PICATINNY ARSENAL, NJ — The U.S. Army’s XM204 interim top-attack munition was approved for Urgent Materiel Release (UMR) and successfully conducted initial fielding in Europe on December 4, 2025. Managed by Project Manager Close Combat Systems (PM CCS) at Picatinny Arsenal, NJ in partnership with Textron Systems of Wilmington, MA, the XM204 completed Low-Rate Initial Production in September of 2025. The munition was then fielded to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, based at Rose Barracks in Vilseck, Germany for training.
New Equipment Training and Doctrine, Training and Tactics were provided to 2nd Cavalry Regiment to review the performance, reliability, and integrated safety features of the XM204 and prepare for use Army-wide.
Eight Observer Coach/Trainers from the Joint Multinational Readiness Center also attended the train-the-trainer course so those personnel can continue to guide other Soldiers on the effective use of the weapon system. The training was held at Grafenwoehr Army Base and at the conclusion of training/fielding, PM CCS and JPEO Armaments & Ammunition (JPEO A&A) achieved Initial Operational Capability milestone.
The XM204 is an anti-vehicle munition with standoff and top attack capabilities designed to support terrain shaping operations by supporting a number of counter mobility tasks such as blocking, disrupting, fixing, and turning an enemy force.
“Seeing the XM204 perform so successfully reinforces the strength of our development teams and the speed at which they can design, build, test and field critical munitions that can degrade enemy mobility and create tactical advantages for friendly forces,” said Maj. Gen. John T. Reim, JPEO A&A and Commanding General of Picatinny Arsenal. This new system addresses evolving battlefield demands and the ongoing need to produce safe, reliable, and lethal munitions for our Warfighters and international partners.
The XM204 can be rapidly emplaced and is highly portable; the system can be employed alone, in multiples or in tandem with other terrain shaping systems. The lightweight munition features a dispenser launcher module that autonomously deploys multiple submunitions. Each submunition is equipped with onboard sensors to detect enemy vehicles and utilizes an explosively formed penetrator to defeat those threats. If not armed, the system is recoverable which allows Soldiers to reposition it as needed.
The XM204 also includes tamper-resistant features, armed/safe indicators, and self-destruct timers, aligning with U.S. landmine policy on anti-personnel landmines and reducing post-conflict risks to civilians.
In addition to the XM204, the XM98 Emplacement Trainer was approved by U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in November. The XM98 training munition was also fielded to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Germany. The regiment is the longest continuously serving cavalry unit in the Army and plays a key role in North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s enhanced Forward Presence initiative.
By Michael Chambers
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