The XM25, as the new gun is known, weighs about 6kg (13lb) and fires a 25mm round…[I]nstead of having to be aimed directly at the target, this round need only be aimed at a place in proximity to it. Once there, it explodes…the fragments kill the enemy. It knows when to explode because of a timed fuse. In Shrapnel’s shells this fuse was made of gunpowder. In the XM25 it is a small computer inside the bullet that monitors details of the projectile’s flight.
….
When the round is fired, the internal computer counts the number of rotations it makes, to calculate the distance flown. The rifle’s muzzle velocity is 210 metres a second, which is the starting point for the calculation. When the computer calculates that the round has flown the requisite distance, it issues the instruction to detonate. The explosion creates a burst of shrapnel that is lethal within a radius of several metres (exact details are classified). And the whole process takes less than five seconds.
….
The bullets, which have to be made by hand at the moment, clock in at several hundred dollars each.
This is a game-changing weapon – smart, miniature grenade-like bullets. Immediately, imitations are arising. I wondered why. Then I thought, perhaps in the “engagement” of enemies forces, this weapon would allow for greater destruction with less accountability/responsibility to be able to see and target combatants. If you drop a bomb on a bad guy and kill civilians, you’re liable. But, if you shoot at a single combatant and injure civilians, you may be free from responsibility…
No comments:
Post a Comment