FIRST EVER Guided .50 Cal Bullet
DARPA’s Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance (EXACTO) have done their first live-fire test of a optically guided .50 caliber bullet. Watch it hit a target in the below thermal video …
From Darpa.mil …
DARPA’s Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance (EXACTO) program recently conducted the first successful live-fire tests demonstrating in-flight guidance of .50-caliber bullets. This video shows EXACTO rounds maneuvering in flight to hit targets that are offset from where the sniper rifle is aimed. 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 could impede successful hits.
The EXACTO program is developing new approaches and advanced capabilities to improve the range and accuracy of sniper systems beyond the current state of the art. For more information, please visit the program page.
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Yeah, now that's what I would call a Surgical Hit.
Seems like a lot of R&D and $ to get a non explosive 12.7mm bullet to hit a target slightly more accurately. It could make significant improvements on movers. Perhaps they are thinking the sniper will be completely in defilade and firing "over the hill"? A Tracking point/BORS type system made smaller would accomplish 90 % same first round hits for MUCH less $. Still, the Tech has other applications- A single operator, man portable, repeater rifle, firing laser guided explosive explosive ROFOUS rounds or a 14.5mm or 20mm APIT rounds would be a game changing force multiplier.