Image: Wikimedia Commons
Kyle Mizokami, National Interest: Meet the XM25 Supergun: The Ultimate Weapon the Army Said No To
The weapon was heavy, with a basic load of the weapon and thirty-six grenades weighing a whopping thirty-five pounds.
The U.S. Army has officially terminated the “Punisher.” The XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System, or “Punisher,” was designed to engage enemy troops behind cover. While successful, the high-tech infantry weapon was the victim of a lengthy development period, ballooning costs, a perceived lack of utility and a 2013 incident that wounded a soldier carrying it.
Since the dawn of the firearm age, one of the biggest obstacles to hitting people with a bullet was the cover they could hide behind. A soldier can hide inside a doorway, or windowsill, or even a bunker, exposing himself just long enough to shoot back. Getting at that soldier requires good marksmanship and timing, outmaneuvering him, or simply blowing up the building.
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WNU Editor: At $93,000 per XM25, not useful in close combat, and weighing 36 lbs with a full load .... no one should be surprised it was cancelled.