US Military Debuts Self-Guided Bullets Designed to Hit Moving Targets

[Karamjit]

The bullets rely on a real-time optical guidance system to correct their course, find and hit a moving target

This past Monday, April 27, the US military's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) released a video documenting the outcome of a series of tests that were carried out back in February and that saw shooters fire new-generation self-steering bullets at moving targets.

The video in question, available below, shows the self-guided bullets correcting their course with no external help in order to find and hit a moving or accelerating target. Even when the person holding the sniper rifle is a novice, the bullet has no trouble finding its mark.
How the bullets work

Understandably, DARPA is proving a tad reluctant about spilling the beans on the ins and outs of the technology allowing these new-generation bullets to adjust their course so as to hit moving targets.

What is known is that the self-guided bullets were developed as part of the agency's Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance (EXACTO) program, whose aim is to increase snipers' accuracy, and that they rely on a real-time optical guidance system to track and follow marks that are on the move.

“The system combines a maneuverable bullet and a real-time guidance system to track and deliver the projectile to the target, allowing the bullet to change path during flight to compensate for any unexpected factors that may drive it off course,” DARPA writes.

Now that the US military's new self-steering bullets have been successfully tested, the researchers and military experts behind this project say that their immediate plans for the future include further improving on their performance and studying their behavior in real-life conditions.

Besides, it is understood that efforts are underway to expand this novel guiding system to weapons of all calibers. Presently, the self-steering bullets only work with .50-caliber weapons, DARPA explains.
Why create such bullets

In a report detailing their work, the DARPA scientists who created the self-steering bullets explain that this new technology is expected to make it easier for snipers and other military personnel to take down their targets when faced with harsh conditions such as strong winds or dusty terrain.

More precisely, the goal is to have these bullets improve the range at which targets can be eliminated and reduce the time that snipers and other shooters must watch and observe their mark before firing.

“It is critical that snipers be able to engage targets faster, and with better accuracy, since any shot that doesn’t hit a target also risks the safety of troops by indicating their presence and potentially exposing their location,” the report reads.

From: http://news.softpedia.com/news/US-Military-Debuts-Self-Guided-Bullets-Designed-to-Hit-Moving-Targets-479638.shtml

[dcs18]

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