US deploys 'game-changer' weapon to Afghanistan

         After several years in the making, the army has released a new gun for the soliders. It is called the XM25; and it is about the size of a regular rifle.  The gun fires 25mm air-bursting shells up to 2,300 feet (700 meters), well past the range of most rifles used by today's soldiers, and programs them to explode at a precise distance, allowing troops to neutralize insurgents hiding behind walls, rocks or trenches or inside buildings.  The revolutionary advance involves an array of sights, sensors and lasers that reads the distance to the target, assesses elements such as air pressure, temperature, and ballistics and then sends that data to the microchip embedded in the XM25 shell before it is launched.

      As far as the soliders safety I think this is a good weapon.  However, each gun costs about 25 to 30,000 dollars each, and the Pentagon plans to purchase at least 12,500 of the guns.  In contrast, the Army has said  the XM25 can slash civilian deaths and damage, because its pinpointed firepower offers far less risk than larger mortars or air strikes.