South Korean Army to Use New Rifle Next Year

South Korean Army to Use New Rifle Next Year 29 July, 2008: SEOUL - South Korean soldiers will be armed next year with a new rifle capable of firing bullets and high-explosive grenades with a single trigger, officials said July 28. The XK-11 rifle is also equipped with electronic devices for night missions, the defense ministry's Agency for Defence Development (ADD) said in a statement. "The new rifle exceeds existing weapons in every aspect, which will significantly improve our forces' combat capabilities at a very low cost," Kim In-Woo, an ADD developer, told Yonhap news agency. The new rifle, which weighs 6.1 kilograms (13.4 pounds), costs about 16 million won ($15,900), the agency said. It can fire 5.56mm bullets and high-explosive grenades capable of exploding over targets and penetrating the walls of buildings. Several rifles used by military forces around the world are capable of firing grenades as well as bullets, but a second trigger is usually required.