US Military, every couple of years: "We really need to modernize our arsenal. Let's tell everybody our high standards and see what they come up with." World's top weapons manufacturers: "We invested gazillions into the development of this new weapon system which meets all your demands and even superceeds some of them. What do you say?" US Military: "Yeah, you know, we decided to just stick with what we have, thanks."
I feel like Ian has broke into the secret vault of H&K and is just fiddling around with all the guns and making as many videos before he is found by the staff
it's the whole opposite.. we put brass in varios calibers on the ground like a trail and he follows to all the unviewed guns. It's like Hänsel und Gretel or Schnipseljagd for gunnerds
Manufacturers: This is your standard rifle Ordinance: Yes Manufacturers: And you want to replace it Ordinance: Yup Manufacturers: So if i make you a new one thats better and meets all the requirements you'll use it right? Ordinance: That makes sense to me Manufacturers: Okay here it is Ordinance: I dont want it
Same thing happened to Level 4 Dragon Skin, they were a small Company who built a better Cheaper Armor system then the Military Procurement and Logistics division, banned it for "basic Flaws" , before they officially started Testing it . The Testers who were civilian and Lower Military had their superiors order them out of the testing areas while they " conducted Testing" then it was given a fail. Since it wasn't a big multi million or billion dollar defense company with a high salaried board to have positions for Retired DOD and Army Logistics personnel the product was scrapped and the tiny company was sued with false allegations and lawsuits that they didn't have the funds to fight so they went bankrupt. Moral of the Story from the Xm8 and Dragon Skin, is don't try and do what the military industrial complex does ,with a superior product, unless you can afford to bribe them in some way.
@@blamalam7257 No it failed because it not as good as what people seem to think. 1. It weighs over 10 pounds more that the IOTV. 2. After being subjected to heat then dropped most of the scales fell to the bottom of the vest. 3. At certain angles it couldn't stop rifle rounds. 4. At certain angles shrapnel also couldn't be stopped. 5. In the motor oil test the vest was rendered completely unless. (these are all test the other vests passed) The NBC and Future Weapon tests that everyone likes to point to as evidence the Dragon Skin is the best was not conducted to battlefield requirements. They were controlled tests put on by Pinnacle Armor.
@@davelowesky8054 the marines are trying to push to the hk416 also my service rifle in the army was an FN not a colt so it's not uncommon for the us to use foreign weapons
I feel like Ian just materialises into Rock Island auction and the h&k hq with his Camera equipment and fresh muffins for everyone and no one even bats an eye and the new guys think he's just one of those cryptid employees
I get the feeling that in an alternate universe where the XM8 was picked up, we eventually went to Mars, discovered the Prothean archive and started using the Mass Effect...
@@anD-vf7ld hard to tell with the grey felt covering, but the one Ian have was fairly new when he installed it, so unless the grey room got built recently i doubt it.
I remember when I was a teenager and we all thought once we got our time over at the sandbox we'd be using heads up display equipped helmets, OICW's or M8's, have individual comms and computers, and handheld drones. Man, we got about a third of the way there.
Funny that Military Higher-ups wanted their next generation rifle to take inspiration from a movie that satirizes and criticizes war. Also Bad Company 2 is just the best.
@Switch Kick How so? I'm not arguing for either side of this debate, I'm just saying that it's kind of funny. I have absolutely nothing against the weapon itself.
My theory about the "Starship Trooper" request is that the military is careful to maintain appeal with potential recruits. Seeing images of American soldiers with ugly rifles might be a nonstarter for a 17 year old, let's be honest.
They look exactly like I'd expect military hardware to look, honestly. Obviously designed to be mass-produced, but highly-functional in a specific way.
i used to love the look of it as a kid, now it looks like a bugatti. all round and ugly looking. materials look like it came out of toys r us, and the attachment system looks like it was made for 10 year olds. just my change in opinion
I'm not a gun enthusiast myself, but I keep coming back because I really appreciate Ian's mechanical breakdowns, and the interesting history behind a lot of these firearms. Nice work Ian!
At first glance, I said to myself, "This thing looks like a toy no wonder they didn't adopt it.". But after giving it some thought, I realized that by making it look and function like a toy you essentially make it "idiot proof". And then I remembered that this is a European Gun Manufacturer trying to pitch a product to the US Military. It all made sense from that point on.
@@chrinii you can actually get aftermarket ammo counters for both real guns and their airsoft versions, that mount to picatinny rails. its pretty cool, and somewhat useful depending on situation
The ak Russian baionet could be transformed into a Wirecutter using the sheath and the blade itself. Ever wondered why the bayonets had a hole in the blade? That is why
@@m1a1abramstank49 it's actually pretty good, u can fire it underwater, survives when you drive a truck over it, very reliable in mud or wet sand but prolly not for prolonged sustained fire. Basically an ideal rifle for frogmen like Malaysian PASKAL. They no longer use it nowadays i believe.. but they still have some amount of XM8 pre-production and prototype rifles from Malaysian Armed Forces and Royal Malaysian Police trials. I was quite lucky to be able to see the XM8 PDW (almost as small as MP7) with my own eyes
I swear, I'd give anything to have an actual, functional XM8 made by H&K. It's such a shame they were a complete flop, as I personally love the look and function of it. Even the attachments, they look so simple yet snug and efficient.
At first I thought these were goofy, both in appearance and use. I've rethought that after watching this video and seeing how much effort was put into the design of these rifles and how much they improve on the M4/M16 platform. A shame they never made it to service.
Thomas Hayes I know, right? The first time I saw the thing I thought it looked horribly clunky and uncomfortable. I had no idea how slick the p-cap system really was until now. It's a real shame, considering how light the rifle may have been. I see it in a whole new light and would love to try one out.
The XM8 was derived from the G36, and the US is in the process of sort of gradually maybe a little bit by bit adopting the HK416 platform, which is itself mostly a G36 dressed up like an AR-15. I think H&K figured out that the key to making the Americans finally adopt a replacement for the M16 is to make them think it's still an M16.
The XM8 was my favorite weapon design, and this video just made it so much cooler. I never knew how interchangeable the entire system was, and now I want a full airsoft loadout based entirely around the XM8.
Dude, after years of remembering these as the "future weapons" of my childhood, I now get to see the technical side of these guys and it makes me a lil angry the US military didn't adopt them. I would love to see where the modularity might have gone if they were actually field-tested and refined over the following decades.
God, man. I remember playing the first mission of Ghost Recon 2 and you start with one of these with the grenade launcher, ooooh weeee! I literally had dreams about being a soldier and getting to customize my own XM-8. This video is giving me flashbacks, man!
@@Cavemanner As innovative as the platform was for its time, firearms technology has sort of moved on. The PCAP system was neat from an engineering standpoint but it being proprietary would've posed way too many problems, for one thing. For another, as far as I can tell from this video, the XM8's barrel was not hot-swappable. There are modern modular rifles which have this feature, such as the Beretta ARX-160, which I consider to be the closest thing to a production XM8 in existence, since it even looks fairly similar and builds on many of the same concepts which informed the XM8's development. It's even more modular and was actually adopted by the Italian military. Other rifles which arguably pursued the same concepts include the Masada/ACR and everything which has more recently tried to imitate and improve on it, such as the MSBS. Now, reliability and overall performance in field conditions is something which is a little more up for debate. It's possible that the XM8 works very well, even compared to these newer, more "refined" takes on the modular rifle concept. But I guess I'm trying to say that if it's any consolation, rifles rather _like_ the XM8 are a possibility in the future.
They were tested, were found to be fully compliant with the requested specs, were loved by the troops, and General Petraus from the 101st Airborne even took one with him to Iraq, it was cancelled mostly due to political issues* Also, the XM8 first prototype and final model had picatinny rails, it was the army that wanted to try the PCAP system on the Spiral 3 models, and even then the PCAP system had rail adapters for backwards compatibility. And apparently the XM8 had a LMG variant with quick-swap barrel based on the MG4 (based on the HK Modular Weapon System Family video). In the words of Jim Schatz: "It was that ignorance and arrogance that doomed the XM8 program to failure and prevented the troops from getting a new weapon system just when it was most needed."
@@NameNotAlreadyTaken2 there are at least 4 G11s hanging on the wall of the room he filmed this in, it shouldn't be a problem making a video of one of those...
@@THEZWARRIORWAR Because the U.S won't move away from the M16 family, it's just too much of an undertaking given the number of troops involved. They're kidding themselves and manufacturers with these replacement programs, they don't intend to replace, not until they're forced to as per the M14.
According to every video game of the mid 2000s this was going to be the future of the US Army. Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter had me convinced that when I turned 18 in 2008 I was going to be drafted to fight a war in Mexico while carrying the M8 as my rifle.
If he could eat for a day when given a fishgun doesnt that mean he knows how to use the fishgun.....?!!!!!!? Do you meant that he throws the gun at the fish before he is taught how? That makes no sense
Even though I loved the xm8 I didnt know this much about it. Like for example the simplicity of swapping parts or attachments out or even the two ways of removing the magazine! You made me appreciate it even more P.s. as a scout I require that bayonet this instant
@@NefariousKoel nah they'll be drop in capsules. Capsules are small and when they open, they break apart to create chaff to confuse sensors like radar. Anyone in a powered armor is basically a one man army.
As German ex military I can tell you the problem around the g36 as it was around my serving time when developed vor us. One of the at that time requirements of the Bundeswehr was that it has to be fully functional for northern and mid Europe basically ftom Spain to Denmark to say like that. The g36 was never designed to be fully functional in desert climatic conditions. And to add to that the very wise and all mighty burocrats decided that instead of using the recommended ammo that they should use the cheaper ones. Result at intense shootings with a lot of full auto use the barrel tended to heat up too much which caused a lack of accuracy. That's the whole story about it. Our useless minister of defense just seeked a way to get a new gun cheaper by blaming h&k did a bad job. Fun fact the new AR for Bundeswehr is, surprise surprise, a h&k.
The modular system part is really awesome. You can see they really tried hard, the people involved in the project must have been pissed when they didn't get a contract.
This video really changed my mind. HK brought their A game and really made some considered, kinda risky solutions for a weapon solely tuned for the military. I've now got solid respect for the gun.
i've thought this was singlehandedly one of the coolest looking rifles ever since i saw it in MGS4. idk how anyone can say it looks ugly, it really looks so slick to me
SemperFiMac77 Yes we shall invest more money on something that doesn’t really improve on much with performance, one of the reasons why the US never had a replacement rifle in a while
An excellent video and a fascinating concept for a service rifle. All this talk of how the rifle “looks”; that’s completely irrelevant- it’s the ergonomics, the durability, and the function that counts, and HK obviously views the service rifle as a modular, expandable device to be changed and adapted to its purpose. In that, it’s beautiful alone. Beyond BS politics and bureaucracy, I’d like to know more about what physical issues (the Vickers commentary talked about handguard heat and captive pushpins) theses guns had, and if HK could have remedied them.
If you look into the G36 issue he mentioned I think that'll answer some questions. Basically something about heat warping the plastic where the metal trunion is molded in and offsetting the barrel and so affecting accuracy of the rifle. From what I've personally seen in discussion it seems this has mostly been used by some German politicians as an excuse to replace the rifle in Bundeswehr service, but whether or not it has really been a huge issue in practice isn't really clear. Though whether or not it really is that big of an issue, the push for a new rifle is getting H&K and others to showcase new weapons like the HK433 and the Rheinmetall-Steyr RS556.
@Kothra while G36 in German service does have these known issues, H&K has fixed them and the G36 is very popular with Special Forces all around the globe. It was basically the Bundeswehr requirements for a less heavy rifle, they fucked up but they have fixed it. G36 as a platform is just fine.
It's really unlikely any issues wouldn't have been fixable. If there's one thing we know from Ian's videos is that all weapons start off with issues that end up getting solved through the adoption process or through use, like how the MP38 had that issue where it could fire if the bolt got hooked up on something and it was changed for the MP40. Or the early manufacturing difficulties with the original AK47 that got fixed by accepting a higher weight milled receiver until they could make them out of stampings properly. The M16 had issues of it's own that got fixed during it's adoption.
would think more that g36 is the piccatinny XM8, still has it's m320 GL, has its proper magazine, proper scope ( for G36K), but yeah, not so curvy standard squared look
This thing is fucking genius, I can't think of a reason why we wouldn't have adopted it. It looks so easy to use that not even grunts with a 25 ASVAB score could fuck it up.
I just have to say that starship troopers had an amazing props department that mocked up those firing bullpup mini 14s with Ithaca 37s mounted underneath.
Actually, it is adopted by TLDM (Royal Malaysian Navy) and it was adopted by SEAL Team long time ago for training purpose. After US adopted ACR and SCAR, they abandoned the project.
really wish they'd make these still for larger military contracts, because that PCAPS system is really interesting. Plus modularity really is a useful thing to have on a standard rifle
I wanted this gun to be implemented so badly. Anyone remember GRAW? >_> Childhood dream weapon PS: this was my choice of airsoft gun for many years. Those mags were so cool, and I could use it in my G36C and K :D
@@dave_riots whatever happened to the Blockbuster locations near you?... The closest one towards me is now a wig/makeup store... The next one became a dialysis center... The one after that was a Hollywood Video actually and became a pizza joint/ Urgent Care Center And then a movie gallery next to that became a dentist's office.
"We want it to look more starship troopers" Honestly, I'm glad that someone in military procurement is looking out for aesthetics when it comes to new guns.
Minor correction ... the optics were developed and tested by Insight prior to the L3 take over. Know it as fact since I was working for Insight at the time in their test facility.
Considering they were literally asked to make it look more like sci fi gun, i cant blame them too much. But it would have been better if they would have just ignored that and gone for pure functionality with aim to produce best ar in the world. I wonder if they could have some kind of cover on it that would be enough to fool people who wanted it to look more futuristic, without actually impacting perfomance of it.
"They are not necessarily weapons experts... the are just people like you and I" - sayeth Gun Jesus, a weapon expert.
For even the Son of Gun did not come to be served, but to serve
den2k88 lol I thought the same thing
What more does one need knowledge wise to be a weapons expert i believe Ian is pretty fuckin qualified in that aspect bud
I think you mean '*The* weapon expert.' :D
How many guns has ian designed?
US Military, every couple of years: "We really need to modernize our arsenal. Let's tell everybody our high standards and see what they come up with."
World's top weapons manufacturers: "We invested gazillions into the development of this new weapon system which meets all your demands and even superceeds some of them. What do you say?"
US Military: "Yeah, you know, we decided to just stick with what we have, thanks."
US Ordnance- Replacing the M4/M16 since 1980
@Charlie B the scar l would today actually be the marine standard rifle if it wasnt that enormously expensive
@Charlie B still, the scar had better tests results than the m4 m16. İf it wasnt for the price marines were axtually using it
Bwaha 👍
"Can you make it look more Starship Troopers?" OMG... XD
I feel like Ian has broke into the secret vault of H&K and is just fiddling around with all the guns and making as many videos before he is found by the staff
"Damnit Ian! How do you keep getting in here?! Get out!" *spritzes with water bottle*
it's the whole opposite.. we put brass in varios calibers on the ground like a trail and he follows to all the unviewed guns.
It's like Hänsel und Gretel or Schnipseljagd for gunnerds
Pretty sure he's not wearing any pants in that vault... And I don't blame him one bit. Lol.
@@mikereuben6913
wat?
If that was the case, he would have released a G-11 video.
Manufacturers: This is your standard rifle
Ordinance: Yes
Manufacturers: And you want to replace it
Ordinance: Yup
Manufacturers:
So if i make you a new one thats better and meets all the requirements you'll use it right?
Ordinance: That makes sense to me
Manufacturers:
Okay here it is
Ordinance: I dont want it
You know nothing Jon Snow...
Maybe becouse its not so much better?
@Eredin, King of the Wild Hunt Ah dun wunt it. Ah nevah have. She's muh M-16.
"What's even in these boxes anyway?!" "My rifles."
Spongebob reference lol
Shame on HK for not paying the proper bribes to get this accepted.
Same thing happened to Level 4 Dragon Skin, they were a small Company who built a better Cheaper Armor system then the Military Procurement and Logistics division, banned it for "basic Flaws" , before they officially started Testing it . The Testers who were civilian and Lower Military had their superiors order them out of the testing areas while they " conducted Testing" then it was given a fail. Since it wasn't a big multi million or billion dollar defense company with a high salaried board to have positions for Retired DOD and Army Logistics personnel the product was scrapped and the tiny company was sued with false allegations and lawsuits that they didn't have the funds to fight so they went bankrupt. Moral of the Story from the Xm8 and Dragon Skin, is don't try and do what the military industrial complex does ,with a superior product, unless you can afford to bribe them in some way.
@@blamalam7257 No it failed because it not as good as what people seem to think.
1. It weighs over 10 pounds more that the IOTV.
2. After being subjected to heat then dropped most of the scales fell to the bottom of the vest.
3. At certain angles it couldn't stop rifle rounds.
4. At certain angles shrapnel also couldn't be stopped.
5. In the motor oil test the vest was rendered completely unless.
(these are all test the other vests passed)
The NBC and Future Weapon tests that everyone likes to point to as evidence the Dragon Skin is the best was not conducted to battlefield requirements. They were controlled tests put on by Pinnacle Armor.
Suzuki750Rizla Maybe that’s just what they WANTED you to think..
@@Suzuki750Rizla Rizla blue GSX-R 750 rulez! :))
Guns and supersport motorcycles... two topics that go very well together.
Those bastards!
Requiring new weapons to look more Starship Troopers should be a standing order, that person deserves a medal
The irony award
he did his part
Only if they're the enemy. Function before form
Service GUARANTEES Citizenship!!
The military is trying to get the Powered Armor from the books, just wait until the tact. oxygen nukes.
There’s an alternative dimension where this is the standard issue US service rifle and I want to live there
Remember metal gear solid 4?
The rifles and guns in the first Mass Effect look like the descendants of these
It’s hard to justify the us military to buy a German made weapon over a USA made weapon and issue it across the board as the standard issue rifle
@@b.btheheartpainkiller rat patrols signature weapon
@@davelowesky8054 the marines are trying to push to the hk416 also my service rifle in the army was an FN not a colt so it's not uncommon for the us to use foreign weapons
I feel like Ian just materialises into Rock Island auction and the h&k hq with his Camera equipment and fresh muffins for everyone and no one even bats an eye and the new guys think he's just one of those cryptid employees
Last time they were banana and salted Carmel muffins. I prefer the lemon poppy seed ones.
HK: son
XM-8: yes dad?
HK: there is something I should tell you
XM-8: what is it dad?
HK: You're not adopted
XM-8: *cries*
Nice
X-Ray-OH ñįçę
Underrated
I'm sure you stole this from somewhere but it gave me a hearty giggle
HK 416/M27: Ah brother...
I get the feeling that in an alternate universe where the XM8 was picked up, we eventually went to Mars, discovered the Prothean archive and started using the Mass Effect...
It could easily be the ancestor of the M8 Avenger rifle
I love your comment xD
I really like this comment.
Games dead Jim go home
Normandies crew respects you!!
I’m really loving these videos in “the grey room.”
Are they using the same hook/clip-system Ian built a wall with some time ago - anyone know? Defly reminds me of it...
Yeah keep this grey room stuff coming.
I always assumed you needed to be a H&K employee to get into the Grey Room. I guess being Gun Jesus works too.
I just want to smell the room.
@@anD-vf7ld hard to tell with the grey felt covering, but the one Ian have was fairly new when he installed it, so unless the grey room got built recently i doubt it.
I remember when I was a teenager and we all thought once we got our time over at the sandbox we'd be using heads up display equipped helmets, OICW's or M8's, have individual comms and computers, and handheld drones. Man, we got about a third of the way there.
Turns out money are not infinite even for USA, even when they wage multiple wars each decade all across the globe for power and control, huh
I guess we have gotten most of this now.in 2024
[desire to know more intensifies]
FUcking beat me to it
I'M DOING MY PART!
Ian should do the MP5K Prototype next
@Gyro Remember Buenos Aires
[sarcasm detected]
@@maxwellriff You sound like a bug sympathizer!
Funny that Military Higher-ups wanted their next generation rifle to take inspiration from a movie that satirizes and criticizes war.
Also Bad Company 2 is just the best.
@Switch Kick How so? I'm not arguing for either side of this debate, I'm just saying that it's kind of funny. I have absolutely nothing against the weapon itself.
The book though really was the best.
Unfortunately, the movie kind of skimmed out on Heinlein's criticisms of authoritarian societies compared to the original book.
XM-8 and Bad Company 2 go hand in hand in my eyes :D
Wow this is the dumbest comment I’ve ever seen....
Bf3 and bf1 were better ;)
Ian has hit a true gold mine.
He seems to dig up that gold for sure
Wish I could get this lucky on my fishing trips.
I wish this would’ve taken off. Can you imagine all the attachments and semi auto versions there’d be if these became the hot thing.
Chainsaw bayonet!
Chainsaw bayonet!
Chainsaw bayonet!
Chainsaw bayonet!
@@shishoka amazing
male to male hardware so you can connect multiple rifles together.
I'm sure HK could!
@@boheyo like an AA turret? One butt stock on each shoulder and spider web sight in the middle?
Ohhh memories of Bad Company. Good times.
Yep the XM8 LMG was my go-to gun
Ghost Recon 2 anyone?
Bad Company 2 lol
TheMawsJawz TM Best online multiplayer... they don’t make em like that anymore
This was my go to gun back when R6 Vegas 1 came out. I had an 8x scope on it and used single fire. It was my long range gun
My theory about the "Starship Trooper" request is that the military is careful to maintain appeal with potential recruits. Seeing images of American soldiers with ugly rifles might be a nonstarter for a 17 year old, let's be honest.
Like all great truths: it makes you laugh and it makes you cry. Good one!
The rifles are beautiful to me dammit!
The cover of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter ain't bad. It makes the soldier look more badass. They should've make a poster based on that.
Yeah, it’s hard to convince dumb 17 year olds to die for Israel and oil companies when the guns don’t look cool
And here I am, a dumb vet who puts weapon effectiveness above "looking good."
The Room of Kraut Space Magic.
Es funktioniert einfach.
@@Calvin_Coolage ausser in Fallout 76 lul
That's racist. Please refer to me as Bacon.
I need a magic room full of quality guns.
I mean They aren't really magic it's basically just taking an american design and making it all polymer
"almost adopted" is also coincidentally my nickname.
Brother
rip brother
I always liked the look of the H&K XM-8. It looks so very user friendly oriented and extremely lightweight.
This was really a forward thinking design.
*basicially a G36 in a fish shell*
Jim's Retro-Gaming it’s like the firearms equivalent of a bmw sports car
If anything they look insanely comfortable and probably wouldn't snag on any kind of gear.
They look exactly like I'd expect military hardware to look, honestly. Obviously designed to be mass-produced, but highly-functional in a specific way.
i used to love the look of it as a kid, now it looks like a bugatti. all round and ugly looking. materials look like it came out of toys r us, and the attachment system looks like it was made for 10 year olds. just my change in opinion
My favourite assault rifle in bad company
I preffer M416 myself but this one is pure cool.
Only reason I clicked on this vid is cuz I recognized it from BFBC2 😂
This is my go to weapon on BFBC2 when I go on my nostalgia trip, of when I first got my hands on the game.
No surprise honestly. it was the most well rounded AR in game xD
i remember finding it in the bad company 1 campaign :)
"We want it to look more Starship Troopers"
*nervous laughter*
I'm not a gun enthusiast myself, but I keep coming back because I really appreciate Ian's mechanical breakdowns, and the interesting history behind a lot of these firearms. Nice work Ian!
Same
So are you a firearm enthusiast now? I sure hope so
At first glance, I said to myself, "This thing looks like a toy no wonder they didn't adopt it.".
But after giving it some thought, I realized that by making it look and function like a toy you essentially make it "idiot proof".
And then I remembered that this is a European Gun Manufacturer trying to pitch a product to the US Military.
It all made sense from that point on.
@@onetrucksizedsalmon2962 We already have the FN F2000 for that. Not sure about the ammo counter though.
Funnily enough, the gun looking and feeling like a toy was one of the complaints that the M-16 received when it was introduced into service
@@chrinii you can actually get aftermarket ammo counters for both real guns and their airsoft versions, that mount to picatinny rails. its pretty cool, and somewhat useful depending on situation
I just love how easily interchangeable everything is. I can go from a red dot to an RCO in mere seconds.
@@chrinii The FN 2000 is the big gay
HK: "No one was asking for this but the knife sheath also has a built-in sharpening stone and a wire cutter."
The ak Russian baionet could be transformed into a Wirecutter using the sheath and the blade itself. Ever wondered why the bayonets had a hole in the blade? That is why
Doesn't the Galil come with a bottle opener?
@@levoGAMES Yeah, because soldiers were using the magazines to open bottles instead. They were damaging the lip and it caused feed issues.
I thought you were joking until I came across the part
Kabalan Stef yeah i bought one on amazon and it’s sick af
H&K: Look, US, we've made a gun for you!
US: It's great, but it sucks.
Sci-Fi Media & Malaysia: ALLOW US TO INTRODUCE OURSELVES
Malaysia? How?
@@cxvghf93387u Malaysia Navy use/used the XM8
Does not equal to good weapon when a country has it, just like late war German tanks in WW2, they had them but they had many problems
@@sike3000 More specifically PASKAL use them, there the country's equivalent of the Navy SEAL's.
@@m1a1abramstank49 it's actually pretty good, u can fire it underwater, survives when you drive a truck over it, very reliable in mud or wet sand but prolly not for prolonged sustained fire. Basically an ideal rifle for frogmen like Malaysian PASKAL. They no longer use it nowadays i believe.. but they still have some amount of XM8 pre-production and prototype rifles from Malaysian Armed Forces and Royal Malaysian Police trials. I was quite lucky to be able to see the XM8 PDW (almost as small as MP7) with my own eyes
Fell in love with this rifle when I originally read about it. So depressing not being able to acquire one.
Tommy built makes xm8s and g36 rifles out of sl8s
I remember when video games featured these rifles in futuristic games... that didn't quite work out.
J D funny I think one of these was suppose to be in half life 2
Bad company 2 and metal gear solid 4
J D Bad company 2 wants a word with you
I was thinking about Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter when I posted this, btw.
The batman Arkham games feature these, always thought they were just silly cartoon versions of ar-15s
I swear, I'd give anything to have an actual, functional XM8 made by H&K. It's such a shame they were a complete flop, as I personally love the look and function of it. Even the attachments, they look so simple yet snug and efficient.
look at tommybuilttactical. He makes Xm8 clones you can buy
I thought you had to provide him a SL8 first, for can you buy them from scratch? If so... Hell yes...
@@thetalonking7233 last I saw he was making receivers for them. I dont live in the US so Im not 100% sure
TheTalonKing they have had plenty of exposure and use in video games, I remember one game they were used as a sniper rifle
@Tu Shan it was called black site
At first I thought these were goofy, both in appearance and use. I've rethought that after watching this video and seeing how much effort was put into the design of these rifles and how much they improve on the M4/M16 platform. A shame they never made it to service.
Thomas Hayes I know, right? The first time I saw the thing I thought it looked horribly clunky and uncomfortable. I had no idea how slick the p-cap system really was until now. It's a real shame, considering how light the rifle may have been. I see it in a whole new light and would love to try one out.
They had a tendency to melt during trials
The XM8 was derived from the G36, and the US is in the process of sort of gradually maybe a little bit by bit adopting the HK416 platform, which is itself mostly a G36 dressed up like an AR-15. I think H&K figured out that the key to making the Americans finally adopt a replacement for the M16 is to make them think it's still an M16.
HellbirdIV if it looks like a duck but quacks like a golden goose it’s an AR-15 -The Americans
The XM8 was my favorite weapon design, and this video just made it so much cooler. I never knew how interchangeable the entire system was, and now I want a full airsoft loadout based entirely around the XM8.
"I sell space guns and space gun accessories."
Otishtic Nooobra. No you’re cringe
Otishtic Nooobra. You must be fun at parties.
Hey I know this gun.
I caught this gun off the pier last year.
I thought I caught one too, but it was just a FS2000 :(
Must have been a very tragic boating accident previously...
The early 2000's: the era of the Tactical Tuna.
Dude, after years of remembering these as the "future weapons" of my childhood, I now get to see the technical side of these guys and it makes me a lil angry the US military didn't adopt them. I would love to see where the modularity might have gone if they were actually field-tested and refined over the following decades.
God, man. I remember playing the first mission of Ghost Recon 2 and you start with one of these with the grenade launcher, ooooh weeee! I literally had dreams about being a soldier and getting to customize my own XM-8. This video is giving me flashbacks, man!
They were tested and failed.
@@Cavemanner As innovative as the platform was for its time, firearms technology has sort of moved on. The PCAP system was neat from an engineering standpoint but it being proprietary would've posed way too many problems, for one thing. For another, as far as I can tell from this video, the XM8's barrel was not hot-swappable. There are modern modular rifles which have this feature, such as the Beretta ARX-160, which I consider to be the closest thing to a production XM8 in existence, since it even looks fairly similar and builds on many of the same concepts which informed the XM8's development. It's even more modular and was actually adopted by the Italian military. Other rifles which arguably pursued the same concepts include the Masada/ACR and everything which has more recently tried to imitate and improve on it, such as the MSBS. Now, reliability and overall performance in field conditions is something which is a little more up for debate. It's possible that the XM8 works very well, even compared to these newer, more "refined" takes on the modular rifle concept. But I guess I'm trying to say that if it's any consolation, rifles rather _like_ the XM8 are a possibility in the future.
At least the Malaysian Navy adopted this rifle...
They were tested, were found to be fully compliant with the requested specs, were loved by the troops, and General Petraus from the 101st Airborne even took one with him to Iraq, it was cancelled mostly due to political issues*
Also, the XM8 first prototype and final model had picatinny rails, it was the army that wanted to try the PCAP system on the Spiral 3 models, and even then the PCAP system had rail adapters for backwards compatibility. And apparently the XM8 had a LMG variant with quick-swap barrel based on the MG4 (based on the HK Modular Weapon System Family
video).
In the words of Jim Schatz: "It was that ignorance and arrogance
that doomed the XM8 program to failure and prevented the troops from getting a new weapon system just when it was most needed."
XM-8: the smoother twin of the badass g36
xm8 looks much cooler than g36
the telescopic stock makes me think thia is what happens after a SCAR and a G36 hit the yoinky sploinky
The day you feel really old: When Gun Jesus presents the XM-8 as a forgotten weapon system.
Getting closer to that sweet, sweet G11 video...
Yesssplease!!!!!!!!!!!
Anton Adelson I’ve been saving a beer to crack open when he does!
It has to happen eventually. Hopefully he only does it once he can look at a real one.
@@NameNotAlreadyTaken2 there are at least 4 G11s hanging on the wall of the room he filmed this in, it shouldn't be a problem making a video of one of those...
That G11 on the top left. Please make a video on it! 🙏
It's going to be released this Christmas, it's gun Jesus birthday but It will be us getting the gift.
I'm pretty sure he's purposefully teasing us :D
It's coming! My inner Syphon Filter 2 playing kid will love it so much!!
He's gonna do it. 😎
He said he would, patience.
i always loved the look of the xm8 such a futuristic g36
H&K never fails. 100% pure badass. Basically a 20 year old gun that was ahead of its time and is still ahead of current times.
Chebva Romero so ahead that it was a large failure in every sense of the word
@@THEZWARRIORWAR Because the U.S won't move away from the M16 family, it's just too much of an undertaking given the number of troops involved. They're kidding themselves and manufacturers with these replacement programs, they don't intend to replace, not until they're forced to as per the M14.
Med Otaku Do you have a single fact to back that up?
@@neuromancer692
www.wearethemighty.com/gear-tech/this-is-what-became-of-the-armys-futuristic-m-16-replacement-rifle
Magni56 Thank you for the detailed answer. My only problem is that I don’t really remember who I directed my original response to.
I feel like that optic needed a few more 'Danger' stickers!
That's how you know it's American
Can never trust an American soldier not to point that pesky laser right in their face
SINCE THEY ARE UNWANTED & UNLOVED BY THE MILITARY--I'LL TAKE ALL THREE?
Adopt them, take care of them. They never had a parent before.
Can I baby sit them when you leave town?
Sorry, Malaysia already take one of them.
Malaysia adopted them earlier,sorry
According to every video game of the mid 2000s this was going to be the future of the US Army. Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter had me convinced that when I turned 18 in 2008 I was going to be drafted to fight a war in Mexico while carrying the M8 as my rifle.
"Give a man a fishgun, and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man how to use the fishgun, and he'll eat for an eternity." - Gun Jesus
If he could eat for a day when given a fishgun doesnt that mean he knows how to use the fishgun.....?!!!!!!? Do you meant that he throws the gun at the fish before he is taught how? That makes no sense
I mean if said man doesn't know how to use a fishgun, wouldn't he just use it as a bashing stick until it breaks?
Based and redpilled
I wanted to like but can't rune that triple 6
I'm pretty sure OP was implying the man would _eat_ the fishgun. xD
Now that the space force is a thing in US this needs to be their weapon.
If they wanted to make it look more 'Starship Troopers' all they had to do was buy Ruger Mini-14s.
Even though I loved the xm8 I didnt know this much about it. Like for example the simplicity of swapping parts or attachments out or even the two ways of removing the magazine! You made me appreciate it even more
P.s. as a scout I require that bayonet this instant
LOL... how can you look "more Starship Troopers" than that OICW?
Desert camo.
"Also.. give us powered armor and dropships to go with"
@@NefariousKoel nah they'll be drop in capsules. Capsules are small and when they open, they break apart to create chaff to confuse sensors like radar. Anyone in a powered armor is basically a one man army.
That grenade launcher system is slicker than the Gulf of Mexico circa 2010
splinter cell chaos theory :)
"We want it to look a little more Starship Troopers"
[laughs in citizenship]
Funny thing is US military service does NOT guarantee citizenship.
[Desire to know more intensifies]
it's to match the overall tone of proto-fascism
@@AngelSamael It should.
Perfect comment!
That accessory attachment system is the best. Really liked the cool looks of the rifle before, but now I love the practical aspects of it as well.
Ian missed on a killing to say “would you like to know more”
Nah... he will be reviewing the Skinny beam rifles and Warrior bugs beam weapons effectiveness against a Mobile Infantry powered armor.
@Tactical Noob teleportation
Uh,context?
Starship Troopers
Bad Company 1/2 anybody?
yup I have been hoping for these to come up in a new game ever since. They're just way too beautiful.
Was looking for this comment
Metal Gear Soild 4
I too have been wishing for them to show up again in a game.
Still waiting for bad company 3
As German ex military I can tell you the problem around the g36 as it was around my serving time when developed vor us.
One of the at that time requirements of the Bundeswehr was that it has to be fully functional for northern and mid Europe basically ftom Spain to Denmark to say like that. The g36 was never designed to be fully functional in desert climatic conditions. And to add to that the very wise and all mighty burocrats decided that instead of using the recommended ammo that they should use the cheaper ones. Result at intense shootings with a lot of full auto use the barrel tended to heat up too much which caused a lack of accuracy. That's the whole story about it. Our useless minister of defense just seeked a way to get a new gun cheaper by blaming h&k did a bad job. Fun fact the new AR for Bundeswehr is, surprise surprise, a h&k.
Don't worry, they will be adopted eventually in the future. The long barreled version with the scope is seen at the end of Starship Troopers.
In the future, H&K will develop the pulse rifle for the Colonial Marines, so don't worry about the flops.
Alejandro Romero if those pulse rifle can't kill even single alien, go for shotgun
In the present, they're making the M27 for the US Marines, and it's having issues.
Is rather have the Phased Plasma Rifle in the 40 watt range
HK later formed Misriah armory on mars to make the MA5 and BR55 bull pup rifles for the UNSC
@@justnoob8141 except they did kill xenos , a lot canonically
Thanks H&K for giving Ian access and allowing him to film and share with us! Very cool :)
Service guarantees citizenship!
*desire to know more intensifies*
Brian Hess want to know more?
@@CountArtha Shoots ISIS member. "I'm doing my part!"
RICOS ROUGHNECKS
This looks nothing like the morita
The modular system part is really awesome. You can see they really tried hard, the people involved in the project must have been pissed when they didn't get a contract.
Now I am certain that Menendez will make an uprising in 2025
Woods is that you? O_o
Nostalgic
@@ragingjaguarknight86
"Woods is that you? O_o"
You can't kill me!
MENENDEZZZZ!! @@stickiedmin6508
Get it? Because they use that gun?!
Gun jesus has a fish... i hope he can divide it... coz i want one!!!
marlangelXXVIII he’s not feeding the 5,000 he’s got over a million followers!
@@icywhatyoudidthere G11
Fn F2000 is a fish as well
If you want a civilian model of the fish gun... tommy built makes the clones. Crazy expensive but well worth it
If that’s a fish, what’s a loaf?
This video really changed my mind. HK brought their A game and really made some considered, kinda risky solutions for a weapon solely tuned for the military. I've now got solid respect for the gun.
i've thought this was singlehandedly one of the coolest looking rifles ever since i saw it in MGS4. idk how anyone can say it looks ugly, it really looks so slick to me
H&K was, and still is ahead of its time. I'd love to own one of these.
Love the XM-8 in battlefield bad company 2, great rifle.
I was dropping North Koreans with this Rifle in Ghost Recon 2
@@YugoM92 yes bro yes
Can we officially declare the XM8 the "Betamax of Firearms"?
100th like bud
It's more like the Laserdisc of firearms.
Or...
T H E P O W E R G L O V E
That PCAP System is a really good Design. The whole weapon ist is really nice and even looks amazing.
You have to admit it is kinda beautiful.
XM-8 was an amazing platform, sad it never got adopted.
It IS adopted. By the TLDM (Royal Malaysian Navy)
It really wasn't, it failed tons of military testings and the attachment points are extremely stupid
SemperFiMac77 Yes we shall invest more money on something that doesn’t really improve on much with performance, one of the reasons why the US never had a replacement rifle in a while
@@poolee77 Really? I thought this was the peice of junk that kept melting.
@@poolee77 xm8 is an exceptional gun. most ppl underestimate this gun by its look, but in combat, i will take this xm8 over m4 or m16 any day
An excellent video and a fascinating concept for a service rifle. All this talk of how the rifle “looks”; that’s completely irrelevant- it’s the ergonomics, the durability, and the function that counts, and HK obviously views the service rifle as a modular, expandable device to be changed and adapted to its purpose. In that, it’s beautiful alone. Beyond BS politics and bureaucracy, I’d like to know more about what physical issues (the Vickers commentary talked about handguard heat and captive pushpins) theses guns had, and if HK could have remedied them.
If you look into the G36 issue he mentioned I think that'll answer some questions. Basically something about heat warping the plastic where the metal trunion is molded in and offsetting the barrel and so affecting accuracy of the rifle. From what I've personally seen in discussion it seems this has mostly been used by some German politicians as an excuse to replace the rifle in Bundeswehr service, but whether or not it has really been a huge issue in practice isn't really clear. Though whether or not it really is that big of an issue, the push for a new rifle is getting H&K and others to showcase new weapons like the HK433 and the Rheinmetall-Steyr RS556.
@Kothra while G36 in German service does have these known issues, H&K has fixed them and the G36 is very popular with Special Forces all around the globe. It was basically the Bundeswehr requirements for a less heavy rifle, they fucked up but they have fixed it. G36 as a platform is just fine.
@@foleymaj Yeah the worldwide popularity of the rifle is a large part of why I'm skeptical of the whole replacement situation.
@@foleymaj the newer generation of G36 may be good, but the first generation was really bad. We destroyed so much of them on the maneuver grounds...
It's really unlikely any issues wouldn't have been fixable. If there's one thing we know from Ian's videos is that all weapons start off with issues that end up getting solved through the adoption process or through use, like how the MP38 had that issue where it could fire if the bolt got hooked up on something and it was changed for the MP40. Or the early manufacturing difficulties with the original AK47 that got fixed by accepting a higher weight milled receiver until they could make them out of stampings properly. The M16 had issues of it's own that got fixed during it's adoption.
You would make a great elementary teacher. Soft spoken and very detailed.
Maybe I was too harsh on the XM8, I always hated that fish-looking rifle when I first saw it but, it really did have potential... 🤔🤯
11:00 now I have a grenade launcher ho ho ho
Lol did not expect to find you here comrade!
@@BigRussianCatWithFloppyEars we all succumb to the dulcet tones of gun Jesus sooner or later :D
Woah what
Ho ho ho
I remember all those years ago, when I'd draft out near-future military fiction and US forces would be wielding M8s in 6.8SPC...
That sounds awesome
Yep. It was considered a given back then, really.
Don't forget about the "Specialists" using KAC PDW's in 6x35mm and Glock 31's in .357 SIG.
You mean the 6.5 Grendel right? Because the SPC, aka, Snowflake Personnel Caliber, is terribad and pointless.
Forlorn Vaalan the grendel would need a larger mag well, but that would be awesome.
"They're not neccesarily arms experts, they're people like you and I." This coming from literal gun Jesus. Also SAME NAME SQUAD WOO
should be the official issued rifle for the space force :D
Firmament says no go.
That role may be acomplished by a bolter
How can use a firearm in space if there is no air in space to make an explosion... you might as well bring a spear gun to space
IT'S A JOKE
@Bob They do, actually. If a gun can fire underwater, it can fire in space.
6:28 BOOP
8:43
So bacisly XM-8 is G36 but more curvy?
would think more that g36 is the piccatinny XM8, still has it's m320 GL, has its proper magazine, proper scope ( for G36K), but yeah, not so curvy standard squared look
But XM-8 looks slick, it's like a shark or something to me
Looks way much better than that brick looking
Its gives me a semi
I dig the profile pic, shoutout to S.T.A.L.K.E.R
Only more Starship Troopers-y, or should I say more Spaceballs-y. 'Comb the desert!!!'
This thing is fucking genius, I can't think of a reason why we wouldn't have adopted it. It looks so easy to use that not even grunts with a 25 ASVAB score could fuck it up.
Holy shit dude, you weren’t joking about December videos being cool. Ian, thanks for being awesome, keep it up.
Also the Xm8 is used by the Royal Malaysian Navy.
We do?
PASKAL still uses them. A lot of XM-8 were brought in Malaysia to be field tested by all Malaysian military branch, even the PDRM (federal police).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PASKAL#/media/File:Navy_PASKAL_frogman_strike_team_personnels_at_standby_during_57th_NDP.JPG
@@issackliener3065 I believe about 10,000 were purchased by them
And I'm sure all 17 members of said service are glad to have them.
Genius weapon system. Even with it's shortcomings, I'd have loved these when I was in the Marines.
Heard the USMC ordering more M27s. Are they going to replace the M16 as standard service rifle?
I just have to say that starship troopers had an amazing props department that mocked up those firing bullpup mini 14s with Ithaca 37s mounted underneath.
Fun fact: only malaysian PASKAL (malaysia seal unit) unit use XM8
Actually, it is adopted by TLDM (Royal Malaysian Navy) and it was adopted by SEAL Team long time ago for training purpose. After US adopted ACR and SCAR, they abandoned the project.
RaidyTJC the ACR and the SCAR were never adopted... The military has a few SCARs but it was more of s sort of trial than anything
Looks like the Malaysians are big Starship Troopers fans :)
And US citizens
50 shades of Ian
Peter blackburn kinky...
This is what we want
If you didn’t know, this is what the m8a1 is modelled after in bo2
I thought i was the only that was saying finally someone w culture 😂💪🏽
really wish they'd make these still for larger military contracts, because that PCAPS system is really interesting. Plus modularity really is a useful thing to have on a standard rifle
10:59 so beautiful! Interesting color combination. Although it contrasts, it still works.
QUIT TEASING US WITH THAR G11 IN THE CORNER IAN
I wanted this gun to be implemented so badly.
Anyone remember GRAW? >_>
Childhood dream weapon
PS: this was my choice of airsoft gun for many years. Those mags were so cool, and I could use it in my G36C and K :D
Yes sir it was strange when I saw those... I rented it from a Blockbuster
I remember Blockbuster like it was yesterday. :(
@@dave_riots whatever happened to the Blockbuster locations near you?...
The closest one towards me is now a wig/makeup store...
The next one became a dialysis center...
The one after that was a Hollywood Video actually and became a pizza joint/ Urgent Care Center
And then a movie gallery next to that became a dentist's office.
@@PACKERMAN2077 All of the ones closest to me were torn down with either a gas station, or a Chick Fil A replacing it.
@@dave_riots 🤔😖😣☺️
"We want it to look more starship troopers"
Honestly, I'm glad that someone in military procurement is looking out for aesthetics when it comes to new guns.
WTF do asthetics mean when its puropse is to kill people? Putz.
"That weapon should look more starship trooper" Ah, Murica...
I'm getting a lot of ghost recon and battlefield: Bad company vibes from this.
The thing kicked ass in bc2
@@jakedasnake138 damn right bubba.
I loved the variations of the XM8 in BFBC. There was even an LMG version! Such fond memories, miss those days of BC back in '08
@@rocketman8476 good times my man. Although I wish I could get to shoot this thing and see how it feels for myself.
i used the an-94 and the xm-8 the most in bfbc2
Minor correction ... the optics were developed and tested by Insight prior to the L3 take over. Know it as fact since I was working for Insight at the time in their test facility.
The US should've adopted this. It's really intuitive and practical.
Tactical tuna v2
These weird 80s and 90s guns really take the sci-fi aesthetic too seriously.
Well, one of the early criticisms was supposedly its looks. Can't blame them for embracing that.
Then swap the front-guard for a more classic looking one ;)
Considering they were literally asked to make it look more like sci fi gun, i cant blame them too much. But it would have been better if they would have just ignored that and gone for pure functionality with aim to produce best ar in the world.
I wonder if they could have some kind of cover on it that would be enough to fool people who wanted it to look more futuristic, without actually impacting perfomance of it.
Except this is a 00s gun.
Yea this is 2000 not the 80s or 90s
H&k fan loving this series. Thanks for sharing all these amazing firearms.
Thank you very much for documenting! On TH-cam there is always that some guy who explains stuff we have never heard of, breaking our horizons.