Military technology on tap for 2015: Precision mortars, improved M40, IED detectors


Soldiers with Battery C, 1st Battalion, 321st Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 18th Fires Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, fire 155 mm rounds using an M777 Howitzer weapons system, on Forward Operating Base Bostick, Afghanistan, 2009. (U.S. Army) more >

By Douglas Ernst - The Washington Times - Friday, December 26, 2014

The Pentagon has a full slate of weapons ready to test in 2015, some of which may see action on the battlefield before the end of the year.

New technology for detecting improvised explosive devices, an improved version of the M40 — the M40A6 — and the 81mm Non-Lethal InDirect Fire Munition (NL-IDFM) are just some of the weapons scheduled to undergo a battery of tests, Marine Corps Times reported Wednesday.

The Defense Department believes the NL-IDFM, which can deliver 14 flash-bang grenade rounds on a target, will improve troops’ ability to usher noncombatants from an area and to suppress enemy fire from civilian areas.
SEE ALSO: Laser-guided ‘Excalibur’ artillery shell shopped to Army, Navy
The Marines will also test a guided mortar weapon, Precision Extended Range Munition (PERM), that can target enemies up to 12 miles away, the Times reported.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...#ixzz3N2WGKQpv