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The XM29 OICW (''Objective Individual Combat Weapon'') was a series of prototypes of a new type of assault rifle that fired 20 mm HE airbursting projectiles. The prototypes were developed as part of the
Various problems have effectively ended the program as it was originally envisioned, including weight, bulk, and lack of effectiveness of the 20×28 mm airburst round. Upon cancellation in 2004, it was split into three related programs. OICW Increment One is a program to develop a family of light kinetic energy weapons, OICW Increment Two is a program to develop the airburst grenade launcher as a standalone component, and OICW Increment Three is a program to re-integrate the two components. The XM8 was developed in an attempt to meet Increment One requirements. Instead a new program known as Lightweight Small Arms Technologies (LSAT) was begun. Meanwhile, the XM25 25×40mm airburst launcher began development to meet the Increment Two requirements. Increment Three will not be initiated until after One and Two are completed.
The OICW Increment One Request for Proposals was cancelled in October 2005, while development of the 25×40mm XM25 continued, and the 25×59mm OCSW program as well until its termination. It is not clear if LSAT is intended to meet the goals of OICW Increment One or if it is a standalone weapon system. However, for all intents and purposes, the OICW program is no longer under development.
Modern Firearms – XM29 OICWAlliant TechsystemsHeckler & Koch (English – United States)HK Pro – Detailed information
{{HK firearms Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1996 5.56×45mm NATO assault rifles Abandoned military projects of the United States Assault rifles of Germany Assault rifles of the United States Grenade launchers of Germany Grenade launchers of the United States Trial and research firearms of Germany Trial and research firearms of the United States Bullpup firearms Heckler & Koch rifles Multiple-barrel firearms
Objective Individual Combat Weapon program
The Objective Individual Combat Weapon or OICW was the next-generation service rifle competition that was under development as part of the United States Army OICW program; the program was eventually discontinued without bringing the weapon out of ...
in the 1990s. The term SABR (''Selectable Assault Battle Rifle'') was also used at certain points, but is less common.
Overview
Developed byAlliant Techsystems
Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) was an American Aerospace manufacturer, aerospace and arms industry, arms manufacturer headquartered in Arlington County, Virginia. The company operated across 22 states, Puerto Rico, and internationally. ATK reven ...
, with Heckler & Koch
Heckler & Koch GmbH (HK or H&K; ) is a German firearms manufacturer that produces handguns, rifles, submachine guns, and grenade launchers. The company is located in Oberndorf am Neckar, Baden-Württemberg and also has subsidiaries in the United ...
as a major subcontractor, the most commonly seen version of the XM29 consisted of a semi-automatic 20×28mm smart grenade launcher, an underslung " KE" assault carbine
A carbine ( or ) is a long gun that has a barrel shortened from its original length. Most modern carbines are rifles that are compact versions of a longer rifle or are rifles chambered for less powerful cartridges.
The smaller size and ligh ...
(derived from the HK G36 then in its late developmental stage) firing a standard 5.56×45mm NATO round, and a top-mounted computer-assisted sighting system with integrated laser rangefinder
A laser rangefinder, also known as a laser telemeter or laser distance meter, is a rangefinder that uses a laser beam to determine the distance to an object. The most common form of laser rangefinder operates on the time of flight principle by ...
, thermal vision night vision
Night vision is the ability to see in low-light conditions, either naturally with scotopic vision or through a night-vision device. Night vision requires both sufficient spectral range and sufficient intensity range. Humans have poor night v ...
capabilities, and up to 6× optical telescopic sight. Earlier designs used different configurations and setups.
The launcher part has been described variously as a light semi-automatic 20 mm cannon, a grenade launcher, or an airburst weapon. It poses a classification problem, in that it does not fit neatly into any one category. On one hand, it uses much smaller shells and has a much flatter trajectory than grenade launchers. On the other, while its caliber and velocity is more similar to light cannon, it does share traits with other infantry grenade launchers.
Various problems have effectively ended the program as it was originally envisioned, including weight, bulk, and lack of effectiveness of the 20×28 mm airburst round. Upon cancellation in 2004, it was split into three related programs. OICW Increment One is a program to develop a family of light kinetic energy weapons, OICW Increment Two is a program to develop the airburst grenade launcher as a standalone component, and OICW Increment Three is a program to re-integrate the two components. The XM8 was developed in an attempt to meet Increment One requirements. Instead a new program known as Lightweight Small Arms Technologies (LSAT) was begun. Meanwhile, the XM25 25×40mm airburst launcher began development to meet the Increment Two requirements. Increment Three will not be initiated until after One and Two are completed.
The OICW Increment One Request for Proposals was cancelled in October 2005, while development of the 25×40mm XM25 continued, and the 25×59mm OCSW program as well until its termination. It is not clear if LSAT is intended to meet the goals of OICW Increment One or if it is a standalone weapon system. However, for all intents and purposes, the OICW program is no longer under development.
See also
*List of bullpup firearms
The following is a list of firearms designed in a bullpup (i.e., action behind firecontrol/trigger group) configuration.
See also
*Semi-automatic shotgun
*Automatic shotgun
*Combat shotgun
*List of combat shotguns
*List of multiple-barrel fir ...
* List of grenade launchers
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References
External links
Modern Firearms – XM29 OICW
{{HK firearms Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1996 5.56×45mm NATO assault rifles Abandoned military projects of the United States Assault rifles of Germany Assault rifles of the United States Grenade launchers of Germany Grenade launchers of the United States Trial and research firearms of Germany Trial and research firearms of the United States Bullpup firearms Heckler & Koch rifles Multiple-barrel firearms