History

The XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement (CDTE) System, also known as the Punisher, is an air burst grenade launcher derived from the XM29 OICW. It was fielded to soldiers serving in the War in Afghanistan and is projected to enter full-rate procurement in 2011.

In the summer of 2010, the United States Army began field testing the XM25 in Afghanistan, with an initial per unit cost of the early models range from US$30,000 to $35,000. The Army plans to purchase 12,500 XM25s in 2011 at a cost of $25,000 each and have them fielded by 2012, enough for one XM25 system in each infantry squad and special forces team. According to U.S. Army project manager for new weapons, Colonel Douglas Tamilio, the rounds for the XM25 will cost about $24 apiece. 
Alliant Techsystems has indicated that the rifle may later use bullets with smaller explosive charges which will stun opponents rather than killing them.
 
Five of the weapons were deployed with the 101st Airborne Division in Afghanistan in October of 2010, along with 1,000 hand-made air-burst rounds. The soldiers reported that the weapon was extremely effective at killing or neutralizing enemy combatants firing on US troops from covered positions. The US troops have nicknamed the weapon, "The Punisher." First contact was 3 December 2010. As of February 2011, the weapon has been fired 55 times at a price of $1000 each, but price is expected to be $35 per shot when in full production, scheduled from 2012.

It fires 25 mm grenades that are set to explode in mid-air at or near the target. A laser rangefinder in the weapon is used to determine the distance to the target. The user can manually adjust the detonating distance by up to 10 feet (3.0 m) shorter or longer; the XM25 automatically transmits the detonating distance to the grenade in the firing chamber. The grenade tracks the distance it has traveled by the number of spiral rotations after it is fired,[2] then detonates at the proper distance to produce an air burst effect. These features make the XM25 more effective than traditional grenade launchers at the task of hitting targets that are behind cover or dug into the ground (i.e. in defilade.) One of the weapon's developers, Richard Audette, believes that the XM25 is a big leap forward because it is the first small arms weapon to use smart technology.
 
The system has been developed by Heckler & Koch and Alliant Techsystems, while the target acquisition/fire control is developed by L-3 IOS Brashear.

Singleplayer/Spec-Ops

The weapon appears in the first campaign mission, "Black Tuesday." It also appears in the spec ops mission "Flood the Market". It differs from the multiplayer XM25 in that it is bolt-action rather than semi-automatic, and it doesn't require the player to lase a target for airburst, as the grenades automatically explode when they are in proximity of an enemy.

Multiplayer

The XM25 is unlocked at Level 52 in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer. The XM25 functions differently from a regular grenade launcher - when the player aims down the sights, they can mark the distance to the point they are looking at by pressing the sprint button. After a distance is marked and the player shoots, the grenade will explode upon reaching one metre past that distance. The grenades also have a linear trajectory. It is a semi-automatic grenade launcher, with a capacity of 4 rounds.

Damage-wise, it is almost completely incapable of killing an uninjured opponent in 1 shot, as it's sometimes possible for targets to survive even direct hits, making one-shot kills extremely unlikely. Therefore, multiple shots are frequently required to take out a single enemy. The aiming system allows for a user to fire it through windows to dispatch of any enemies seeking cover behind the sides of the window, making it excellent at eliminating snipers firing from windows. The rate of fire possible allows it to kill any targets that it indirectly hits in a short amount of time over long distances. Despite the decent rate of fire, it is not advised to use the XM25 in close to mid-range in open areas, as without a direct hit, most conventional weapons will be able to kill faster.

Challenges