The OICW (Objective Individual Combat Weapon) features a sort of air burst grenades which will be useful against enemies under cover,yet it is very heavy.Will it be necessary?
2006-09-03 08:44:18 · 6 answers · asked by super_6ix_4our 3 in Politics & Government ➔ Military
Functionally yes it will be necessary. Its a lot better than having to lug around two weapons (heavy grenade launcher and rifle) and it promises better performance than the current crop of underbarrel grenade launchers like the M203.
Thing is the XM29 OICW has been cancelled (officially put on indefinite hold) because yes there's the weight issues (the last report said the OICW threatened to go beyond the desired weight), and they wanted to change the cannon/grenade launcher component (before cancellation it was 20mm, then they wanted it to be 25mm to ensure commonality of ammunition with the XM307 ASCW 25mm auto-cannon and the XM109 25mm heavy sniper rifle). The result was they split it into 2 different weapons: the XM8 rifle (which also got cancelled due to contractor bidding issues) and the XM25 25mm cannon/grenade launcher (the only one which didnt get cancelled).
2006-09-03 13:00:10 · answer #1 · answered by betterdeadthansorry 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes. Urban conflicts require fire support, but the nature of urban terrain (non-combatants, restricted targets like churches/hospitals) preclude some of that fire support from being available. The air-bursting grenade with a 1km range will be very handy to a squad who doesn't have time to wait for fire support. Also, it gives the squads parity with RPG equipped forces, with faster reload times, and better range and accuracy. The 25mm rd is also better at anti-armor roles than the 40mm grenade launcher in use now, and a OICW is cheaper overall than a comparably equipped M-16.
2006-09-03 15:54:09 · answer #2 · answered by notoldcrow 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
They cancelled the OICW due to weight issues. However, they've learned alot from it and are incorporating those lessons in the XM8, check out this link...
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/m8-oicw.htm
2006-09-03 17:40:50 · answer #3 · answered by Charles D 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They canceled the project, the airburst grenade launcher was ineffective. They are developing the XM-8 as a seperate project.
2006-09-03 15:54:23 · answer #4 · answered by Black Sabbath 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I SAY YES CAUSE EVEY SOLDIER CAN HAVE A GL AND RIFLE COMBO THINK OF THE FIREPOWER EACH SOLDIER CAN HAVE OR GIVE ONE TO EVEY 3RD OR 4TH MAN
2006-09-03 17:18:02 · answer #5 · answered by Mac 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
NO!!!
2006-09-03 16:26:55 · answer #6 · answered by Vagabond5879 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋