Smartgun – EXACTO Bullet Magic Bullet? Not a theory anymore! EXACTO DARPA smartbullet 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. What DARPA created is a self-guided bullet that can change direction during his flight to the target! It is a real-time guidance system inside a .50 caliber bullet. Each EXACTO bullet has an optical sensor on its nose that collects data in-flight, sending it to internal systems. After the data is interpreted, it is used to adjust a set of external fins on the bullet, altering the projectile’s course. From Youtube DARPA channel: DARPA’s Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance (EXACTO) program, which developed a self-steering bullet to increase hit rates for difficult, long-distance shots, completed in February its most successful round of live-fire tests to date. An experienced shooter using the technology demonstration system repeatedly hit moving and evading targets. Additionally, a novice shooter using the system for the first time hit a moving target. This video shows EXACTO rounds maneuvering in flight to hit targets that are moving and accelerating. 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 can impede successful hits. EXACTO DARPA system Link to the DARPA news: EXACTO Guided Bullet Demonstrates Repeatable Performance against Moving Targets and the EXACTO program
