If you’ve ever played games like paintball, you know that enemies hiding behind walls and covers are hard to hit. We can only assume that will also apply in real-life situations such as during military encounters. However it seems that come 2016, the US Army will begin acceptance testing for a smart grenade launcher dubbed the XM25.
The XM25 is a smart grenade launcher built by Orbital ATK and has been in the works for several years now. Unlike regular grenade launchers, what makes the XM25 so special is its ability to hit targets that might be standing behind a wall or who are otherwise shielded. All they have to do is point the gun, which has a range of 1,640 feet, at their target or the general location.
From there, the built-in laser rangefinder in the XM25 will do the job of calculating the distance for you and will be able to determine when the grenade explodes. All the soldier has to do is pull the trigger and they’re good to go. If the target is behind a wall, they just need to dial in a little bit extra distance to make up for it.
According to the Lt. Colonel Chris Lehner, “No longer will our Soldiers have to expose themselves by firing and maneuvering to eliminate an enemy behind cover. Our Soldiers can remain covered/protected and use their XM25 to neutralize an enemy in his covered position. This will significantly reduce the risk of U.S. casualties and change the way we fight.”