By the time you read this, the XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System with its uncannily accurate airburst ammo will undoubtedly have drawn its first blood in Afghanistan.  This sci-fi looking individual armament, initially the “grenade gun” upper half of the ill-fated Objective Individual Combat Weapon, has been in combat operational test mode for several months now with selected elements of US Special Operations Command.

It‘s the hottest new man portable grenade launcher anywhere, boasting indirect fire capabilities with “smart” ammo that can kill enemies smugly squatting behind walls and boulders, until now unreachable by squad level weapons.

At their recent press briefing and live fire event at historic Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, top officials of PM Soldier Weapons told Small Arms Defense Journal and reporters for other military and defense industry publications how the XM25’s unique capabilities would have been of particular value to defenders in the now-famous “Keating” firefight.

Among many lessons learned in the near-annihilation of this small, fortified camp in what’s formally known as the Battle of Kamdesh, Afghanistan, they said, is the need for unit level indirect fire capability that is highly flexible and immediately available.

Combat Outpost Keating
More than 300 Taliban fighters launched a surprise attack on Keating in the predawn darkness of October 3, 2009, saturating the small base with mortar rounds, RPGs and heavy small arms fire.

They quickly breached the perimeter, routed the panicked Afghan Army detachment and nearly overran the American soldiers of Bravo Troop, 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment.

The AN/PSQ-20 Enhanced Night Vision Goggle, seen helmet-mounted in this posed publicity photo, provides significantly improved capability by combining traditional image intensification and long-wave infrared sensors. The resulting output is electronically presented to the wearer in color, giving a much higher recognition probability for man-sized targets out to 300 meters or better. The Multifunction Aiming Light on this soldier’s M4 carbine works with the ENVG, showing a bright aim point even in total darkness. (PEO Soldier)

Bad weather and slow response from artillery and air support assets combined to give the enemy special advantages in their initial assault from the high ground “bowl” around the camp, leaving the defenders below with little more than basic individual and crew-served weapons to fight back with.

Their direct fire arms and single shot M203 grenade launchers were of limited value against battle-seasoned attackers who skillfully used abundant cover from boulders and depressions in the surrounding rough terrain and defensive positions inside the wire.

Relief came slowly but soon built to a decisive level as artillery, helicopter gunships, jet fighters and bombers combined to rout the enemy.

When the smoke cleared an estimated 150 Taliban were dead at the cost of 30 U.S. troopers killed or wounded.

Cost/Benefit Ratio
Richard Audette, Deputy PMSW, responding during the press conference at Aberdeen, to implied criticism in a reporter’s question noting the projected $25,000 cost per XM25, called it a bargain compared to far more expensive weaponry wielded by external support elements like those that turned the tide at Keating.

“They were hitting the attackers with Apache gunships, Hellfire missiles and Excaliber artillery rounds,” he said, “far more costly, cumbersome, and slow to arrive.”

5 May 2010, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. Iron-jawed Master Sergeant Paul Wilcock, Senior NCO for PMSW, stands ready to demonstrate the door-busting capabilities of the 12 gauge M26 Modular Accessory Shotgun System in stand alone configuration. MASS is a straight-pull bolt action, magazine fed shotgun that can also be fitted underneath the barrel of M16/M4 series assault weapons. (Robert Bruce)

“The XM25,” he emphasized, “is an immediately available, squad level weapon that pays for itself, but more importantly it saves solders’ lives because it can take out those defilade (behind cover) targets.”

Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Lehner, Product Manager Individual Weapons, underscored the XM25‘s remarkably fast target engagement capability against fleetingly-glimpsed targets.

“In under five seconds I can lase for range, get my adjusted reticle on target and pull the trigger,” he said.  “At four hundred meters it takes another two seconds to get there and explode.  Seven hundred meters another second or so.  It really doesn’t give the Taliban a lot of time to reposition himself.”

Then, adding his perspective on the XM25‘s $25,000 price tag, Lehner invited a comparison to the total cost of the current, less capable combination of weapon and accessories.

“Add up the cost of an M4 carbine with M203 grenade launcher, STORM laser rangefinder, plus night vision and aiming modules,” he said, noting that the XM25 fully integrates these components with the added benefit of a ballistic computer and airbursting ammunition.

SADJ has been closely following the sixteen year saga of this 100 million dollar engineering marvel and we are pleased to know that it has finally made its way into the hands of the snake-eating fraternity.  If all goes well, we’re told, it will be available in limited quantities for muddy-boots grunts in the 2013-14 time frame.

Lehner explained that the plan for fielding this exotic grenade launcher was under development but not to expect it to become a standard squad weapon.  “It’s potentially an arms room weapon,” he said, “like a shotgun or other specialized weapon that you’d draw for certain missions where you need the (XM25’s) unique capability.”

While the wizardry embodied in the XM25 is spectacular, there are several other developments from the dedicated team at Program Manager Soldier Weapons that also deserve special recognition.

Mulberry Point Range
PM Soldier Weapons had wisely set aside several consecutive days for hands-on demos for congressional and military VIPs, efficiently utilizing the considerable time and expense required for such things.  These focused opportunities gave a wide variety of purse-keepers and decision-makers the chance to see for themselves what was in the weapons development pipeline.

Press day was a continuation of the process, with PMSW hoping that knowledgeable reporters would convey to the public how America’s defenders were armed.  More than a dozen reps turned up, from outlets ranging in credibility and seriousness from USA Today to Army Times, with Small Arms Defense Journal in there on the right side of the scale.

5 May 2010, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. Engineers Emmanuel Marasigan (left) and Brian Forsberg of Product Manager Crew Served Weapons, demonstrate the highly realistic computer simulator for low-cost, remarkably effective training on the XM25. Cleverly, it draws on the growing popularity of the ‘America’s Army’ interactive video game that anyone can play online: www.americasarmy.com. (Robert Bruce)

After the obligatory meet, greet and ground rules briefing, Aberdeen Test Center’s Mulberry Point Small Arms Range went hot with a HE (high explosive) demo shot from the XM25.  Safety concerns kept us inside the ballistic glass windowed observation building.  (continued on page 69) 

We could see the gunner just outside the thick glass window and his actions were explained in real time by Lieutenant Colonel Lehner.  Using the weapon’s highly sophisticated fire control system with on-board laser rangefinder, he said, the shooter gets exact distance to the front wall of a simulated building with an open window.

With the simple push of a button he adds a meter to the range and the chambered “smart” round is electronically programmed with the precise distance from launch to detonation point.  In this case right through the window and inside the room.

The fire control’s ballistic computer calculates angle of elevation based on range and displays a red dot in the electro-optical sight with the correct aiming point.  Windage can be programmed as well.

When the round was fired, a computer chip in the 40mm HE warhead counted revolutions in flight and initiated detonation at approximately the center of the “room,” showering it with lethal fragments.  A remote video camera linked to a large screen in the observation building provided dramatic evidence of the effectiveness of this programmable airburst weapon’s precision lethality.

Then, we were herded outside to observe a series of live fire demonstrations of selected current weaponry, starting with the lock-busting 12 gauge M26 Modular Accessory Shotgun System and moving down the firing line to see grenade launchers, machine guns, sniper rifles and the new “dazzling” laser on a hulking armored vehicle.

M240 Light
While highly reliable and very accurate, a standard 7.62mm M240B medium machine gun weighs a hefty 27 pounds, making it a burden for dismounted troops on the move.

PM Crew Served Weapons has responded with the M240L (Light), incorporating a titanium receiver and other refinements to drop 5.7 pounds without sacrificing combat performance.

28 July 2008, Fort Hood, Texas. John Moses Browning’s 80 year old “Ma Deuce” M2HB machine gun might eventually be able to enjoy retirement when this new .50 caliber XM806 is fielded in the not-too-distant future. Derived from the convertible .50 caliber XM312 – 25mm XM307 Advanced Crew Served Weapon, it’s about half the weight of the M2 and boasts reduced recoil that facilitates mounting optical sights for superior accuracy. This new weapon is of particular interest to U.S. Special Operations Command as well as the Army‘s light infantry formations. (PEO Soldier)

Further weight reduction is realized when pairing it with the new M192 Lightweight Ground Mount tripod, boasting better stability and an improved traversing and elevating mechanism at a weight saving of six pounds.

Old Warhorse Returns
Soldiers and Marines of a certain age (including a few of us at SADJ) should take special pleasure in seeing the honored return of the post-WW2 generation’s venerable M14 rifles.

This hard-hitting, long reaching 7.62x51mm NATO caliber battle rifle was pushed aside by the pipsqueak 5.56mm M16 in the Vietnam War when it was deemed that an “assault rifle,” characterized by light weight and high volume of fire, was better for jungle fighting.

But now that the battlefields are in Iraq and Afghanistan – mostly treeless, arid plains and mountains – the M16 and its little brother M4 are noticeably lacking in necessary range (maximum approximately 500 meters) and knockdown power.

Spurred by urgent Operational Need Statements from combat units, the Army started pulling mothballed M14s out of storage, adding day scopes, and rushing them off to CENTCOM’s AO for use by “Squad Designated Marksmen.”

This eminently practical solution has since been kicked up a notch at PM Soldier Weapons by creation of the Enhanced Battle Rifle, a classic M14 retro-fitted at the Army’s Rock Island Arsenal with a modern chassis stock and capable of mounting a full range of day and night sights.  More than 5,000 have been fielded so far and 1,700 more are in the pipeline.

LTC Lehner says that the EBR’s dramatically increased effective range, as much as 800 meters in capable hands, has forced the Taliban to “change its tactics,” backing way off when initiating an attack.

More Sniper Stuff
The 7.62mm M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System (SASS) from Knight’s Armament – apparently just about everything it needs to be already – will be outfitted with a collapsible buttstock, deemed better for close quarter engagements.

The awesomely powerful .50 caliber Barrett M107 Semi-Automatic Long Range Sniper Rifle is going to lose a little weight, get a specially designed suppressor and a new protective exterior coating.

What many readers may not be fully aware of is the Knight commitment to preserving the history of modern small arms.  Mr. Knight has been involved not only in the design of many modern weapon systems, but he has devoted a significant amount of time, money, and energy into the study of these systems and expanding a reference library of these weapons and their development.

The Hall of Modern Arms started as a reference library of Stoner family weapons; AR-10, AR-15/M16 series, AR-18, Stoner 63, etc., but after 30-plus years of growth, it has become one of the finest collections in the world chronicling the weapons used by modern armies, and the development phases of these weapons. Here the crowd is guided through a section of WWI and WWII US weapons.

In recent years, what had been a personal passion that Mr. Knight shared with a few other like-minded individuals and used in his daily research, turned into a quest to put together what many are now calling the finest and most inclusive military small arms and vehicle collection in the United States.

Mr. Knight has always shared the knowledge and learning experiences with others, but in recent years the ability to acquire more collections of small arms, vehicles, tanks, and cannon had created such an overflow situation that the KAC facility was beginning to fill.  This inspired a new commitment to building the collection into a usable and sustainable museum, and in typical Knight fashion this would not be done in a half-hearted manner.

The Hall of Modern Arms is mutely guarded by 17th century suits of armor at its entrance.

Over the years it had become harder and harder to find qualified, trained people who would work in small arms because the US doesn’t really have any educational focus on these things.  It became increasingly evident to Mr. Knight that in order to fulfill his destiny of sharing the knowledge and pushing others to excel in theirs, he must form an educational entity.  Thus, the idea of the Institute of Military Technology was born.  The Institute had to be formed with open ends on the knowledge pool to work with, and the collection was honed to fill those requirements.  (For more information on the Institute, and how you can participate in this new American think-tank or make donations to help support this massive endeavor, go to www.instmiltech.com.

Once the final form of the Institute was put together, the ideas started to gel as to what the displays of the collection might look like.  Approximately six months before the SHOT Show of 2009 in Orlando Florida, Mr. Knight realized that this was the perfect opportunity to launch the Institute, and to share his vision with the small arms community.

Guests gather round to hear the presentation on the tank part of the collection.

Mr. Knight’s son, C. Reed Knight, III, “Trey” to his friends, was tasked with putting the vision of the Knight Museum together and making it a reality.  To add to the pressure, the SHOT Show was scheduled in nearby Orlando, Florida, for 2009.  In recent years, during the infrequent appearance of SHOT at Orlando, KAC would sponsor a wonderful party at their facility in Titusville and bus the invited attendees to and from the facility as well as feeding them a local Florida type meal, and giving them the grand tour of the collection.  What was becoming a tradition for Knight’s, now offered the opportunity to launch the public perception of the collection to a new level and it was up to Trey to oversee the new displays and expansion.

In all, over 30,000 square feet of display space was put into place in less than six months.  Friends and employees worked for months to get the tank and cannon displays organized, and the entire organization was in a frenzy to put their best foot forward in time for the SHOT Show attendees.

Guests in the Hall view the backlit section of US weapons from the World War II era. Visible immediately on the right (top to bottom): US M1A1 Thompson, US M1928A1 Thompson, US 1928 Colt Thompson with 100-round “C” drum, US M3A1 “Greasegun,” US M3 Greasegun, and US Model 55 Reising submachine gun.

When the launch day occurred, KAC and the new Institute of Military Technology had approximately 2,500 people show up.  They registered on-line and if pre-accepted by Knight’s, were organized into custom bus coaches that departed from the SHOT show to the facility, and they proceeded to show the collections and serve up a wonderful BBQ and had live music for entertainment.  The event was a tremendous success and will be talked about for years in the small arms community.  Of course, that was the point.  The Knight legacy is fast moving into place: a legacy of quality merchandise, responsiveness to the customer, support of the community, and the sharing and furtherance of knowledge in our small but essential community.  The Institute and the collection will help our martial history live on and to help new generations understand where their freedom came from.

A Knight Armament Company volunteer gives a guided tour of the collection to the guests.

The people who put this outstanding Florida shin-dig together were C. Reed Knight, Jr., C. Reed Knight, III, June Wetherbee (replacing Ginger Vossen Roberge during this time, as she was out on medical leave) as well as Bonnie Werner (who did a big part of coordinating and scheduling volunteers, etc.) plus a host of other people – approximately 100 volunteers (KAC personnel) that helped make this event a success.  Mr. Knight would like to thank them all for helping to make the event such a success.  There are some others who helped put this production on that deserve thanks: Joe McClain of the Historical Military Armor Museum who helped tremendously with the shipping in and organizing the tanks along with Gary Perry, VP of Quality for KAC.  Mr. Knight would also like to thank Daniel Mattozzi and Dave Hoerig for helping Joe McClain in getting the tanks moved in and ready for the Open House.