This Guided Bullet Won't Take No For an Answer

We've become accustomed to the idea of a guided missile being able to adjust its path mid-flight to take out a target, but what if the same thing was possible with a bullet?

Thanks to a new small-caliber bullet developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Defense, now we know.

See also: U.S. Military Tests Robot That Fires Machine Gun

DARPA's Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance (EXACTO) program has successfully demonstrated a .50 caliber bullet that can alter its course in mid-flight to reach its target.

The bullet has been in development for several years, but it wasn't until Monday that DARPA decided to finally release video footage, above, of the successful testing of the guided bullet in action.

Developed in conjunction with Teledyne Scientific & Imaging, the bullet uses a remote optical guidance system, allowing the sniper to make real-time adjustments for moving targets, adverse weather conditions and wind. This is a bullet that simply won't take "no" for an answer.

In the video, we're shown the normal ballistic path of a bullet fired by the shooter, which is then superimposed with the trajectory of the guided bullet. Rather than a slight shift or curve in its course, the EXACTO bullet executes a significant detour in mid-flight, delivering on the vision of a guided missile-style projectile for handheld weapons.

According to a statement from DARPA, the bullet is designed to enhance overall sniper efficiency and increase the safety of troops whose positions may be detected after firing a weapon during combat.

Visions of how such ammunition might work have been featured in video games such as Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. But with this release of real-world footage of the EXACTO at work, it's now clear that guided bullets are officially off the list of "fictional" weapons available to the military.

The bullet and its control system are still being refined as testing continues, and no date has been announced as to when this "smart ammo" will be made available to troops.

Posted by : Gizemon