The sniper takes careful aim at his target, fires the shot - and misses.
The shot was just off by a few feet, but enough to make sure the target gets away
clean. Not only that, but the shot will likely alert him to trouble in the area,
and he’ll be able to trigger local forces to hunt down the sniper.
Or not. Because as the bullet is fired, it changes direction and zeroes in on the target - hitting
him dead center and eliminating the threat. Another successful mission for…Smart Bullet!
Science fiction, or something else? Is the
military on the verge of giving its soldiers bullets that can think?
For most of us, our first memory of homing weapons probably comes from video games. It feels like a
dirty trick when the boss fires his weapons, and suddenly they start bearing down on you.
It was also a common trope in sci-fi movies, when the enemy ship’s weapons seem to have a
mind of their own. But in reality, there have been homing weapons for a long time. The most
common is probably guided missiles, where the weapon can be controlled from the base to change
direction - kind of like guiding a drone, except this drone isn’t supposed to make it back to base.
But other weapons can change direction on their own.
The first type of homing missile that could move independently was the infrared homing missile,
which could lock in on a target’s heat signature and change direction as needed
to hit its target. These have been in development from before World War II,
but have advanced a lot and can now target vehicles out of their line of sight by following
the heat signal. These are deadly weapons of war - but they tend to be large-scale weapons,
and they’re not very useful in crowded situations where there are plenty of potential targets.
Which makes this new weapon a potential game-changer.
Meet the EXACTO sniper rifle, short for Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordinance. If it
sounds like a weapon you’d get in a video game - you’re not far off. This is the most advanced
gun ever created - and it’s currently under development by DARPA - the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency. Developed by Lockheed Martin and Teledyne for the US government,
it’s one of the most promising projects at the agency - where many projects turn
out to be unfeasible for combat use after extensive development.
But this one might have a big leg up.
The technology for homing weapons has been in development for a long time, but had never been
used on a weapon this small. And the need for this weapon is clear - being a sniper is an unforgiving
job. These elite shooters often find themselves contending with moving targets in unfavorable
conditions - high winds, dust storms, or rain. Some snipers even try to shoot from helicopters,
one of the hardest possible positions. Top snipers need an extreme level of control over their body
and an understanding of their environment, but sometimes, even that might not be enough.
So DARPA wants them to get a tech assist.
The exact technology of the EXACTO rifle isn’t known, but what we do know is that
it’s a combination of an advanced gun and bullets that might be the most advanced in
the world. It’s based off the .50 BMG gun from Browning, and comes with an improved sniper
scope for maximum visibilities. The ammunition is only half an inch long - which will be a
challenge to get the high-tech components to fit in there. What makes the EXACTO so
impressive is that this isn’t custom hardware - it’s based off the existing BMG ammunition.
But what’s inside is truly impressive.
Designing a whole new type of gun doesn’t come quickly,
and the EXACTO was first put into development in 2008. After several years of development,
it was slated for completion in 2015. By 2014, it was ready for test firing,
and a demonstration showed the capabilities of the EXACTO - a bullet could be fired in
the wrong direction, and curve seamlessly towards its target before hitting it dead-on. An expert
shooter tested the gun, and hit the target every time. Making it even more impressive,
a rookie shooter tried as well - and they hit the target as well thanks to the guided bullet!
So what’s the secret of this new weapon?
That’s the rub…it’s classified. After all, the federal government isn’t really in the
business of broadcasting its new weapons to the whole world, especially not when they’re
still in development. That would make it very easy for other figures - both rival nations,
and private military contractors - to try to beat the Department of Defense to market. So
what little we know about EXACTO is being carefully parceled out by the DOD when they
want to build hype for the new weapon, or is being speculated about by outsiders.
But what we do know is pretty impressive.
When EXACTO was first announced, many speculated it would use typical fire-and-forget technologies
that would allow the ammunition to move independently. These include advanced sighting,
tamper proofing, and a small internal power supply. While it’s likely those would make it
into the final project, it was equally interesting what it didn’t have - any visible fins or steering
mechanism on the bullet itself. This sets it apart from a typical homing missile, and
indicates that the EXACTO ammo will function more like a bullet - just one with a mind of its own.
And it may run circles around the competition.
The bullet is believed to use a real-time optical guidance system that will allow it to process
information as it comes in and change direction in a matter of seconds. After the bullet is fired,
it can evolve its flight path - and many initial shots were taken deliberately
off-target to test this system. As long as the target is reasonably within the line of sight,
the bullet can hunt it down, although it’s not clear just how far this extends right
now. This has the potential to make it easier for snipers to hit targets in
low visibility or nighttime conditions, while right now snipers are at the mercy of nature.
So it’s no surprise that many competitors are on the case.
Sometimes it’s best to compete with yourself, so Sandia National Laboratories also began
developing their own guided sniper round not long after DARPA. The two were developed
independently with only the same logline - bullet that can follow its target. However,
the Sandia one has some key differences. The Sandia bullet will use a laser-guided system,
which is technology that has been used more extensively. This might mean it
beats the EXACTO to market, but it might also be more vulnerable to interference. After all,
lasers can be blocked, and many enemy armies have anti-laser technology they could deploy.
And then there’s the more direct competition.
The EXACTO had its first full test in 2014, and was deemed to be advancing fast enough
to continue development. But like most things when the government is involved,
it isn’t exactly moving fast. Another round of live-fire tests in 2015 showed further progress,
but there was still work to be done - and now the competition wanted one too. In 2016,
Russia announced it was starting work on its own smart bullet - one that would be
able to travel a whopping six miles to hit its target. Should the United States be worried?
In a word, probably not.
Russia makes a lot of big boasts, but we’ve gotten our closest look at how
their military functions today - and it’s not very impressive in Ukraine. While they might
have a smart bullet in development, the odds are it is much further from
completion than the United States version. After all, if they had high-tech bullets,
they wouldn’t be invading another country with Cold War-era tanks and guns and makeshift body
armor on their draftees. Additionally, with Russia under heavy sanctions, it’s unlikely they’ll be
able to get the resources for large numbers of bullets with a guiding computer inside them.
Which raises the question - when is the US version going to be ready?
The main question might not be when it’ll be available - but if we’ll even know when
it is. After all, the EXACTO smart bullet isn’t going to be available for purchase
at your local WalMart. As much as Jimmy and his hunting buddies down in North
Carolina might like the idea of hunting a deer or bear with self-guiding bullets,
the government will not want that technology getting out there. Not to mention, it’s not
exactly the kind of thing you put down some cash for - it’s estimated that each EXACTO bullet
could cost over a hundred dollars per round once perfected - and maybe up to a thousand.
It’s also likely to have limited combat utility.
The EXACTO is a weapon with a very specific purpose - to zero in on a specific target
and eliminate them. That means it will likely need a certain level of quiet
to do its job. In a busy battlefield, the EXACTO would likely be not much more useful
than a standard bullet - if it didn’t get confused and go awry. It’s not clear if it’s
been tested in more intense combat theaters rather than sniper situations, but it seems
clear it’s a weapon designed for long-range combat rather than a new tool to win wars.
But could it have any civilian uses?
If the EXACTO proves itself in the military and the government is ready to let it play a larger
role, it could potentially revolutionize policing. Guided ammo could make the job
of police officers easier - but it would also likely be prohibitively expensive. After all,
those bullets don’t come cheap, and many people would worry that giving the
police more advanced weapons would just result in more effective lethal shots.
Which raises the question - when is the EXACTO likely to be used?
Due to the price, it’s not likely to replace standard sniper bullets. After all,
the best snipers around are more than capable of handling most missions thanks to their training.
But there are those missions that are just a little trickier and have a few
more variables - and maybe one of them involves a target that the United States just can’t let
get away. Say a key Al Qaeda operative is being moved in the middle of a sandstorm,
and the US gets one shot at him before he heads back underground. The US military is
likely to deploy its best sniper - and then give him EXACTO ammo to make sure
that even if he’s not able to make the perfect shot, the gun will do the rest of the work.
Which means that it’s likely that EXACTO will eventually make the difference in
key combat situations - but the average person may never know it.
Want to know more about DARPA? Check out “Most Insane Weapons the US Military Is Actually
Using Today”, or watch “Most Lethal Modern Military Weapons” for the best of the best.