It looks like the future of war will take place in the virtual “cyber” arena, but that doesn’t mean the United States military is done upgrading their tangible weaponry.

Take, for example, this recent news: according to the website ars technica, early next year the U.S. Army will “begin acceptance testing of a weapon … the XM25 Counter Defilade Engagement System”.

It’s a smart grenade launcher. And one that will “allow soldiers to hit targets shielded by cover”.

Here’s a video demonstration of the cutting-edge weapon. See why it looks like it belongs in some post-apocalyptic Hollywood film where garbage and steam and darkness dominate the foreground:

Here’s how it works, according to ars technica:

The XM25 has a built-in “target acquisition and fire control system” that allows any soldier with basic rifleman skills to operate it effectively—the soldier points the weapon’s target selector down range, and a laser rangefinder determines how far away it is. The soldier can add additional distance to clear obstacles, and the fire control computer gives the soldier a new aiming point to put the round on target, as well as setting the fusing of the grenade in the chamber. The grenade doesn’t have to strike anything to explode, so it can detonate in the air over whatever or whoever might be hiding behind a vehicle, wall, or entrenchment.

Any weapon that can make members of America’s military safer? That needs to get approved and doled out as soon as possible to those brave men and women who need it. Here’s to the Army fast-tracking this “testing” process and allowing more weaponry that — when it needs to be used — doesn’t put our warriors in harm’s way.