Video: DARPA Releases More Footage of Mind-bending Guided Bullets in Action
OutdoorHub Reporters 04.28.15
In the summer of 2014, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) first released footage of a guided .50-caliber bullet in action. The “smart” projectile is part of DARPA’s Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance (EXACTO) program that seeks to enhance rifle accuracy and range. Yesterday, the agency released a new video of the EXACTO round being used against moving targets.
Seeing the projectile modify its path in-flight is quite the sight. DARPA’s website expands upon the goals of the EXACTO program in brief:
For military snipers, acquiring moving targets in unfavorable conditions, such as high winds and dusty terrain commonly found in Afghanistan, is extremely challenging with current technology. 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 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 nighttime 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 course.
Personally, we’d like to see EXACTO projectiles paired with something like a TrackingPoint AR-15 for maximum future gun. Maybe it could even have its own awesome acronym, like EXACTOPOINTAR. What do you think?
