XM204 anti-tank mine with bare sub-munition. (Janes/Amael Kotlarski)
Textron Systems told Janes that its XM204 top-attack munition, displayed at the Eurosatory 2024 defence exhibition held in Paris from 17 to 21 June, has been cleared for US export and could be made available to international partners after initial adoption.
Speaking to Janes , John Pirog, director of Global Military Sales and Strategy at Textron, said the deliveries to the US Army Europe (USAREUR) would begin in the winter of 2024–25, with the programme calling for an eventual batch delivery of approximately 500 XM204s. He added that the XM204 had been cleared for export by the US Department of State Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC), which means it could be made available for international partners down the line.
The XM204 was designed to meet the USAREUR's Operational Needs Statement (ONS) 18-22702, which called for the rapid development and fielding of an interim top-attack solution – part of the army's wide close terrain shaping obstacles (CTSO) programme, which seeks to adopt a new family of top and bottom attack mines. Textron was awarded a USD354 million contract in July 2022 for the low-rate initial production of the XM204.
The XM204 is a complex, manually emplaced, top-attack anti-tank mine, designed to engage a variety of armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) and soft-skinned vehicles. Each XM204 mine consists of a dispenser launch module (DLM) housing four sensor fused munitions (SFMs), also known as common anti-vehicle munitions (CAVMs).
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