An acronym for the XM29 Objective
Individual Combat Weapon, a combination assault rifle-grenade launcher which was being developed for use by Hckler & Koch and Alliant arms, for the
United States Military. It is comprised of two components; the upper component being the
grenade launcher, which fires 20mm airbursting renades, and is magazine-fed, rather than single shot, as is the case with the M203
Grenade Launcher. The lower component is a variation of Heckler & Koch's G36 assault rifle, currently being issued to the German Bundeswehr. The assault rifle part of the weapon fires NATO-standard 5.56x45mm(.223 Remington) Kinetic Energy rounds from a 30-round magazine. The rifle also features a state-of-the-art tactical scope with nightvision, infrared, and zoom capabilities. The XM29 is a mix of both bullpup and standard rifle designs.
The XM29 OICW was being developed from the early 90's until recently by Heckler & Koch, and Alliant Arms. After spending many years and hundreds of thousands of dollars in development, the OICW project was scrapped, after it failed to overcome a few design flaws in its final test stages. It is believed that the OICW -might- still see service with the U.S. Armed Forces, but if so... it will be at a much later date than was originally predicted.
While the OICW was scrapped, development of its 5.56mm Assault Rifle component was continued in the form of the XM8 Compact Assault Rifle, which will most likely begin to replace the aging AR15/M16/M4 family of Assault Rifles, at least in the front lines of the U.S. Armed Forces. The U.S.
Special Forces, however, are having a different weapon developed for tthem in the FN SCAR.
