London, Nov 30 (IANS) A futuristic rifle using ‘smart’ bullets to pinpoint and kill enemy fighters, is most likely to be deployed in Afghanistan by December.
The XM25 rifle uses bullets that can be programmed to explode when they have travelled a set distance, allowing enemies to be targeted no matter where they are hiding.
The weapon has a range of 2,300 feet, hitting targets well out of the reach of conventional rifles.
US infantrymen will be able to take out snipers hidden in trenches rather than calling in air strikes, reports the Daily Mail.
The XM25 appears perfect weapon for street-to-street fighting that soldiers in Afghanistan have to engage in, with the enemy hiding behind walls and only breaking cover to fire occasionally.
The rifle’s gunsight uses a laser rangefinder to determine the exact distance to the obstruction, after which the soldier can add or subtract up to three metres from that distance to enable the bullets to clear the barrier and hit the target.
The 25-mm round contains a chip that receives a radio signal from the gunsight as to the precise distance to the target.
Lt. Col. Christopher Lehner, project manager for the system, described the weapon as a ‘game-changer’ that other nations will try and copy.
He expects the army to buy 12,500 of the XM25 rifles this year, enough for every member of the infantry and special forces.
Lehner told FoxNews: ‘With this weapon system, we take away cover from (enemy targets) forever.’
The weapon’s laser finder would work out how far away the enemy was and then the infantry soldier would add one metre using a button near the trigger.
When fired, the explosive round would carry exactly one metre past the wall and explode with the force of a hand grenade above the Taliban fighter.
