The concept of "fire and forget" (or fire-and-forget) has given rise to advanced weaponry in recent decades, but recent developments are not limited to missiles; they also focus on more compact weapons such as precision rifles. Until recently, the idea of a bullet that changes direction belonged to science fiction, but our friends at DARPA are advancing the EXACTO project, and as for its performance—well, let's just say the video speaks for itself.
The Challenge Facing Snipers
Snipers follow a very clear training doctrine: "One bullet, one death." Their natural abilities combined with the precision of available weapons make them an independent, dynamic, and undoubtedly lethal asset in any armed force. However, there are aspects that even the most prepared sniper cannot overcome, starting with weather. Dense rain or an unexpected wind current can turn an easy shot into a failure, and when a sniper misses, most likely there won't be a second chance. At that point, someone concludes that it would be a good idea to develop a bullet that adjusts its direction during flight. Such ammunition and its rifles have even appeared in television series (I think it was CSI: Miami), but with DARPA's intervention, they no longer belong to the realm of fiction.
EXACTO in Action
What you just watched is a test of the EXACTO platform, an acronym for EXtreme ACcuracy Tasked Ordnance. The red line marks the predicted ballistic path, and the green line shows the actual trajectory. The first shots were taken by an expert and would certainly hit the target if it didn't move, but those position changes pose no problem for EXACTO. The last shot is even more impressive, as it was performed by someone without prior training. EXACTO was developed with operations under adverse conditions in mind, such as Afghanistan. The test seen in the video used a conventional rifle, but the bullet doesn't do all the work on its own—it requires the support of an advanced optical system.
The Future of Guided Munitions
The big question is whether something like EXACTO could reach the general market. The classified profile of its technology and the high cost are two very high barriers, so it's logical to assume that its application will be limited to the military environment for years, or maybe decades. However, EXACTO is not the only initiative of this kind. At Sandia National Laboratories, they have a competing project that uses a "laser painting" system to alter the bullet's trajectory, and they plan to commercialize it. Even if we imagine a cost of thousands of dollars per shot, I'm sure someone is willing to pay them...
