The United States has funded development of a replacement for the M16 rifle. In the 1990s, the US spent millions on the Objective Individual Combat Weapon program, to create a more advanced combat rifle. The XM29 OICW rifle design was finalized in in the early 2000s- it featured an integrated laser rangefinder, thermal vision and night vision capabilities, and an integral smart grenade launcher. The project was cancelled in 2004. The American XM8 rifle was another experimental development. Based on the Heckler & Koch G36 it had similar features, but added electronics such as a laser sight, round counter, and integral infrared and visible lights. The XM8 was a modular design: the rifle could fulfill different roles by changing the parts.
Although PR, to date, is accurate with the M16, they may want to consider making this weapon in the near future to adapt to this change.
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IMO, the XM-8 is the sexiest weapon ever.. Plus with Sharpshooter, Automatic Rifle, and Compact Varients, the same model can be used for many different varients.
