The New, New Standard For Lethality

[wacojoe]

I didn't see this one coming although the writers in one episode of Almost Human pegged it last season...guided bullets.

http://p.washingtontimes.com/news/20...lf-guided-bul/

If anyone knows the technology behind this, post it please, as I am curious. I remember bullets a few years ago that were miniature rockets, but I see no signs of that here. More likely there is some mechanism with adjustable veins to change the path, but how communication would be done is a mystery to me. Maybe they can test it on the new Caliph.

[wacojoe]

A little more plus a competing projectile —
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/EXACTO

I find this intriguing and the video released earlier in the OP shows extreme course correction if you watch the projectile movement. This is going to take the fun out of it for snipers...and for targets.

I am in the middle of reading the new Reacher novel, which is about long-range snipers. I am wondering if Exacto will show up. That is what brought me back to this thread. I see by the Wiki piece that Clancy already wrote it into a book, I guess before he died.

[wacojoe]

A recent EXACTO article in Stars & Stripes. They are serious about this, and it will happen. The piece alludes to deployment soon.

http://www.stripes.com/news/us/dod-w...fired-1.319419

I always wondered why there weren't robotic sniper weapons with remote triggering, highly stabilized barrels and electronic optics. Making the projectile bend and deflect is a much more elegant solution although no one is saying how this is being accomplished.

[Dave Grubb]

...............highly stabilized barrels and electronic optics.

Even if you could remove all the variables from the weapon and the ammunition you have no control over the space from the end of the barrel to the target.

Wind and even thermal currents are not your friend in long range shooting. You take your guess and hope for the best.

[wacojoe]

Agreed. That makes adjusting mid-trajectory a more elegant solution. I'm having trouble conceiving how that can be done in a small projectile.

A few years ago someone came out with normal-sized bullets that were actually small self-propelled rockets which had the advantages of being less noisy, less recoil and more retained velocity, but I seem to remember they had decreased accuracy. Don't remember the name. Perhaps they have revived part of that approach to deflect the trajectory somehow.

Once again: Why does each thread in this forum get so many hits? It can't be regulars.

[wacojoe]

DARPA has conducted successful tests of their EXACTO steerable .50 caliber bullet hitting moving and even evading targets at sniper ranges with both expert and non-expert gunners. Video below

http://www.engadget.com/2015/04/27/d...oving-targets/

No word on how it works.

[Truckman]

I hadn't seen this thread...I need to catch up...

A few years ago someone came out with normal-sized bullets that were actually small self-propelled rockets which had the advantages of being less noisy, less recoil and more retained velocity, but I seem to remember they had decreased accuracy. Don't remember the name.

You may be thinking of the Gyrojet, Joe...

Another interesting concept was the tround......Ben