-Caveat Lector- As lasers come of age, US military tries a first in firearms Soldier's new companion shoots around buildings, with deadly spray By Paul Richter Los Angeles Times, 1/2/2000 WASHINGTON - Since the Vietnam War, the US infantryman's most valued tool has been the M-16, a lightweight, lethal rifle that can spew out torrents of high-speed fire. Soon the Army will be giving the foot soldier a new companion, a high-technology weapon designed to revolutionize the tactics of combat by giving US troops the ability, in effect, to shoot around corners. The new weapon, which looks like a steroid-fed prop from a science-fiction movie, uses lasers to guide shells that explode in the air above concealed enemy soldiers, spraying them with deadly fragments. The shells effectively eliminate the protection provided by the boulders, trenches and walls that have hidden soldiers for centuries. It ''leaves no place to hide,'' said Vernon Shisler, a manager of the Army's development program at Picatinny Arsenal in northwestern New Jersey. When it is put in the hands of soldiers, several years from now, the Objective Individual Combat Weapon will give US forces the edge that has been built into tanks, aircraft, and artillery, according to its advocates. They say the weapon will be especially well suited for the urban battlefields of the future, in places like Somalia and Chechnya, where cover is plentiful. Yet big challenges remain: The rifle weighs 18.6 pounds, compared with 8.5 pounds for the M-16. It is not clear whether its miniature works can stand up to weather, dirt, and battlefield handling. And the price is steep: an estimated $10,000 to $12,000 per weapon, compared with about $586 for the M-16. In addition, ordinary foot soldiers must undergo more training to operate the rifle. Soldiers who conducted the first field test trained for 30 days, and a few said that they had problems mastering the laser aiming device. High-tech weapon systems can give US forces a decisive edge but only if they are simple and reliable enough to work when they are needed most. And at a time when recruiting quality personnel is becoming increasingly difficult, the complexity of modern weaponry mandates ever-smarter and better-trained soldiers. The new firearm is, in effect, two weapons in one. It has one barrel that shoots a 5.56-millimeter shell and is intended to be used like an M-16 for close-range fighting. Sitting atop that barrel is a second that fires 20-millimeter air-burst shells. The larger shells function like small grenades, spraying deadly shrapnel for several feet in every direction. The weapon's most revolutionary feature is the way it uses a laser and computer to get at enemies who are concealed up to 3,280 feet away. That's nearly two-thirds of a mile and about twice the effective range of the M-16. The rifle has been designed to use sensors that intensify low light and others that track heat so it can be used at night. Based on preliminary tests, the Army believes that the rifle will give soldiers about five times the ability to incapacitate the enemy that they have now with the closest equivalent weapon, an M-16 mounted with an M-203 grenade launcher. Indeed, development of the weapon has alarmed arms control advocates, who are already warning that it will cause civilian carnage in the developing countries when guerrillas get hold of American models or knockoffs. ''This is going to be a real danger, in urban settings, where there's fighting going on with civilians all around,'' said Michael T. Klare, a small-arms expert and member of the Arms Control Association. ''And you can bet this will fall into the hands of some pretty bad people.'' French and Australian armed forces already are trying to develop their own versions. Army officials predict that other nations and groups, including potential enemies, are likely to have a version of the rifle within two years of the time the American model is available. The rifle has been in development since the mid-1980s, when planning was begun by a team headed by retired Army General Barry R. McCaffrey, who is now director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. He then was assistant commandant of the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Ga. A 100-man infantry company may fire 50,000 rounds of ammunition during the first few hours of a battle. But most of that will be expended as suppressive fire, just ''to keep people under cover,'' McCaffrey said. With its ability to get at hidden troops, the weapon ''really represents revolutionary change.'' How would the other side respond? Enemy troops no longer would be able to hover at the edge of cover but would be forced to fire from farther behind walls, where they are not within the air-burst shell's ''blast radius.'' Or they could try to hide themselves better. ''It will reduce their options,'' said Colonel Frank Stone, director of combat development at the Infantry School. The rifle, being built by Alliant Techsystems of Hopkins, Minn., is to be issued to some units in 2007. The rifle initially is to be given only to some members of each nine-man infantry squad. Advocates say that eventually it will be used by most members. Yet even the weapon's most passionate supporters acknowledge that several hurdles must be cleared before the weapon is in wide use. The rifle must be slimmed down to 14 or perhaps even 12 pounds. It must prove itself durable and reliable. And it must win the acceptance of infantrymen. ''It's a great concept, but I'm not sure it's very durable yet,'' said 1st Lieutenant Joshua Norbury, 25, of Ruidoso, N.M. ''It needs some more development.'' This story ran on page A04 of the Boston Globe on 1/2/2000. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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