Viva Infantry

With lighter armored vehicles returning to the battlefield, I wrote about a year ago that infantry could fight these vehicles that might rely on exotic defenses rather than bulk armor to defeat high-tech anti-tank missiles. One simple option for the light armored targets goes back 100 years:

Of course, perhaps the traditional anti-tank rifle in the 25mm range would make a return to the battlefield.

Strategypage writes about the new XM-25 that can fire several types of 25mm rounds including armor piercing rounds. The weapon and rounds will be cheap enough to pass around infantry units in large numbers:

The current plan is for one or two men per ten man squad would have an XM-25, but only if the weapon proves worth the weight on the battlefield. Useless weapons get left behind or "lost." Each XM-25 will cost $25,000. Each 25mm round costs $25. Even if the XM-25 survives more troop tests, it won't enter regular service for another six years.

If main battle tanks are deemed obsolete by our enemies and they field light armored vehicles, the XM-25 will prove its worth, no doubt. Our infantry wouldn't need to rely on expensive and complicated anti-tank missiles or distant indirect or aerial firepower. They'd have cheap protection organic to each fire team.