Become a Super Sniper: DARPA is Turning .50 Caliber Bullets into Guided Rounds

Somebody almost worked harder on coming up with the name (EXACTO) than on developing the round!

Thank you my friend CW5 Jack Cardwell for making us aware that Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, has taken the approach to Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance [EXACTO] bullets turning ".50 caliber bullets into guided rounds capable of zeroing in on a target."

Disclaimer: To be honest, I think that trained snipers do not need to have guided bullets.
It may make sense for military service member who are not well trained as snipers to use guided .50 caliber rounds to kill enemies of this nation.

"Although DARPA is mum on how it does this, other sites report that the technology involves optical sensors in the nose of the bullet and fins capable of adjusting the bullet’s flight path in the tail. The optical sensor apparently homes in on a spot illuminated by a laser designator. The guidance system is similar to laser-guided weapons such as the Maverick and Hellfire laser-guided missiles. The bullet is even capable of making some remarkably sharp course corrections.
DARPA claims that the system is so easy to use that during testing, “ a novice shooter using the system for the first time hit a moving target.” This leads us to an advantage the EXACTO technology has over ballistic computer technology: while ballistic computers can turn ordinary weapons into precision guided ones, once the bullet is fired the computer can no longer assist the shot. If the target moves during the bullet’s relatively brief—but not insignificant flight time—the shot misses. EXACTO, on the other hand, continues to guide the bullet toward the target, to the point where it is capable of engaging a moving target.
EXACTO technology promises to revolutionize sniping. Snipers can now engage targets more quickly and with greater accuracy at longer ranges, allowing them to do their jobs more safely and efficiently. EXACTO is unaffected by sudden environmental changes, such as a sudden gust of wind. A guided bullet capable of hitting moving targets could be very useful against drones and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The technology does have a few downsides. If EXACTO does use a laser designator to mark a target that laser is visible under the right circumstances, alerting those being targeted. Even worse, the laser beam will point directly to the the person lasing the target. The system will also need a long-lasting power supply, as a sniper may need to wait for hours for the opportunity to take a shot.
In 2014, DARPA announced it was working toward EXACTO system in a deployable weapon that weighs no more than forty-six pounds with a fourteen-hour power supply. The guided round should have the same ballistic performance as the M33 .50 caliber bullet beyond ranges of three hundred meters. The hardest part of creating a deployable weapon system may be the cost: DARPA wanted a weapon inexpensive enough to actually deploy with the troops."


FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Orlando Illi Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. "Bill" Price CPT Jack Durish Capt Tom Brown CMSgt (Join to see) MSG Andrew White SFC William Farrell SGT (Join to see) Sgt Albert Castro SSG David Andrews Sgt Randy Wilber Sgt John H. SGT Charles H. Hawes SGT Mark Halmrast SPC Margaret Higgins PO1 William "Chip" Nagel

Cool, means the worst shooter might have a chance.