We're teasing a story here that will run as the lead item on Military.com tomorrow on the latest from the field concerning the XM-25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System.
Apparently, Joes like it so much they've started calling it "The Punisher," since when the bad guys try to shoot at Soldiers, they get punished for their transgression. Units in Afghanistan have been clamoring to get their hands on the weapon, PEO officials say, and so far two unnamed units have been testing the "game changing weapon" and a third will get it if the Army can gin up the dough to buy more of the 25mm airbursting rounds (which apparently cost $1,000 each since at this point they're all hand made).
“I had one lieutenant tell me that normally these engagements take us 15 or 20 minutes to get through, [but it’s] several minutes when the XM-25 is involved. It’s that quick,” said the Army’s top weapons buyer, Col. Doug Tamilio. “One major told me every time the XM-25 was involved in engaging enemy positions, firing stopped immediately.”
But no matter how effective the weapon is, the Army only has five of them in the field and basically is pleading for more money to buy 36 more and field them to Afghanistan as soon as they can (Tamilio said it would take a year from inking the contract to getting them in the squads).
PEO Soldier CO Brig. Gen. Pete Fuller compared the XM-25 to other high-priced, high-profile Army weapons programs, saying it's hard to convince the powers that be to fund a "Punisher" over a new vehicle with high-profile primes.
Don't cut the XM-25 and say 'oh, well, I think a [Ground Combat Vehicle] is more important than an XM-25.' Hey, be very careful about that...
Aahhh, let the games begin...
Be sure to read the entire story tomorrow on the front page of Military.com.
