Optically guided .50-caliber bullets

[KeithP]

Video of first live fire test http://youtu.be/vX8Z2MDYX3g

http://www.darpa.mil/NewsEvents/Releases/2014/07/10a.aspx

-KeithP

 

[Hoober]

Woah.

 

[DesiPower]

how the heck do they guide it?

 

[Gibsons]

how the heck do they guide it?

good question...

here's a gigantic drawing of the bullet, which reveals nothing afaict.
http://www.darpa.mil/uploadedImages/Content/Our_Work/TTO/Programs/Exacto/exacto projectile_full.jpg

My guess would be it's fired from a smooth bore and they use some extendable fins.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Great, one more weapon the machines can use against us when they become sentient.

 

[Broheim]

how the heck do they guide it?

I'm not sure if it's the same tech, but I remember seeing something about smart bullets once that would mechanically change the shape of the bullet to alter it's trajectory.

 

[TheVrolok]

Great, one more weapon the machines can use against us when they become sentient.

Awesome. And yep, we're fucked.

 

[ussfletcher]

Looks similar to this http://www.dailytech.com/SelfGuided+Bullet+is+a+Soldiers+Best+Friend/article23927.htm

 

[irishScott]

Wonder how much velocity it loses performing those maneuvers. Certainly not enough to make a difference on a person, but .50 BMG is sometimes used against light vehicles as well.

Still, freaking awesome. I picture snipers wearing a militarized version of google glass that basically acts like an aimbot. Snipers because I doubt these things will be cheap enough to expend by the thousands.

 

[Ns1]

Wonder how much velocity it loses performing those maneuvers. Certainly not enough to make a difference on a person, but .50 BMG is sometimes used against light vehicles as well.

Still, freaking awesome. I picture snipers wearing a militarized version of google glass that basically acts like an aimbot. Snipers because I doubt these things will be cheap enough to expend by the thousands.

Real life aim bots are totally the way of the future. Now if we could only figure out bunny hopping.

 

[Jeeebus]

Omg hax!!!

/votekick US Army

 

[SOFTengCOMPelec]

how the heck do they guide it?

Controllable fins (4 of them), according to this article.

I'm NOT 100% sure if the controllable fins applies to the normal unmodified rifle version, but it presumably does.

The weaponsmiths at Sandia have already developed a steerable bullet that uses optical sensors in the tip and four controllable fins to reach its target. But that round needs a special smooth-bore gun to fire from, whereas EXACTO is designed to be fired by standard rifled .50-cal weaponry.

 

[IronWing]

You'll put an eye out with that.

 

[Tsavo]

Extra cool is this thing can steer a bullet that's already spinning.

 

[Gibsons]

Wonder how much velocity it loses performing those maneuvers. Certainly not enough to make a difference on a person, but .50 BMG is sometimes used against light vehicles as well.

Yeah looking at the deflection in the vid it has to lose a lot of velocity, and maybe hit at a skewed angle as well. Would still splatter someone in body armor I suspect.

 

[Markbnj]

My mom would not let me play with one of those.

 

[Imp]

...I'll take the XM20 -- no wall-hack necessary.

 

[SSSnail]

Yeah, now they can mate this to my snipping drones. :awe:

 

[Gibsons]

Yeah, now they can mate this to my snipping drones. :awe:

Are you skynet?

 

[Red Squirrel]

They need to make these that home in on mosquitoes, then I want a machine gun version of the gun.

 

[John Connor]

Real life aim bots are totally the way of the future. Now if we could only figure out bunny hopping.

HAHAHA! I can't even imagine the Taliban bunny hopping and tea bagging. ROFL. Derka, derka, derka.

 

[John Connor]

Video of first live fire test http://youtu.be/vX8Z2MDYX3g

http://www.darpa.mil/NewsEvents/Releases/2014/07/10a.aspx

-KeithP

That's nothing. I once shot a fly from about 50' off a clothes pin with a BB gun.

 

[Paratus]

Cutaway of the bullet.

I understand the inventor is a big KISS fan.:sneaky::sneaky:

 

[moonbogg]

So its basically a mini guided rocket. Sick.

 

[cruzer]

Cutaway of the bullet.

I understand the inventor is a big KISS fan.:sneaky::sneaky: