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- Some call it the Smart Shooter, a new rifle for American
infantry troops that is two weapons in one, is accurate up to 1,000 yards
and in effect fires around corners. Its message to enemies is that they
can run but they can't hide.
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- The futuristic mega-gun is causing alarm among arms-control
specialists who call it the Darth Vader weapon and say that it will cause
enormous carnage among civilians when it inevitably falls into the hands
of terrorists.
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- Still in the development phase, the rifle for 2006 has
just been shown off with great pride by the Pentagon to members of Congress
who will be asked to put up the money. It will not be cheap. Each rifle
will cost as much as £7,500 pounds - 20 times the price of the M16
that it will replace. But, as army officers like to say, they will get
a much bigger bang for their buck. The makers, Alliant Techsystems, say
that the weapon will revolutionise ground combat much as the machine gun.
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- Pentagon jargon has given the new gun an awkward title:
the Objective Individual Combat Weapon. Using one trigger, the rifle can
fire a standard 5.56mm Nato bullet and a 20mm high explosive shell that
will burst in the air. It can spray shrapnel behind, above or even from
the side of enemy troops who have taken cover behind a building. The shell
can be timed to explode after a short delay. The weapon's 1,000-yard accuracy
is twice that of other rifles, made possible by a laser system built into
the sight. This rangefinder fixes the target, measures the distance and
passes it along to a computer chip in the shell.
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- The gunsight has an infrared lens for night vision. It
can also have video camera with a zoom lens that is linked to a video display
attached to the soldier's helmet, allowing him to aim accurately without
exposing himself to enemy return fire. But there are snags still be be
ironed out. Two men were injured when a shell burst in a barrel during
firing tests. The rifle weighs more than 18lb. There are questions whether
its electronic innards will be rugged enough for rain, snow and difficult
terrain.
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- Michael Klare, a professor of peace and world security
issues and a board member of the Arms Control Association, says that the
Pentagon is seeking this combination of firepower and automation to compensate
for the uncertain aim of GIs.
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- He said: "Soldiers won't have to worry about careful
steady aim. They'll just look through the viewfinder and pull the trigger."
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