[quote="GarryB"]
Of course it's not new, but this is one of the first times that such a fuse setting system has been Modernized and applied to a small package. Gun weighs the same as an AK!
The XM25 weighs over 5kgs empty and its ammo will not weigh nothing.
Hardly comparable with an AK... or even an SVD.
Well, can you think of a Grenade sniper rifle that weighs less?
Again, another problem, standard 40 mm underbarrel grenade launchers, you have to launch it with a huge ballistic trajectory. It's very difficult to actually land a grenade inside a room.
No you don't. Current GP launchers have two range scales on them... red and white for indirect and direct fire. In fact with practise you can load one round (they are muzzle loaded and have no shell case to remove like a mortar shell) and aim and fire with the red scale for range and then adjust the sight to the same distance in the white direct fire scale and reload another round while counting. When you count (in seconds) to about 9 or 12 seconds (can't remember which) you then fire a second round and both rounds will land on target at roughly the same time because of the different flight times.
Uh, I highly doubt you can direct fire at 450 meters with a 40 mm grenade.
That means you can aim, point, calculate and shoot, grenade doesn't need to bounce it just knows when to detonate.
Very expensive toys considering by the time you know which room to destroy you could probably have used an RPG of some sort.
We're talking rifle squads here, mobile men doing quick jobs. RPGs just level the room, this kills anyone inside while still having more ammo, better than an RPG in the AP role. Besides, it's only $25 per grenade.
We have a 40 mm AGL too. Problem is that it weighs a couple dozen kilos. This thing weighs the same as an AK-47.
The basic XM25 weighs more than a loaded AK and its grenade weight will likely make it triple the weight or more.
The MM-1 is actually a very similar weight at about 5.7 kgs empty and able to hold 12 rounds ready to fire.
These are 25 mm grenades, not as heavy as 30 or 40 mm.
Also, with a 30 mm or 40 mm AGL, you can't accurately land grenades inside a room, you can demolish the room, but it'll take you a salvo of grenades, which would mean excessive damage to nearby buildings. With this, you just need to put 1 grenade inside the room and the enemy's done for, no need for Grenade spam.
This XM-25 could kill flies at 750m... what chance is there on a real battlefield that you will be able to spot flies at 750m?
To take out a room at that range a Russian soldier would likely use a Metis-M (AT-13) guided missile with a range of 2km fitted with a conventional HE warhead.
No, it can't kill a fly but it can go inside a window of a room at 750 m. Yes, you can spot a room at 750 m, 4x magnification thermal sight standard, that means night fight capability as well. Standard marines are trained to hit a car at 500, x4 sight only helps at 750.
Yes, yes, and how much rooms can you take out with an ATGM? 3 if you're carrying the ammo. With this, 6 per magazine.
It has a x4 Thermal sight or a x2 Optic sight.
So zero chance to properly ID a man sized target at 750m. A thermal sight is great for night and all weather use, but useless for identification of people... and x2 optics will not help.
And this is people out in the open.
No, you can identify a weapon from a Beretta to a RPG-7 with those sights. If you doubt me, talk to your Squad leader, he'll have a 10x magnification binocular ready.
Identifying an enemy (which basically means a guy with a weapon) from 750 is going to be fine.
90% of the population in Afghanistan is armed. You start killing anyone with a gun and you might as well leave the country now and save a bit of time.
If they have a gun I don't know who the target is, I'm killing him. Very simple. And yes, if someone does invade the U.S. and apply that policy than I have no sympathy for 2nd Amendment followers.
But this is extremely effective in an Urban combat scenario, where say, a guy with a Pecheneg is suppressing your Squad, you just need a guy to land one Grenade in his room with the XM-25 and he's dead.
On paper it should be effective. In practise unless the target has a muzzle flash the size of a 2ltr coke bottle and fires continuously with tracer ammo showing where he is I really think you will have problem locating him accurately while you are under fire. Remember this weapon determines range but after traveling 750m a cross wind could easily shift the grenade several metres to one side or another... these rounds are not guided like an ATGM like METIS-M is.
We're talking Afghanistan here, most Mujaheddin don't use muzzle suppressors.
That's a waste of ammunition and it'll cause collateral damage. One grenade in the room, neutralized targets.
You are talking about firing explosive grenades 750m you can't care about collateral damage. Otherwise you should be talking about a 50 cal rifle to return fire and hit targets behind front cover Save money on the fused rounds and keep the laser range finder and ballistic computer.
When I'm talking firing explosive grenades 750 m I can in fact talk about collateral, a 25 mm grenade is not enough to blow up the room like what you're suggesting with a TBG-7V. A M82 is only effective if you know exactly where in the room the guy is or when you catch him firing out the window. Hell, we're not even talking about 750 m anymore, this thing is good against targets under 750 m.
But do you know how much a RPG weighs? And it's ammo?
They are carried in Russian patrols anyway, plus light disposable rockets like RPG-22. When there is little enemy armour then Anti personel rockets can be carried in fairly large numbers including the large calibre thermobaric rounds and the 40mm anti personel rockets which can be carried in very large numbers BTW.
Lol, how large? 2 PGs for each man that's 16 RPGs total. Not a lot. 6 grenades per magazine, and presumably, lets just say for fun, 4 mags for the operator. Already, I can destroy 50% more rooms than you. RPGs are a hammer, a M40 is the scalpel, and XM25 is the knock out punch. Not accurate enough to hit a guy in the left eye from 800 meters away and not powerful enough to take down the whole house. It's a compromise, and that's what weapon designs are about.
We're not exactly talking a professional army here. They don't wear flak vests as far as I know, a 25 mm grenade will do fine.
Eventually the Afghan government forces are going to start getting issued with at the very least flak jackets... if not bullet proof vests.
We're not shooting at Afghan government if you haven't noticed.
So, bottom line is that I've seen a lot of numbers thrown at me, 600 mm from Rosonboronexport, 750 mm from Wikipedia and other sources, and 850 mm from combat performance. Which one is it?
It can be all three. You can't just look at where a rocket hit to determine performance because the angle of impact is very important in determining penetration.
Also the protection levels are described as effective protection levels, which also assumes a specific angle of impact.
Another factor is that penetration figures usually assume thicknesses of penetration that still allows for damage done to the interior.
Yes, I can. It's quite easy to factor in obliquity into RHAe calculations. 60 degrees obliquity doubles LOS protection. And yes, I do know that penetration factors are LOS, and usually involve a target at 90 degree obliquity. But I don't think Rosonboronexport lies, they usually put their figures at how many mm at a target how far away angled at how many degrees. For RPG-29, they say 600. Other places say 750. My calculations say 850. So, if you're not just going to give me a straight answer, than do not bother answering.