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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Watch DARPA's Scary Self-Guided Bullets Swerve to Hit Moving Objects |
| 2015-04-28 |
| Bwahaha! Military researchers at DARPA have been developing ammunition which can change its path in mid-air to ensure it always hits its target. Now, it can even correct itself mid-flight to hit a moving target. The Department's Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance (EXACTO) is a .50 caliber bullet that maneuvers itself as it travels through the air. It's far from clear how it works--"the system combines a maneuverable bullet and a real-time guidance system to track and deliver the projectile to the target," says DARPA--but it's now effective enough to swerve and dive to hit a moving target. In a video released by DARPA, a trained sniper uses the system to reliably hit a target that starts moving once the shot is taken. But, unnervingly, it also manages to hit the spot when an untrained user of the sniper rifle takes a shot. The Department claims that it'll "improve sniper effectiveness and enhance troop safety by allowing greater shooter standoff range and reduction in target engagement timelines." We just hope it stays firmly in the battlefield, given how effective it is in the hands of the untrained. Videos at link. |
| Posted by:gorb |
| #2 From wikipedia' The DARPA EXACTO program may face competition from Sandia National Laboratories for creating a guided sniper round. The DARPA EXACTO program uses different methods than Sandia's guided round. It relies on remote-guidance tied to the optics, which may be more reliable than Sandia's guidance method of needing to paint the target with a laser for their projectile to follow, which can be detected, diffused, or blocked. EXACTO models on existing .50 BMG ammunition and rifles instead of needing new hardware, which the Sandia guided dart would need. Although EXACTO is specifically focused on military applications, Sandia is seeking to make commercial sales of their guided sniper projectile. It must use a laser to change the direction of the round inflight. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2015-04-28 17:08 |
| #1 |
| Posted by: 2015-04-28 13:05 |