The XM29 was a prototype assault rifle developed by Heckler & Koch and Alliant Techsystems as a potential replacement for the United States military's M16. The Tank Buster, a fictional anti-materiel rifle based on the weapon, appeared in the 2002 James Bond film, Die Another Day, and its novelisation by Raymond Benson. A further portrayal of the XM29 dubbed the AIMS-20 featured in Electronic Arts' video-game, Nightfire.
History[]
Die Another Day[]
The Tank Buster was one of the many weapons North Korean colonel, Tan-Sun Moon, was planning to sell to the illicit diamond trader, Van Bierk. Notably, the weapon was chambered for depleted uranium armor-piercing rounds. James Bond infiltrates the exchange as Van Bierk, but his cover is quickly blown; leading to Moon destroying 007's helicopter (along with his accomplices) using the Tank Buster. Bond escapes and, in a hovercraft chase, pursues the fleeing Colonel into the minefields of the Korean Demilitarized Zone. During the chase, Moon fires several explosive rounds in the spy's direction.
James Bond 007: NightFire[]
In Nighfire, the XM29, known as the as the "Advanced Individual Munitions System-20", or "AIMS-20" for short, can be used by the player (James Bond) or Phoenix International soldiers. It can fire 5.56mm rifle rounds or 20mm HE-Frag grenade rounds, both of which are targeted via a built-in Infra-Red scope.
Behind the Scenes[]
In Die Another Day, Colonel Tau-Sun Moon uses the XM29, which Moon calls the "Tank Buster", during the film's pre-credit sequence.
A real XM29 was not available for movie use, since only first level production had been done on the project by the prime military contractors. Instead, the film's armourer, Bapty & Co., made two replica XM29s based on the 2002 model that had the same basic shell.
The primary one was built on a Heckler & Koch G36. A selector switch was made to mechanically change the single trigger on the G36 to function either the G36 or the special 20mm upper firearm. Karl built a complete action with multiple cam rotating bolt head, magazine and feeding system so that the fake 20mm cartridges (with a Swanson .357 blank inside) would cycle out of the weapon.
The secondary prop was made with a Micro Uzi embedded in the upper prop shell. A long Uzi magazine was also modified to slide inside the prop magazine. The lower part of the weapon was also a G36, as in the primary prop. A special selector was made to transfer trigger pull from firing the G36 to the Micro Uzi.
Gallery[]
.png "Moon firing the Tank Buster (1).png (1.15 MB)")
_1.png "AIMS-20 (Nightfire, GC) 1.png (1.08 MB)")
Trivia[]
- The XM29's appearance was the second (and, so far, last) appearance of a mockup of the weapon in a film. A mockup based on the Heckler & Koch MP5 first appeared in the 1999 film Universal Soldier: The Return. However, the weapon has appeared in many video games, such as Nightfire.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Gander, Terry J. Jane's Infantry Weapons 2002–2003. Jane's Information Group. 2002
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 - "Heckler & Koch HK XM29 OICW". Military Factory (August 17, 2017).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 - "XM29 OICW". Modern Firearms (September 19, 2018).