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Heckler & Koch XM8
The Heckler & Koch XM8 is a modular assault rifle system designed by Heckler & Koch. Originally conceived as the assault rifle portion of the XM29 OICW, the XM8 was designed in 2002 as a possible replacement for the M4 carbine and M16 rifle series and is heavily based on Heckler & Koch's G36 rifle series. The XM8 is designed to be highly modular, with the ability to quickly swap parts or add attachments as the situation called for it. Prototypes were presented to the United States Army for testing in 2002. Complaints were immediately leveled at the weapon's high weight, handguard that melted under sustained fire, and low battery life of the integrated optical sight. Despite later improvements to the design, talks to procure the rifle were cancelled in 2005 for a number of reasons. The rifle still fell short of military technical requirements, and was hampered by legislation that favored American arms manufacturers and funding restrictions. Furthermore, the XM8 originally did not include Picatinny rails and is not compatible with the STANAG magazines used by the majority of US military small arms. The XM8 instead uses a proprietary attachment system known as PCAP (Picatinny Combat Attachment Points), which take the form of oval-shaped holes in the handguard.
Despite the XM8 falling out of favor with the United States, Malaysia demonstrated interest in the design and purchased a number of rifles in 2010. The XM8 is currently only in use with Malaysia's Pasukan Khas Laut (Naval Special Warfare Forces) or PASKAL. The XM8 currently in use with PASKAL is the "Spiral 3" XM8, which features a top Picatinny rail.
The Heckler & Koch XM8 and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Heckler & Koch XM8 Carbine
Basic carbine variant with a 12.5 inch barrel.
Specifications
(2003-2004) (prototypes only)
- Type: Assault Rifle
- Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
- Weight: 16.5 lbs (7.5 kg)
- Length: 33 in (83.8 cm)
- Barrel length: 12.5 in (31.8 cm)
- Feed System: 30-round box mag, 100-round C-Mag drum mag
- Fire Modes: Semi-Auto/Full-Auto
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Notation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XXX: State of the Union | Ice Cube | Darius Stone | Dressed up G36C | 2005 |
| John G. Connolly | Alabama Cobb | |||
| Samuel L. Jackson | Augustus Gibbons | |||
| Deckard's operatives | ||||
| Children of Men | British soldiers | Airsoft replica | 2006 | |
| District 13: Ultimatum | French soldiers | Airsoft replica | 2009 |
Television
| Title | Actor | Character | Notation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mail Call | R. Lee Ermey | Himself | 2006 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Söldner: Secret Wars | 2004 | |||
| Conflict: Global Terror | XM8 Assault Rifle / M8 Assault Rifle | w/ Heckler & Koch XM320 | 2005 | |
| Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory | not usable | 2005 | ||
| Rainbow Six: Vegas | M8 | w/ various attachments | Malaysian version | 2006 |
| Splinter Cell: Double Agent | not usable | 2006 | ||
| Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter | M8 | w/ optional Heckler & Koch XM320 | 2006 | |
| Alliance of Valiant Arms | 2007 | |||
| Crysis | SCAR | w/ various attachments | 2007 | |
| Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 | M8 | w/ optional Heckler & Koch XM320 | PC only | 2007 |
| Soldier of Fortune: Payback | w/ various attachments | usable in PS3 and X360 versions | 2007 | |
| Cross Fire | "XM8" | 2007 | ||
| Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 | seen in intro cinematic | 2008 | ||
| Combat Arms | XM8 | EU version only | 2008 | |
| Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 | M8 | w/ various attachments | Malaysian version | 2008 |
| Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots | XM8 | w/ Heckler & Koch XM320 | 2008 | |
| Counter-Strike Online | 2008 | |||
| Saints Row 2 | AR-50 XMAC | 2008 | ||
| Battlefield: Bad Company | XM8 | w/ Heckler & Koch XM320 | 2008 | |
| Mercenaries 2: World in Flames | Combat Rifle | w/ 40-round capacity | 2008 | |
| ArmA II | 2009 | |||
| The House of the Dead: Overkill | Assault Rifle | 2009 | ||
| Alpha Protocol | not usable | 2010 | ||
| Battlefield: Bad Company 2 | XM8 | w/ Heckler & Koch XM320 | 2010 | |
| Shadow Harvest: Phantom Ops | XM8 | early version | 2011 | |
| Battlefield Play4Free | With optics replaced with iron sights or optional EOTech or Sightmark Sure Shot red dot sight | 2011 | ||
| Crysis 2 | SCAR | w/ various attachments | w/ Remington ACR elements | 2011 |
| Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 | M8A1 | w/ rail system and various attachments | 2012 | |
| Warface | w/ various attachments | 2013 | ||
| Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 | used by guards | 2013 | ||
| State of Decay | "XM8" | with Insight ISM-V sight | added in Lifeline DLC (2014) | 2013 |
| Battlefield 2042 | 2021 |
Anime
| Title | Character | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rideback | GGP forces | 2006 |
Heckler & Koch XM8 Compact Carbine
Compact assault rifle variant with a 9 inch barrel and collapsible stock, intended for use as a personal defense weapon.
Specifications
(2003-2004) (prototypes only)
- Type: Compact Assault Rifle
- Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
- Barrel length: 9 in (22.9 cm)
- Feed System: 30-round box mag, 100-round C-Mag drum mag
- Fire Modes: Semi-Auto/Full-Auto
Television
| Title | Actor | Character | Notes | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mail Call | R. Lee Ermey | Himself | w/ collapsing stock | 2006 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conflict: Global Terror | XM8 Submachine Gun / M8 Submachine Gun | w/ suppressor | 2005 | |
| Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter | M8 Compact | w/ optional suppressor | has incorrect 3-round burst mode | 2006 |
| Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 | M8 Compact | PC only | 2007 | |
| Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots | not usable | 2008 | ||
| ArmA II | 2009 | |||
| Clive Barker's Jericho | X-86 | w/ fictional hi-tech scope | fires 5.7x28mm rounds | 2009 |
| Battlefield: Bad Company | XM8C | w/ suppressor | 2009 | |
| Battlefield: Bad Company 2 | XM8 Compact | w/ suppressor | 2010 | |
| Battlefield Play4Free | XM8C | With optional EOTech or Sightmark Sure Shot red dot sight | classified as an SMG | 2011 |
| Warface | classified as an SMG | 2013 | ||
| Battlefield 2042 | 2021 |
Heckler & Koch XM8 Sharpshooter Rifle
Designated marksman rifle variant with a 20 inch barrel and the ability to use a folding bipod and 4x optic.
Specifications
(2003-2004) (prototypes only)
- Type: Designated Marksman Rifle
- Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
- Barrel length: 20 in (50.8 cm)
- Feed System: 30-round box mag, 100-round C-Mag drum mag
- Fire Modes: Semi-Auto/Full-Auto
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conflict: Global Terror | XM8 Sniper Rifle / M8 Sniper Rifle | Magazine holds 10 rounds | 2005 | |
| Blacksite: Area 51 | 5-round capacity | 2007 | ||
| Counter-Strike Online | 2008 | |||
| Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots | not usable | 2008 | ||
| ArmA II | 2009 | |||
| Jonathan Kane The Protector | 2009 | |||
| Warface | AC7 SNR | 2013 |
Heckler & Koch XM8 Automatic Rifle
Squad automatic weapon variant with a 20 inch heavy barrel and integrated bipod, intended to be used with a 100-round Beta C-Mag.
Specifications
(2003-2004) (prototypes only)
- Type: Light Machine Gun
- Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
- Barrel length: 20 in (50.8 cm)
- Feed System: 30-round box mag, 100-round C-Mag drum mag
- Fire Modes: Semi-Auto/Full-Auto
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conflict: Global Terror | XM8 Squad Automatic Weapon / M8 Squad Automatic Weapon | 2005 | ||
| Battlefield: Bad Company | With iron sights | 2008 | ||
| ArmA II | Only available via mission editor | 2009 | ||
| Battlefield: Bad Company 2 | With iron sights, with & without ACOG scope and red dot sight | 2010 | ||
| Battlefield Play4Free | With bipod removed, optic replaced with iron sights or optional EOTech or Sightmark Sure Shot red dot sight | 2011 | ||
| Warface | 2013 |
See Also
- Alliant Techsystems - A list of all firearms manufactured by Alliant Techsystems.
