Check out this awesome video about the XM-25 grenade launcher, also known as the XM25 25mm Counter Defilade Target Engagement system, “The Punisher.”
The weapon was issued to soldiers serving in the War in Afghanistan back in 2010 and was planned to officially enter service in late 2015, but budget cuts and malfunctions pushed its planned fielding to 2017.
The weapon fires 25 mm grenades that explode mid air near the target. It is the first small arms weapon to use smart technology.
The weapon is more effective than traditional grenade launchers at hitting targets that are dug in the ground or hidden behind cover. The user can adjust the distance at which it will detonate by up to 10 feet longer or shorter.
It can strike area targets up to 700 meters away. Studies show that it is three times more effective than other types of grenade launchers.
Video summary: Two infantry units within the 101st Airborne Division were issued the XM25 in November 2010. According to an Army After-Action review, the XM-25 fired 55 rounds in nine firefights between Dec. 3 and January 12. The first unit fired 28 rounds in four troops in contact (TIC)s, the second unit fired 27 rounds in five TICs.
In one engagement, the XM25 fire disrupted two insurgent attacks against an combat observation post, destroying one PKM machine gun position in one of those attacks.
The XM-25 also destroyed four ambush sites during engagements on dismounted foot patrols or movements to contact. In one instance, the 25mm HE round exploded on a PKM gunner. He was either wounded and fled or scared and fled, but dropped his machine gun, which soldiers later recovered.
The weapon was called as “revolutionary” and a “game changer.”
