Navy
One Shot, One Kill: EXACTO Delivers
ONE SHOT, one kill. Snipers around the world know how important it is to get that first round, and all their rounds, on target. With snipers reaching out to further and further distances in the recent conflict in Afghanistan records for the "longest confirmed kill" have been broken despite the swirling winds, dust and battlefield debris but even this hasn't been enough for the brains behind "Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance" (EXACTO).
With the publication of tests on EXACTO ammunition we can see first hand the potential capability of the project that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in the USA has been working on since 2008.
The EXACTO bullets are complete with optical sensors positioned on the surface of the nose that collect in-flight data which is sent to internal systems for interpretation, then fed to the tracking system before it delivers the projectile on to the target.
According to DARPA’s website, the system should “greatly extend the day and night time range over current state-of-the-art sniper systems,” minimise the time required to engage with targets, and also reduce misses.
DARPA recently released a video showcasing the technology, in which the rifle intentionally aimed slightly off target. You can see how the bullet manages to successfully change its flight path and connect with the intended target despite being aimed to the right. Watch the video below:
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