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Would a bullet that big make a good sniper system? I've been reading up on the DARPA programs aimed at increasing sniper range, like EXACTO. There's been no news for 6 months. http://www.special-operations-technology.com/sotech-home/340-sotech-2011-volume-9-issue-6-august/4577-better-bullets.html New Guns, New Bullets Weapons and ammunition operate as one system. There can be no doubt that in the field, the reliability of one affects the reliability of the entire system. A weapon system that the warfighter can rely on accomplishes several things. It increases morale, increases safety and increases mission success rate. With that in mind, another way entirely to get more accurate and better performing bullets is to put them in new and improved guns. That’s the philosophy behind AAI’s proprietary Lightweight Small Arms Technologies, or LSAT program. AAI is working with the Army to develop LSAT through the Joint Service Small Arms Program Office, located at the Army’s Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J. Key objectives of the program are to maintain or improve lethality and reliability over current systems, while at the same time reducing the weight of weapons carried by warfighters by 35 percent, and lowering ammunition weight by more than 40 percent. This has been demonstrated by the development of two unique lightweight rounds, polymer-cased telescoped ammunition and caseless telescoped ammunition. “Only the weight of the cartridge case is reduced, or totally eliminated in our caseless design,” explained Paul Shipley, LSAT program manager with AAI. “The same bullet is fired at the same velocity using the same propellant weight as the standard M855, so the accuracy and lethality remain the same. Our development focus has been the 5.56 mm M855, so that we can do a direct one-for-one firing comparison versus the M249/M855. We have conducted design studies for 6.5 mm, 7.62 mm, 0.338 cal, 0.50 cal. CT cartridges. All showed a weight reduction of 35-40 percent versus the standard cartridges while maintaining performance.” Reductions of up 50 percent can be achieved with the caseless bullet. The truly remarkable caseless design features a solid propellant body that burns completely when the round is fired. In essence the case is the propellant and therefore there isn’t any shell casing to eject. The caseless design not only significantly reduces weight, but the lack of cases left behind has unique implications for covert operations. To date, AAI has built four light machine guns and has test-fired more than 12,000 rounds of cased telescoped ammunition. But the developing technology is much broader than just a new light machine gun. It is applicable to a broad range of calibers and platforms to include a carbine that also fires the lightweight cased telescoped ammunition, which would be of particular interest to special forces. Plus, said Shipley, lessons learned in LSAT have practical implications for all types of arms. “We’ve done work on high temperature/ high strength materials, lubricious coatings, reduced flash propellant, and a 40-round magazine, all of which have potential applications in conventional weapons.” “Smart bullets” have long been a science fiction staple, and a realworld objective of DoD. A prototype smart bullet system, the XM25, has been deployed successfully in Afghanistan. More like a “smart grenade” actually, the Counter Defilade Target Engagement System, the weapon’s full name, uses laser-guided technology to fire a 25 mm “bullet” over the head of an enemy target, which calculates the precise point during flight to explode in mid-air above the target, raining down shrapnel. Troops who have used the five prototype XM25s in several engagements against the Taliban have nicknamed them “punishers.” The XM25 is scheduled to begin low-rate initial production in late 2013. The plan is to buy 12,500 weapons, one for each infantry squad or special forces team. Tomorrow and Beyond The Punisher may be the beginning of “smart bullet” technology but it is only the tip of the iceberg. Back in 2009, I had the opportunity to do an exclusive interview with then project manager Lyndall Beamer, about DARPA’s Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance (EXACTO) program. At the time, Beamer described the goal of the EXACTO program. “The basic concept of the EXACTO program is to remove the effect on accuracy of target motion and random variances in the environment through use of a guided bullet.” Now almost two years later, the program has a new manager, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph K. Hitt, but its goals remain the same. Hitt was unavailable for comment. However, it is known that the program recently completed its first phase by achieving a successful proof of concept with a high fidelity hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) simulation. Phase II will build and test a complete system, including the required optical sighting equipment and guided .50 caliber projectiles. In October, Teledyne Scientific & Imaging LLC, a division of Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based Teledyne Technologies, received a $25.45 million “Phase II” contract from DARPA in the EXACTO program. Under the contract, Teledyne needs to deliver a working prototype of a .50 caliber round that can be guided and adjust itself for windage by fall 2012. Lockheed Martin, already a Phase I contractor as reported in 2009, will be incorporating its “One Shot” advanced gunsight technology, already in use by SOF, to deliver the Phase II sighting requirement. So the program is moving forward. No doubt we are on the brink of a game-changing evolution in ammo technology. As always, when it comes to the best technology used by the world’s greatest warriors, U.S. special forces will be the tip of the spear. ♦