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Canada's Next-Generation Military Smart Gun Unveiled
Zothecula writes Looking every bit like a weapon from a science fiction movie, the latest integrated assault rifle prototype being developed for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is packed with some very smart weapons technology. Along with the ability to fire new lightweight telescoped ammunition, and a secondary effects module that adds either a three-round 40 mm grenade launcher or a 12-gauge shotgun, there is also a NATO-standard power and data bus to allow the attachment of smart accessories, such as electro-optical sights and position sensors that connect to command and control networks.
the real problem appears to be dumb politicians / world leaders . I wonder if anyone is workin on them .
I bet this was not designed by a soldier. Try dragging all that high-tech through the mud and sand then see if it still works.
That was my first thought, although I was a Marine, not a soldier. To a grunt, the most important characteristics in a weapon are:
1. Reliability
2. Weight
3. Maintenance
They are carrying these things for 16 or 18 hours per day, along with the ammunition. That is exhausting, and exhausted soldiers are not alert and make dumb mistakes that get people killed. When they finally stop the patrol, and go into a defensive position, they do not want to spend the next two hours disassembling and cleaning some complicated piece of equipment. Not every man needs a grenade launcher. One or two per squad is enough, and it is better if it is a separate weapon. I have never met a single grunt that believes replacing the M79 with the M203 was a good idea. Yet TFA compares this new weapon to the M203.