Posted on 12/15/2014 11:41:47 AM PST by Citizen Zed
New .50-caliber bullets that can change direction after they have been fired could soon make U.S. military snipers more deadly.
The EXACTO program — or Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance — is being developed by California's Teledyne Scientific & Imaging, LLC at the behest of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, according to a DARPA video posted on Youtube.
"The objective of the EXACTO program is to revolutionize rifle accuracy and range by developing the first ever guided small-caliber bullet," DARPA officials said in a July statement accompanying the video. "The EXACTO .50-caliber round and optical sighting technology expects to greatly extend the day and nighttime range over current state-of-the-art sniper systems."
The specially designed ammunition can change direction in midair.
How that is done remains a tightly held secret. The Defense Department and its related agencies declined to comment.
(Excerpt) Read more at military.com ...
I have never heard of such a bullet. Amazing if it can be accurately predicted and planned for. A bullet like this will be copied immediately, bet on it.
The Chinese have already copied it!
What are they going to call it? The “Clinton”?
Two possibilities
I know what they mean, but I still find it funny - if you know the damage a .50 round can do, its not exactly "small."
Seems like it would need to be fired from a smoothbore barrel. A normal twist rate of 1 in 14” will spin the 3000fps bullet at 154,000 rpm. Seems like any kind of fins or jets or whatever they have in mind for steering would have to overcome that spin rate to work.
Not only that, it can make excuses for its actions and file a full-on report, complete with footnotes, or, alternatively, change its mind and retreat back into the barrel of the gun that fired it and back into the brass shell casing under certain circumstances.
Ballistics tests will become less accurate.
A “bullet” that travels at the speed of light doesn’t need mid-course correction.
This is how many years after females were placed in combat positions?
(running and ducking)
Hmmm... smooth bore 50 cal.
I can see something like this possible not far down the road. The technology to miniaturize a laser guided projectile in the .50 cal range is doable. Trick is making sure it can withstand the punishment of being fired.
How could someone direct it? Would someone have maybe a second?
Would it ‘lock on’ to a target and follow it? How could it change direction. Seems crazy.
Why not just use another weapon that we already have, that can do such things?
“Looney Tunes” developed this technology decades ago.
LOL!
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