Heckler & Koch XM29 Objective Individual Combat Weapon

2002 over / under Objective Individual Combat Weapon (OICW) - 5.56x45mm & 20x28mm. This is the most common version mocked up or modeled in videogames.

1999 over / under Objective Individual Combat Weapon (OICW) - 5.56x45mm & 20x28mm. This is the second most depicted version.

The XM29 OICW or SABR ("Selectable Assault Battle Rifle") was an attempt to produce a next-generation hybrid firearm which would combine a "smart" airbursting grenade launcher (a bullpup design based loosely on the Heckler & Koch CAWS shotgun) with a 5.56mm rifle, with the aim of at least partially replacing the M16 rifle, Colt M4 carbine, and M203 grenade launcher. The project began in the 90s as part of the US military's SAMP (Small Arms Master Plan) weapon series, and ran until 2005 when it was cancelled due to failure to meet weight goals; during that time a bewildering array of prototypes and mock-ups were produced, of which the first image to the right is the most widely recognized; this version was produced by Heckler & Koch and Alliant Techsystems Inc. Following cancellation, the program was split into three 'increments;' the first being the development of a new family of lightweight kinetic energy weapons, the second the development of a standalone grenade launcher using the technology that would have been used in the original OICW, and the third the re-integration of the two into a single device.

During the course of the project the 20mm HE module was changed to 25mm due to concerns over the performance of the 20mm projectiles (the 20x28mm round had little propellant for effective direct-fire munitions and a large part of the body of the HEAB projectile was taken up by electronics for the programmable fuze); after the cancellation of the main project, this became the 'increment two' Heckler & Koch XM25 program; this weapon, following field trials, was ultimately defunded as a project (though the concept may continue to be developed further). The Heckler & Koch XM8 was developed in an attempt to meet the requirements of OICW increment one, but this was later cancelled; it is not presently clear if the LSAT program that replaced it is intended to become OICW increment one, though most commentators agree the OICW program is effectively dead.

The underbarrel "kinetic energy module" was a compact carbine rifle based on the Heckler & Koch G36 with some variants using a barrel just 9.8 inches long, though one planned configuration instead used an underbarrel SMG which would later become the Heckler & Koch MP7.

Specifications

Never produced, prototypes from 1990s-2005. Specs are for late-program over / under version.

Type: Combination assault rifle / repeating grenade launcher

Length: 35 inches (890mm)

Weight: 18 lbs (8.2kg) loaded (system goal was 15 pounds)

Calibre: 5.56x45mm NATO & 20x28mm HEAB grenade rounds (later versions may have used 25x40mm or a variant thereof)

Capacity: KE Module: 20, 30-round (STANAG magazines), HE Module: 5-round detachable box magazine

Fire modes: KE Module: Safe, Semi, Auto, HE Module: Safe, Semi

The Objective Individual Combat Weapon (OICW) can be seen in the following films and video games used by the following actors:

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Notation	Date
Universal Soldier: The Return	Jean Claude Van Damme	Luc Devaraux	Mocked up MP5	1999
	Bill Goldberg	Romeo
	Kiana Tom	Maggie
		UniSols
Die Another Day	Will Yun Lee	Colonel Moon	Mocked up G36K	2002

Television

Show	Actor	Character	Notes	Date
Mail Call	Operators	Themselves	fully functional 1999 model	2001

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Crisis Zone			1996 model. Unusable, Used by U.R.D.A. special agent "Tiger"	1999
Delta Force: Land Warrior	OICW			2000
Tactical Ops: Assault on Terror	OICW			2000
Eternal Darkness	OICW			2001
Ghost Recon	OICW		can be used w/o the GL part	2001
Delta Force: Task Force Dagger	OICW			2002
Sum of All Fears, The (VG)	OICW		Cut but usable with mods	2002
Tactical Ops: Assault on Terror	OICW			2002
007: Nightfire	Advanced Individual Munition System-20			2002
Chaser	OICW	With iron sights	incorrect 50-round capacity	2003
Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix	OICW		Extremely complex interface to duplicate HEAB functionality, incorrectly prevents grenades being used in impact mode	2003
Far Cry	OICW Assault Weapon			2004
Ghost Squad	XMW21	With Surefire M900 weaponlight foregrip	Incorrectly hold 100 rounds	2004
Söldner: Secret Wars	HK OICW			2004
Time Crisis: Crisis Zone			1999 model w/o grenade launcher. Unusable, Used by U.R.D.A. special agent "Tiger"	2004
Half-Life 2			Cut Weapon	2004
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory			Unusable, NPC weapon only. Used by South Korean soldiers and New York Army National Guardsmen.	2005
Punisher				2005
Metal Gear Ac!d 2			Late Prototype	2006
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter		With vertical foregrip	not usable	2006

See Also

• Alliant Techsystems - A list of all firearms manufactured by Alliant Techsystems.