WASHINGTON, April 28 (UPI) -- A .50 caliber bullet that self-guides itself to its target has successfully demonstrated its capabilities in U.S. military testing.
DARPA, or U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, said the experimental bullet is uses an optical guidance system that directs projectiles to their targets, compensating for weather, wind, target movement and other factors.
The round is a product of DARPA's Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance, or EXACTO, program to develop new approaches and capabilities to improve the range and accuracy of sniper systems.
"True to DARPA's mission, EXACTO has demonstrated what was once thought impossible: the continuous guidance of a small-caliber bullet to target," said Jerome Dunn, DARPA program manager. "This live-fire demonstration from a standard rifle showed that EXACTO is able to hit moving and evading targets with extreme accuracy at sniper ranges unachievable with traditional rounds.
"Fitting EXACTO's guidance capabilities into a small .50-caliber size is a major breakthrough and opens the door to what could be possible in future guided projectiles across all calibers."
In the February testing, an experienced shooter using the technology demonstration system repeatedly hit moving and evading targets. A novice shooter using the system for the first time also hit a moving target.
Further refinement of the special bullet is underway.
