After over two decades of development, the U.S. Army has officially killed the XM25 program futuristic 25mm grenade launcher nicknamed “The Punisher.” Despite its promising hopes to revolutionize infantry combat, a variety of challenges and setbacks caused the program’s termination. Still, the Army’s latest purchase of the gun’s technical design package leaves the door open for a possible revival in the future.
The Army first publicly acknowledged that it had killed the XM25 program in a statement to Stars and Stripes back in August 2018. On July 24, 2018, the service officially ended development of the XM25, also referred to as the Individual Semi-Automatic Airburst System (ISAAS) or Counter-Defilade Target Engagement (CDTE) System, following a legal settlement with its lead contractor, Orbital ATK, now part of Northrop Grumman. “After canceling the program last year, the Army has since received rights to the program’s research and development,” said U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Taylor. Included in this settlement were 20 existing XM25 systems and various ammunition types.
The XM25 was envisioned as a “leap-ahead” weapon system highly advanced family of air-bursting ammunition capable of firing over the enemy positions, raining down lethal fragments. Unlike traditional single-shot 40mm grenade launchers, the XM25 boasted a five-round magazine and a computerized fire control system with a laser range finder. That was a lofty piece of technology, designed to give soldiers a quantum leap in lethality when engaging targets behind cover.
The path of development for the XM25 started in the 1990s with the Objective Infantry Combat Weapon (OICW) program, which aimed to produce a combination system consisting of a 25mm launcher and a 5.56mm carbine. Besides delays, cost increases were inherent owing to technical issues associated with the OICW. By 2016, the Army had spent $185 million on the program and was planning to invest a further $835 million in launchers and specialized ammo.
Field tests and experiments with prototype weapons showed several disadvantages of the weapon: too bulky-14 pounds soldiers were not capable of carrying a secondary weapon, hence limiting them in fighting against targets at close ranges. The inherent complexity of the launcher and its ammunition was reflected in significant delays and safety concerns. In February 2013, an Army special operator in Afghanistan suffered minor injuries when their XM25 malfunctioned was the third potentially serious incident involving the weapon since June 2011.
An August 2016 review by the Defense Department’s Inspector General Office suggested Army mismanagement and ambiguous priorities. The review urged the Army to consider canceling the project if it couldn’t get the launcher on a path to production by the end of 2016. Despite these issues, the Army delayed the decision until July 2018.
The conclusion of the XM25 program doesn’t necessarily mean the end of its underlying concept. Rights to the launcher, prototypes, and ammunition are now all in the hands of the Army, which means future developments are possible. The service is already working on air-bursting cartridges for existing 40mm grenade launchers and continues to be interested in imparting a capability to defeat opponents behind cover.
Any future developments in grenade ammunition could use the currently manufactured XM25 prototypes as test beds. The Army may further wish to apply advanced production methods, composite materials, or other concepts as a means of achieving weight, bulk, and cost reduction. This type of experimentation could eventually lead to an actual procurement program.
While this might not be the last seen or heard of the XM25, which might find its place in official museums very soon, the possibility that the Army might release a similar system with a new designation and name under some future program does exist. For now, the XM25 ‘Punisher’ is the statement to the test of wills and technological complexities of military development.