US Army To Test Weapon That Can Target Shielded Enemies

The U.S. Army has set out to monitor the performance of an incredible new weapon that can actually strike soldiers shielded by a cover.

The weapon, known as the XM25 Counter Defilade Engagement System and created by the Orbital ATK, uses a built-in "target acquisition and fire control system," that allows soldiers with basic shooting skills to fire the system, according to The Daily Mail.

Researchers plan to test it out early next year, with bullets that are programmed to explode after traveling a set distance; this means that enemies can still be targeted no matter where they are hiding.

The device uses a laser rangefinder, along with smart software, to determine the exact distance to the target, with a range of 2,300 feet. Once a target has been spotted, soldiers can either add or subtract 3 meters if they want bullets to clear the area or explode above or beside a target, according to officials.

Lt. Col. Christopher Lehner, project manager for the system, has called the weapon a game-changer, suggesting that other nations may try to copy the product once in place. In 2010, the Army's PEO Soldier program sent prototypes of the XM25 to Afghanistan, according to The Daily Mail, to see how it would help with combat performance.

"Our soldiers can remain covered/protected and use their XM25 to neutralise an enemy in his covered position. This will significantly reduce the risk of US casualties and change the way we fight," Lehner wrote in PEO Soldier.

"Tactics are going to have to be rewritten," he added, via Fox News. "The only thing we can see [enemies] being able to do is run away."

Final testing for the device will weapon will commence in early 2016. 

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