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
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 by
Alliant Techsystems
Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) was an American aerospace, defense, and sporting goods company with its headquarters in Arlington County, Virginia, in the United States. The company operated in 22 states, Puerto Rico, and other countries. ATK's ...
, with
Heckler & Koch
Heckler & Koch GmbH (HK; ) is a German defense manufacturing company that manufactures handguns, rifles, submachine guns, and grenade launchers. The company is located in Oberndorf am Neckar in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, and also ...
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 lighter ...
(derived from the
HK G36
The Heckler & Koch G36 (Gewehr 36) is a 5.56×45mm assault rifle designed in the early 1990s by German weapons manufacturer Heckler & Koch as a replacement for the heavier 7.62×51mm G3 battle rifle. It was accepted into service with the ''Bu ...
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, 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 sending a laser pulse in ...
,
thermal vision
Infrared thermography (IRT), thermal video and/or thermal imaging, is a process where a thermal camera captures and creates an image of an object by using infrared radiation emitted from the object in a process, which are examples of infrared i ...
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 vi ...
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
The Heckler & Koch XM8 is a lightweight assault rifle system developed from the late 1990s to early 2000s. The rifle was designed by German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch (H&K), and shares design and engineering with their G36 rifle.
...
was developed in an attempt to meet Increment One requirements. Instead a new program known as
Lightweight Small Arms Technologies
The Lightweight Small Arms Technologies (LSAT) program is funded by the U.S. Joint Service Small Arms Program, with the goal of significantly reducing the weight of small arms and their ammunition. Following a series of military programs to investi ...
(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 The OCSW (''Objective Crew Served Weapon'') was a U.S. Military arms program started in the 1980s that led to a hybrid smaller prototype automatic autocannon developed by General Dynamics Armament Systems. It led to the XM312 and XM307 designs.
As ...
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.
References
{{Bullpup Firearms, Rifles=Pindad SS2 Bullpup
Bullpup firearms
A bullpup firearm is one with its fir ...
*
List of grenade launchers
This article lists all forms of grenade launchers around the world, that is to say weapons that launch grenades with more accuracy, a higher velocity and to greater distances than a soldier could.''Small Arms Illustrated'', 2010
Below is the ...
*
80.002
The 80.002 was a combined assault rifle and grenade launcher prototype based on the AK-74. The weapon was developed at TsNIITochMash by Yu.V. Minaev, V.I. Chelikin, and G.A. Yanov between 1975 and 1979. The main difference from the Kalashnikov i ...
*
Advanced Individual Combat Weapon
The Advanced Individual Combat Weapon (AICW) was an Australian prototype combination assault rifle and grenade launcher developed as a technology demonstrator. The AICW combined a standard 5.56 mm assault rifle based on the successful F88 Au ...
*
PAPOP
The PAPOP (PolyArme POlyProjectiles, "multi-projectile multi-weapon") was a French project to construct a computerized infantry weapon for the FÉLIN system, capable of hitting hidden or protected targets. It would have combined a 35 mm gr ...
*
QTS-11
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S&T Daewoo K11
The S&T Daewoo K11 DAW (Dual-barrel Air-burst Weapon) is a multi-weapon resembling the earlier US Objective Individual Combat Weapon in concept, design and operation. It consists of two separate weapons combined into a single unit: a lower assau ...
References
External links
Modern Firearms – XM29 OICWAlliant TechsystemsHeckler & Koch (English – United States)HK Pro – Detailed information
{{HK firearms
Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1996
5.56 mm assault rifles
Abandoned military projects of the United States
Trial and research firearms
Grenade launchers
Personal weapons
Bullpup firearms
Heckler & Koch rifles
Multiple-barrel firearms