US Military tests SELF GUIDED 50 Caliber BULLETS Ammunition



A great step for us military 50 caliber ammunition technology US military research agency DARPA says it is homing in on its long-term ambition of producing self-guided bullets, after staging a test in which a sniper was able to shoot at a target at a radically wrong angle, and yet still hit it perfectly. “DARPA’s Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance (EXACTO) program recently conducted the first successful live-fire tests demonstrating in-flight guidance of .50-caliber bullets,” said the organization, which posted a recording of the trial on YouTube. “This video shows EXACTO rounds maneuvering in flight to hit targets that are offset from where the sniper rifle is aimed. EXACTO’s specially designed ammunition and real-time optical guidance system help track and direct projectiles to their targets by compensating for weather, wind, target movement and other factors that could impede successful hits.” But behind the dry description is a fascinating use of technology that the Pentagon has invested more than $25 million into since the program’s inception in 2008. While the exact technologies used remain classified, an automatic aiming rifle consists of two parts – a guidance system and the bullet. The first tracks the target, meaning that the sniper simply has to “see” it with a with a sophisticated optical sight, and send signals to the bullet. With a number of fins and an on-board computer, the bullet – which may also calculate air pressure – constantly re-adjusts its path to home in on the target. To make rapid fire even simpler, it may simply react to any heat or movement near the target area, in what is known as “fire-and-forget.” In 2012 another government researcher, Sandia National Labs, tested its own guided bullet, and claimed similar accuracy and distance results for it, though it uses a laser beam for targeting – which could make it less useful in smoky or foggy weather conditions, as well as being easier to spot for the enemy. Currently, US Army snipers are expected to hit a target 600 meters away, nine times out of ten. But after a certain point, about a kilometer away, accuracy falls off sharply, even in perfect conditions. Besides, current technology simply does not allow snipers to easily estimate the impact of humidity and cross-winds on the bullet trajectory, meaning that even the best will often have to fire several bullets before they even get close – ruining the surprise factor, and placing themselves in danger of return fire. EXACTO promises a range of up to 2,000 meters, as well as a virtual indifference to conditions. DARPA – the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency – has, almost as a part of its experiment-oriented brief, a mixed track record on delivering practical and widely-used innovations. But if its brief for this project – which specifies that a rifle must use standard size ammunition and not be heavier than current rifles – is fulfilled, then it may bring about the biggest revolution in sniping since telescopic sights came into use in the middle of the 19th century. And the US Army is genuinely relying on this project. As its tactics have evolved from head-on combat to tactical missions against small groups of insurgents in treacherous terrain – in which loss of American lives must be minimized – so the number of snipers has risen. According to Time magazine, there were 250 in the entire army before the Iraq war, and that number more than trebled at the peak of the simultaneous US operations abroad. While overall military capacity may decrease in the coming years, with the Obama administration keen to avoid being trapped in unwinnable regional conflicts, the role that snipers will play will only grow. While the success of the DARPA program may fill the corridors of the Pentagon with cheer, as with any improvement that increases the potency of easily-available weapons (EXACTO could even be fitted onto an ordinary rifle), it has its own risks. The US Army is not likely to make EXACTO available to civilians, but the technology will filter down and spread abroad, and Sandia National Labs has already announced that it plans to make its system commercially available. And while military innovation is necessary, the US will no doubt be worried about seeing rifles that can hit from 2km away, wielded by untrained foreign militants and disturbed American gunmen in the near future. Smart bullet is a term that has been used to describe several theoretical and prototype bullets. The "smart" part comes from the bullet doing something other than simply following its given trajectory, e.g. turning, speeding up, slowing down, sending data, etc. The patent number 5,788,178[1] for the guided bullet is held by Rolin F. Barrett Jr., of North Carolina, USA. Types of smart bullets[edit] In 2012 Sandia National Laboratories announced a self-guided bullet prototype that could track a target illuminated with a laser designator.

Comments

  1. its like aimbot, but for real life! yay?
  2. Maybe it is not fast enough.Target may hide.
  3. How to make .50 cal ammo more expensive? hmmmm..., ! Iv got it!
  4. Interesting.
  5. Seems likely to be a costly endeavor, Snipers are pretty damn good already, and it was missing its aiming point by a snipers mile.  How many billions will it cost to 'perfect' and then how expensive will each round cost?  I'd rather go with the tried and true current tech.  Let them make it flawless and cheap first before even considering such a boondoggle IMO.
  6. If they had the technology to guide a bullet that would take a big budget for R&D don't you think they would at least record in hd 720p at least you would think but maybe I'm the stupid one lol
  7. Who's DARPA going to use those on?
  8. Lets call it what it really is: A missle
  9. does the person shooting this kind of ammunition still deserve to be called sniper?
  10. OMG can't look faker...
  11. Relay cool. I imagine how the guns will be in 2050, maybe energy guns? What do you guys think?
  12. in mother Russia we blast the whole wall with 50cal bullets and kill all the muhajeddin islamists in it. 
  13. does this mean we may be able to identify our target via satellite?
    anyone ever seen the metalstorm's submachine gun?
  14. These are probably to be used when there is no room for error (as is in assassination of very important targets).
  15. Oh Shit. i had this idea in my mind for a long time, years. even two hours ago i was thinking about exactly that this.
    I thought about it, because of the shooting in USA, like Bank-robbery and hostage situations and so on. Why shoot 100 bullets or a difficult sniper-shot when guiding is the key.

    What happens in this world. are people reading minds or what ?


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