Magic Bullets; Military Technology  

Oleh:

[s.n]

Jenis: Article from Bulletin/Magazine
Dalam koleksi: The Economist (http://search.proquest.com/) vol. 402 no. 8767 (Jan. 2012), page 71-72.
Topik: Military Weapons; Research & Development--R&D; Equipment Testing; Ammunition; Firearms; Control Systems

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Perpustakaan Pusat (Semanggi) Nomor Panggil: EE29.69 Non-tandon: 1 (dapat dipinjam: 0) Tandon: tidak ada

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In warfare, an outgunned force that manoeuvres to shoot from behind cover such as rocks or the rim of a ditch can often save itself from an otherwise nearly certain rout. That, at least, was the opinion of Carl von Clausewitz, a Prussian general whose treatise "On War" was the handbook of many 19th-century military men. And modern ones, too. Almost two centuries after Clausewitz committed his thoughts to print, underdog forces such as the Afghan Taliban continue to make deadly use of the art of concealment against technologically superior armies. But not, perhaps, for much longer. For a collaboration between ATK, an American firm, and Heckler & Koch, a German one, has come up with a rifle that negates the advantage of cover which Clausewitz described, by borrowing an idea from one of his contemporaries, Henry Shrapnel. The XM25, as the new gun is known, weighs about 6kg (13lb) and fires a 25mm round. The trick is that instead of having to be aimed directly at the target, this round need only be aimed at a place in proximity to it. Once there, it explodes--just like Shrapnel's original artillery shells--and the fragments kill the enemy. It knows when to explode because of a timed fuse. In Shrapnel's shells this fuse was made of gunpowder. In the XM25 it is a small computer inside the bullet that monitors details of the projectile's flight.

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