[britchard]

Just seen this very interesting article about a new weapon used in anger for the first time. In short, it is a gun that shoots grenades at high speeds. There is a rangefinder to set the grenades to explode mid-air above the target, which maximises the damage as none of the released energy is immediately absorbed by the ground.

I imagine this kind of weapon would be most useful in a firefight where the enemy is in a trench or behind cover, but are too far away to hit with a hand-held grenade. The weapon is called 'The Punisher'.

British forces aren't officially in Libya, but SAS and SBS teams are out there fighting. According to the article, they are treated like celebrities by the local fighters. I presume this is due to their vastly superior weaponry and skills.

Full article: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/sas-use-prototy...ya-1574767

[CynicalContrarian]

The XM25?
Cripes; how long has that thing been in development in one form or another...

"Counter Defilade Target Engagement (CDTE) System"

Damn military acronyms...

[britchard]

Video of said weapon:

[TravelerKai]

I remember seeing this thing on either the Military Channel or the American Heroes Channel on TV years ago. It's a nasty little weapon. Makes hiding basically impossible.

[Foolsgo1d]

Brilliant weapon to kill campers in BF4.

[weambulance]

How long do the batteries last, and are they standard, or the typical weird-ass special battery you can never find when you're in a regular unit on deployment? Does it work without batteries?

[spokepoker]

Didn't this used to be on the OICW? So they just took the gren part off and made it it's own weapon?

[Germanicus]

(08-07-2016 09:29 AM)britchard Wrote:  

Just seen this very interesting article about a new weapon used in anger for the first time. In short, it is a gun that shoots grenades at high speeds. There is a rangefinder to set the grenades to explode mid-air above the target, which maximises the damage as none of the released energy is immediately absorbed by the ground.

I imagine this kind of weapon would be most useful in a firefight where the enemy is in a trench or behind cover, but are too far away to hit with a hand-held grenade. The weapon is called 'The Punisher'.

British forces aren't officially in Libya, but SAS and SBS teams are out there fighting. According to the article, they are treated like celebrities by the local fighters. I presume this is due to their vastly superior weaponry and skills.

Full article: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/sas-use-prototy...ya-1574767

Guerilla forces have been doing the low-tech equivalent of this for decades. Namely the "air burst" technique; shoot an RPG rocket grenade above the heads of enemy troops at maximum range to initiate the auto destruct feature and pelt anyone beneath with shrapnel and shock from the blast. The Russians designed the RPG warheads to self-destruct once their alterable fuses ran out. Insurgent forces would shorten the fuse for the appropriate distance, aim above their target, fire, and hope they got the distance to fuse ratio correct to pelt infantry in the open or behind cover. I never got hit on the several air burst attacks I've experienced courtesy of the Taliban, but a few of the guys in my platoon at those various incidents have some scars to prove that it's a worthy tactic to use.

This XM25 thing here looks interesting, but to my mind it's just a more expensive, more complicated, but much more advanced version of the old M-79 bloop grenade launcher.

I don't know, but going by how other shiny pieces of weapons kit go I reckon the sight would need batteries, they wouldn't last all that long, they don't like adverse weather, and you have to pull teeth to acquire adequate replacements despite you adrep'ing them well in advance.

[RIslander]

That bitch has an effective range of 500m!

[kaotic]

That weapons platform is the tits, I remember seeing it on Future Weapons.

[Vronski]

(08-07-2016 09:29 AM)britchard Wrote:  

British forces aren't officially in Libya, but SAS and SBS teams are out there fighting.

As French Special Forces for that matter.

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2...oversy.php

[CynicalContrarian]

(08-07-2016 05:07 PM)spokepoker Wrote:  

Didn't this used to be on the OICW? So they just took the gren part off and made it it's own weapon?

Pretty much from memory.

[Suits]

(08-08-2016 08:27 AM)CynicalContrarian Wrote:  

(08-07-2016 05:07 PM)spokepoker Wrote:  

Didn't this used to be on the OICW? So they just took the gren part off and made it it's own weapon?

Pretty much from memory.

Yup.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Objective_...bat_Weapon