties which is having such a controversial impact on the war in Afghanistan.

Basically it works like this: a soldier can, say, aim the XM25 at a wall concealing a sniper and "dial in" or adjust the distance by an additional meter above the target. When fired, the Alliant Teksystems-built round will explode above the enemy's position, essentially going around the obstruction.

At $25,000 each they're not cheap. UK Armed Forces could probably afford two of them.

The Registry:Summer debut for Judge Dredd computer smart-rifle