The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is working with Teledyne Scientific & Imaging LLC (TSI) to develop next generation .50-caliber bullets that can “can change direction in midair” – possibly changing how we understand what role firearms have in our society.
DARPA’s Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordinance (EXACTO) program has been designed to “revolutionize rifle accuracy and range by developing the first ever guided small-caliber bullet. The EXACTO .50-caliber round and optical sighting technology expects to greatly extend the day and nighttime range over current state-of-the-art sniper systems.”
Successful testing performed by EXACTO earlier this year confirmed that once the bullet was fired off center of target, it “changed” its path to meet its intended target.
Citing environmental changes in terrain, DARPA said that “the new direction-changing bullet would help snipers in places like Afghanistan, where dusty terrain and strong winds are a problem.”
