XM25 Shoots, Scores, Heads Downrange

The Army brought out a bunch of their latest weapons for the NDIA Small Arms Symposium range day in Las Vegas. Among them was the XM25, the service’s long-awaited, experimental 25mm airburst weapon which the Army is going to have soldiers test out in the war zone this summer.

Rob had a front row seat and shot a little video (above) as Major Elliott Caggins fired two rounds for the crowd.

You look through its special optic, put the red dot on the target, press a button and the range is displayed along with a point-of-impact crosshair. If the target is enemy behind cover, you push another button to add a few meters to the range, put the crosshair just above the target and shoot. The round is supposed to explode right over top of the enemy.

It’s hard to tell if it really works, since the Army brought only non-exploding training rounds, similar to the powder-filled type used with the 40mm M203.

I have to admit, I could see it being useful an over-watch position or up in the hatch of a gun truck. The plan right now is to have one per squad to supplement the two grenadiers. The soldier carrying it will likely carry his M4 as well.

For dismounted patrols, it’s a little heavy at roughly 14 pounds with a five-round magazine. It will be in good company with other heavy, battlefield necessities like AT4s, breeching tools or a bag of soccer balls.

Back in the late 1990s, this was part of the Objective Individual Combat Weapon program, a futuristic weapon that featured a 20mm airburst on top and a 5.56mm carbine on the bottom. Now it fires more potent 25mm rounds.