 An early XM8 mockup after the break up; became part of OICW Increment 1
 A working XM25 prototype is tested in 2005; this was part of OICW Increment 2
 OICW prototype; similar to the planned OICW Increment 3
 Early Springfield Armory SPIW prototype (Circa 1964)
 Final Springfield Armory SPIW prototype (Circa 1966) The Objective Individual Combat Weapon or OICW refers to the next-generation service rifle competition that was under development as part of the United States Army OICW program. The acronym OICW is often used to refer to the whole program. Image File history File links Early XM8 mockup Taken from http://www. ...
Image File history File links Early XM8 mockup Taken from http://www. ...
ImageMetadata File history File links OCPAXM25test2005. ...
ImageMetadata File history File links OCPAXM25test2005. ...
Image File history File links Objective Individual Combat Weapon Source: http://afsf. ...
Image File history File links Objective Individual Combat Weapon Source: http://afsf. ...
Image File history File links A_spiw_proto. ...
Image File history File links A_spiw_proto. ...
Image File history File links Spiw_prototype. ...
Image File history File links Spiw_prototype. ...
A rifle is a firearm that uses a spiral groove cut into the barrel to spin a projectile (usually a bullet), thus improving accuracy and range of the projectile. ...
The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces that has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ...
It was started in the aftermath of the Advanced Combat Rifle (or ACR) during the 1980s. Like the ACR program that came before it in the 1980s, it has largely been a failure in terms of achieving the specific program goals (e.g. replacing M16) and has cost millions of dollars, but has resulted in many innovative weapons and weapon concepts as well as offshoot programs of its own. The Advanced Combat Rifle was a US Army program to find a replacement for the venerable M16 assult rifle. ...
The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ...
Background of the OICW project
Development The central idea of the program was to develop a rifle that enabled the attacking of targets behind cover by using airburst munitions. The munitions were to be much smaller than pre-existing grenades and grenade launchers, but large enough to be effective. The idea was refined into a combination of a short assault rifle and semi-automatic, low-velocity cannon firing air-bursting munitions. A hand grenade is a hand-held bomb, made to be thrown by a soldier. ...
A grenade launcher is a weapon that fires, or launches a grenade. ...
M16A2 (U.S.). This version was adopted in 1982 An assault rifle is a type of automatic rifle generally defined as a selective fire rifle or carbine, chambering intermediate-powered ammunition. ...
A small cast-iron cannon on a carriage A cannon is any large tubular firearm designed to fire a heavy projectile over a considerable distance. ...
The winners of the first competition for the project during the 1990s were ATK and firearms manufacturer Heckler & Koch and with the XM-29 OICW. They went onto build numerous prototypes of the rifle for the United States military in the late 1990s. These projects centered on using a programmable 20mm airburst munition-firing rifle by itself or with other projectile-based weapons attached. The 20 mm launcher was analyzed in various configurations, including a launcher by itself, with a 5.56mm weapon (based on the HK G36), or with a MP7 submachine gun. At the time, both those weapons were still in development, with the U.S. effectively indirectly subsidizing two commercial H&K products. Heckler & Koch Logo Heckler & Koch GmbH (H&K) is a German weapons manufacturing company famous for various series of small firearms, notably the MP5 submachine gun, the MP7 personal defense weapon, the extremely precise sniper rifle PSG1, and the G3 and G36 assault rifles. ...
The XM29 Objective Individual Combat Weapon (OICW), also referred to as the Selectable Assault Battle Rifle, is a highly advanced new assault rifle / grenade launcher system slated to replace certain M-16 assault rifles with M203 underslung grenade launcher. ...
H&K G36 The Heckler und Koch Gewehr Model 36 (company designation G36, Bundeswehr designation ) is a modular weapon system designed in West Germany in the 1980s and 1990s. ...
Caliber: 4. ...
MP5KA4 9 x 19 mm with 3-round burst trigger group A submachine gun is a firearm that combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the ammunition of a pistol, and is usually between the two in weight and size. ...
By the early 2000s, the weapon had settled on a design and was classified as the XM29. However, the weapon had serious problems - it did not meet weight or cost targets, and the 20mm smart grenades did not seem to be lethal enough in testing.
This resulted in the army starting development on new weapons, and finally shelving the XM29 in 2004. The kinetic energy component split off into the XM8 rifle program and the airburst component developed into the XM25 airburst weapon. According to a presentation by Major Kevin Finch, Chief of the Small Arms Division of the Directorate of Combat Developments at the U.S. Army Infantry Center, there were three main parts to the OICW program. The XM8 is the project name for a lightweight, compact assault rifle under development by the German small arms manufacturer Heckler und Koch (H&K) on behalf of the US Army. ...
The XM25 is an airburst grenade launcher derived from the XM-29 OICW. It fires 25 mm grenades that can be set to explode in mid-air after traveling a certain distance. ...
Major is a military rank denoting an officer of mid-level command status. ...
Increment 1 (OICW 1) was a competition for a whole weapon system family similar to the XM8. The weapon system was to potentially replace the M4 carbine, M16 rifle, M249 light machine gun and some M9 pistols. Other arms companies had contended that the OICW project goals had changed enough to warrant another competition. Potential challengers could include a weapons system based on an updated M16, the Steyr AUG, the aforementioned FN SCAR, and potentially any other manufacturer that fulfilled the Army requirements for participating. It also listed the shotgun being replaced by a modular shotgun system (XM26 LSS) mounted on the OICW 1 winner. The XM8 is the project name for a lightweight, compact assault rifle under development by the German small arms manufacturer Heckler und Koch (H&K) on behalf of the US Army. ...
The M4 Carbine traces its lineage back to earlier carbine versions of the M16, all based on the original AR-15 made by Armalite. ...
M16 is the U.S. Military designation for a family of rifles derived from the ArmaLite AR-15. ...
Caliber: 5. ...
A Home Army (Polish resistance) soldier equipped with an Brno ZB26 LMG during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. ...
Steyr AUG refers to a family of firearms, first introduced in 1977 by the Austrian company Steyr Mannlicher. ...
FN SCAR Light, fitted with aimpointand forward vertical grip. ...
M4 carbine with XM-26 LSS The XM-26 Lightweight Shotgun System (LSS) is an under-barrel shotgun attachment for the M16/M4 family of assault rifles. ...
The Increment 1 portion was put on an eight-week hold in July 2005, primarily to take into account input and needs of other services. On October 31, 2005, the OICW I program was cancelled. The reason given for the cancellation was stated as: "This action has been taken in order for the Army to reevaluate its priorities for small caliber weapons, and to incorporate emerging requirements identified during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Government will also incorporate studies looking into current capability gaps during said reevaluation." For other uses of the term, see Iraq war (disambiguation) The 2003 invasion of Iraq (also called the 2nd or 3rd Persian Gulf War) began on March 20, 2003, when forces belonging primarily to the United States and the United Kingdom invaded Iraq arguably without the explicit backing of the...
OICW Increment 2 was a stand-alone airburst weapon (the (XM25). This is a standalone launcher that uses bigger 25 mm munition, and was intended to be a special applications and support weapon, not an individual combat weapon as previous models were. In 2005, the weapon underwent limited field trials and combat testing. The XM25 is an airburst grenade launcher derived from the XM-29 OICW. It fires 25 mm grenades that can be set to explode in mid-air after traveling a certain distance. ...
OICW Increment 3 was the XM29. The M203 was listed as being replaced by a combination of Increments 2 and 3. The M249 was also to be partially replaced by a lightweight MG (LMGA, now LSAT), which was listed as being the successor to the M60 and M240. Caliber: 7. ...
M240B pictured Caliber: 7. ...
Overview of OICW related weapons
 In the late 1990s the MP7 was conceptualized as the kinetic energy component of the SABR (later XM29); the XM29 was put on hold, but the MP7 entered production in 2001 In the aftermath of the ACR program, the OICW program began. There were two main contenders, one design by AAI and its companies, and the other by ATK (with H&K and other companies); ATK and H&K won. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1332x924, 202 KB) Author Pibwl German submachine gun PDW-class HK MP7 File links The following pages link to this file: Heckler & Koch MP7 Objective Individual Combat Weapon program ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1332x924, 202 KB) Author Pibwl German submachine gun PDW-class HK MP7 File links The following pages link to this file: Heckler & Koch MP7 Objective Individual Combat Weapon program ...
Caliber: 4. ...
- Original OICW Concept, OICW program targets drafted (circa 1980s/early 1990s)
- OICW concepts/prototypes in 1990s
- 20 mm smart grenade and 5.56 mm rifle in side by side configuration
- 20 mm smart grenade stand alone unit
- 20 mm smart grenade and MP7
- 20 mm smart grenade and 5.56 mm rifle in over-under configuration (XM29 OICW)
- Program temporarily suspended circa 2004. Restarted with separate 'increments' for different weapons.
- Some weapon programs involved with, stemming from, or using technology from the OICW project
- XM1018 (HEAB Ammunition)
- XM8 (5.56 kinetic energy component)
- XM25 (Uses low velocity 25 mm smart airburst munition)
- XM109 (Uses 'high velocity' 25 mm 'dumb' version of smart munition)
- XM307 ACSW) (Uses 'high velocity' 25 mm smart airburst munition; autocannon)
- XM312 (.50 BMG version of XM307)
- MK47 (Mk 47 Mod 0) (40 mm automatic grenade launcher capable of using smart 40 mm airburst grenades)
- Land warrior
- XM26 LSS (A lightweight shotgun attachment)
- XM320 (40 mm grenade launcher)
 One tester is kneeling with a XM8 Carbine and XM320 attached, the other has the XM8 sharpshooter Caliber: 4. ...
The XM29 OICW (Objective Individual Combat Weapon) was the name for a series of prototypes of a new type of battle rifle that fired 20mm airburst grenades. ...
The XM8 is the project name for a lightweight, compact assault rifle under development by the German small arms manufacturer Heckler und Koch (H&K) on behalf of the US Army. ...
The XM25 is an airburst grenade launcher derived from the XM-29 OICW. It fires 25 mm grenades that can be set to explode in mid-air after traveling a certain distance. ...
The Barrett XM109 is a 25 mm sniper rifle still under development by the Barrett Firearms Company. ...
The OCSW (Objective Crew Served Weapon) is a prototype automatic grenade launcher developed by General Dynamics Armament Systems. ...
M4 carbine with XM-26 LSS The XM-26 Lightweight Shotgun System (LSS) is an under-barrel shotgun attachment for the M16/M4 family of assault rifles. ...
Caliber: 40x46 mm grenade Firearm action: Single-shot, Double action Barrel length: 11 in (280 mm) Overall length: 13. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3008x2000, 3305 KB)PEO XM8 prototype testing. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3008x2000, 3305 KB)PEO XM8 prototype testing. ...
See also Weapons: Programs/Projects: The XM8 is the project name for a lightweight, compact assault rifle under development by the German small arms manufacturer Heckler und Koch (H&K) on behalf of the US Army. ...
The XM25 is an airburst grenade launcher derived from the XM-29 OICW. It fires 25 mm grenades that can be set to explode in mid-air after traveling a certain distance. ...
The XM29 Objective Individual Combat Weapon (OICW), also referred to as the Selectable Assault Battle Rifle, is a highly advanced new assault rifle / grenade launcher system slated to replace certain M-16 assault rifles with M203 underslung grenade launcher. ...
Lists: The Special Purpose Individual Weapon (SPIW) was a long-running US Army program to develop a workable flechette-based rifle. Developed primarily by Irwin Barr, one of the founders of AAI (Aircraft Armaments Inc. ...
The Advanced Combat Rifle was a US Army program to find a replacement for the venerable M16 assult rifle. ...
The HK CAWS, or Close Assault Weapon System, was an assault shotgun co-produced by Heckler and Koch and Winchester/Olin during the 1980s. ...
The Advanced Individual Combat Weapon (AICW) is a prototype assault rifle being developed in Australia. ...
 The final four ACR program test entrants Pistol: .38 Pistol M9 (Beretta 92 FS 9mm) M11 Pistol (SIG P228) M1911 M1917 Mk 23 Mod 0 Shotguns: Winchester M1897 Trench Gun Mossberg 590 Remington 870 Winchester 1200 Benelli Super 90 12 ga. ...
Rocket launchers, grenade launchers, and machine guns FIM-92 Stinger FOTT Javelin M2 machine gun M242 Bushmaster Chain gun M19 (Mk19) Grenade launcher M37 M47 Dragon M60 machine gun M73 M85 M219 M220 TOW M240 M1919 OCSW Mortars M29 81 mm mortar M30 107 mm mortar M120 120 mm mortar...
List of terms, acronyms, information, related to modern infantry, infantry weapons, military, or firerarms in general. ...
ImageMetadata File history File links NIMcase444ACRtest. ...
ImageMetadata File history File links NIMcase444ACRtest. ...
External links |
Feeds |
Contact