DARPA's Self Guiding 0.5 Caliber Rounds & Sniper Rifle.

[Reaper]

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Defense responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military.

For long DARPA had been working on the self-steering bullet program dubbed the EXACTO, an acronym of EXtreme ACcuracy Tasked Ordnance, is a sniper rifle being developed by Lockheed Martin and Teledyne Scientific & Imaging.

The Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance (EXACTO) system seeks to improve sniper effectiveness and enhance troop safety by allowing greater shooter standoff range and reduction in target engagement timelines. The objective of the EXACTO program is to revolutionize rifle accuracy and range by developing the first ever guided small-caliber bullet. The EXACTO 50- caliber round and optical sighting technology expects to greatly extend the day and night time range over current state-of-the-art sniper systems. 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 co



EXACTO passed another developmental milestone in late February. As per the video below, experienced and novice shooters alike were able to strike moving targets. And, in the case of expert shooters, able to hit actively evading targets as well.

[YouTube] [/YouTube]

[YouTube] [/YouTube]

[sa_ali]

WWOOOW, it was something in waiting.

[Ultimate Sniper]

This indeed is the next generation of sniping.
But the basic thumb rule of 'rifle is 10% and remaining 90% is the shooter' will no more be valid.
Anybody can be a sniper now on, if this hits the market.
One can shoot to the sky and redirect it to wherever he wants it to hit finally.
However the ammunition would be damn expensive.

-Arvind S.

[Reaper]

@Ultimate Sniper, The Shooter (Novice or Experienced ) will still need to continuously track the moving subject because the laser from the optical system guides the bullet towards the moving target. The bullet receives signal from the optical system and the fins within the bullet deploy to change its original trajectory and hit the moving target.

However the above video shows even novice user hitting the target, so it works for new users also.

[Ultimate Sniper]

@Reaper - Yeah I agree the shooter will still have a role, but very easy and relaxed.
Since tracking a target using a laser pointer is any day easier than having to calculate the bullet drop, wind adjustment, anticipating & conpensating forr an advancing (moving) target, etc... Thats what I meant.

However the limitation I see for this is that unless the target is in an open area, it would be tough to track and adjust the bullet trajectory.
Will have to consider the objects in the vicinity of the trajectory as well while it travels.
This would come handy for very long range shots in open areas.

-Arvind S.

[Commonwealth_of_PA]

Are they ever going to release this thing? They promote it again every few years.

Supposedly it will be incredibly expensive but it seems to me it could become "reasonable" over time. It is spinning, so it could use a single-element detector and two mirror arrangement like the original AIM-9 Sidewinder. The challenge of course is miniaturization and the cost of tooling up. But I don't even know how the darn thing works. That's just the way I would try to do it if it was thrown on my desk.

[Reaper]

I don't think they will release it to the public. Technology like this could be deadly at the hands of a maniac.

[ganeshn]

@Reaper - Yeah I agree the shooter will still have a role, but very easy and relaxed.
Since tracking a target using a laser pointer is any day easier than having to calculate the bullet drop, wind adjustment, anticipating & conpensating forr an advancing (moving) target, etc... Thats what I meant.

However the limitation I see for this is that unless the target is in an open area, it would be tough to track and adjust the bullet trajectory.
Will have to consider the objects in the vicinity of the trajectory as well while it travels.
This would come handy for very long range shots in open areas.

-Arvind S.

There is concept called forward position in military and guided munitions or payload do not mandate line of sight.never the less its hard to imagine these scenerios are unaddressed especially with the kind of resources United States DOD has.

[Commonwealth_of_PA]

I don't think they will release it to the public. Technology like this could be deadly at the hands of a maniac.

You are kidding, right? You can't do anything with this that my buddy can't do with his .50 BMG M2 machinegun.

It's only a modest improvement on existing .50 BMG sniper rifles. Barret rifles ship now with sensor and computer packages integrated into the sighting systems:

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/3-0134930

Civilians in the US use thermal weapon sights for hunting and I personally have night vision gear far superior to the best that the Indian army has. The gear our civilians have is better than we are allowed to export to the UK military. We would go to jail for taking it out of the country the technology is so high.

There is nothing illegal about guided ammunition in the US. I doubt there is a law against it in India, either. But I know supply of such things is somewhat controlled in India. I guess we'll see. At this point it is so expensive it does not matter. And it has been in the testing stages for years now and still no product available to the military.

[Commonwealth_of_PA]

@Reaper - Yeah I agree the shooter will still have a role, but very easy and relaxed.
Since tracking a target using a laser pointer is any day easier than having to calculate the bullet drop, wind adjustment, anticipating & conpensating forr an advancing (moving) target, etc... Thats what I meant.

However the limitation I see for this is that unless the target is in an open area, it would be tough to track and adjust the bullet trajectory.
Will have to consider the objects in the vicinity of the trajectory as well while it travels.
This would come handy for very long range shots in open areas.

-Arvind S.

There is concept called forward position in military and guided munitions or payload do not mandate line of sight.never the less its hard to imagine these scenerios are unaddressed especially with the kind of resources United States DOD has.

Very true and excellent point. But at that point it wouldn't make sense to use a small caliber direct-fire weapon such as .50 rifle. The only purpose of .50 rifle is to extend direct fire engagement range of a sniper. If you are going to have a forward observer/designator then it makes sense to go ahead with a more substantial indirect fire weapon.

[xl_target]

I don't think they will release it to the public. Technology like this could be deadly at the hands of a maniac.

A knife is deadly in the hands of a maniac. So is a Cricket bat or a cast iron cooking pan or a rock.

I see no point in punishing law abiding citizens for the deeds of maniacs.
Furthermore, restricting arms and ammunition from the law abiding citizens does nothing to cut down the acts of maniacs.
Statements like that just insult the intelligence of anyone capable of logical thought.

As commonwealth of PA says, legal US residents are allowed all kinds of arms and ammunition. I know people who even have working tanks and armored cars.
I met several guys at an airshow who owned and flew their own jet fighters. It is certainly expensive but not that uncommon. Having access to that kind of weaponry doesn't make someone a maniac.

[timmy]

I met several guys at an airshow who owned and flew their own jet fighters.

Do you mean like this, XL:

[youtube][/youtube]

From http://www.warbirdsnews.com/warbirds-ne ... -21um.html

Here's the advertisement of the one for sale, evidently from Poland: http://www.raptoraviation.com/aircraft% ... 20R13.html