Canadian Armed Forces Shows Off New SPIES Smart Gun

Most militaries in the world still fight with the same gun technology that has been around for decades. In Canada the Canadian Armed Forces are going to get a new weapon for soldiers to use called the Soldier Integrated Precision Effects System or SPIES. The weapon was developed by Defense Research and Development Canada.

SPIES has been in development since 2009 with the goal being to build a weapon with lots of firepower in a lightweight standard military rifle. The weapon you see here has all of the components pared down to field-ready weight. The weapon is expected to weigh less than a Colt C7 fitted with the M203 grenade launcher.

During the development lots of research was put into determining how soldiers interact with the weapon and making the SPIES easy to handle and operate. The weapon uses a 5.56mm NATO round and is a semi-automatic weapon with a selectable rate of fire. The secondary weapons in the rifle include a 12-guage shotgun and a 40mm three-round capacity grenade launcher.

It's unclear when the weapon will be released for use in the field. The gun looks uncomfortable and too big to use by a soldier in the images. With all the research into weapon ergonomics, it must be much better than it looks. Check out the video below to learn more about the SPIES.

SOURCE: Gizmag