The XM25 Moves From Prime Time to Real Time

Unlike the FN P90 which seems to have only been deployed in the Stargate universe on the SciFi Channel the XM25 is actually seeing use in the real world.

photo courtesy of wikimedia commons

So, we've been watching the development of the XM25 for what feels like a decade now.  Mostly one has seen it on the various cable future weapon shows, now it will be seen in Afghanistan in actual use.  While a little bulky, the XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System weighs only 14 pounds fully loaded and fires a 25mm grenade that is wirelessly fused to airburst just inside the window, a little behind the wall, or right above the foxhole from which an opponent is firing at our team.  At $25,000 a piece the XM25 may sound a little spendy but each smart grenade cartridge costs only $25 dollars each.  Others have mentioned it's a lot cheaper and much more precise than using a Hellfire missile or Viper Strike glide bomb for the same job.  In any case we've come a long way since the Vietnam Era M79 Bloop Tube.  Any implement that lets our troops kill more bad guys, with less risk to themselves, while inflicting fewer unintended casualties sounds like a fine idea to me.  Some days our tax dollars get spent on something truly useful to the troops.  Wonder what they'll call it...