The US Army’s XM204 interim top-attack munition was approved for urgent materiel release (UMR) and successfully conducted initial fielding in Europe on 4 December 2025, the US Army reported on its website on 12 January 2026.
Managed by Project Manager Close Combat Systems (PM CCS) at Picatinny Arsenal, New jersey in partnership with Textron Systems, the XM204 completed low-rate initial production in September 2025. The munition was then fielded to the army’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment, based at Rose Barracks in Vilseck, Germany, for training. New equipment training, as well as new doctrine and tactics and training, were provided to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment to review the performance, reliability and integrated safety features of the XM204 to prepare for its use army wide.
The training was held at Grafenwoehr Army Base and on its conclusion of training/fielding, PM CCS and the Joint Program Executive Office Armaments & Ammunition (JPEO A&A) achieved initial operational capability with the XM204.
The XM204 top-attack munition is a hand-emplaced anti-vehicle system designed to support terrain-shaping operations. Highly portable and able to be rapidly emplaced, the XM204 can be employed alone, in multiples or with other terrain-shaping systems to create complex area denial obstacles. 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 uses an explosively formed penetrator to defeat those threats. If not armed, the system is recoverable, allowing soldiers to reposition it as needed.
The XM204 also includes tamper-resistant features, armed/safe indicators and self-destruct timers, aligning with US policy on anti-personnel landmines and reducing post-conflict risks to civilians.
“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,” Major General John T Reim, JPEO A&A and Commanding General of Picatinny Arsenal, was quoted as saying in a US Army news story. “This new system addresses evolving battlefield demands and the ongoing need to produce safe, reliable, and lethal munitions for our warfighters and international partners.”
In addition to the XM204, the XM98 Emplacement Trainer was approved by US Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in November 2025. The XM98 training munition was also fielded to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Germany.
