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Self-Aiming Sniper Rifles Coming Next Year
Popular Science ^ | 10/01/10 | Rebecca Boyle

Posted on 10/04/2010 3:40:57 AM PDT by Doogle

A sniper crouches near an open window and zooms in on his target, who sits a half-mile away. He peers through a scope and holds his breath, preparing to squeeze the trigger. But it’s windy outside, and he can't afford a miss. What to do?

Clearly, he needs a self-aiming gun. Fortunately, one should be available next year.

Using the One-Shot system, under development by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a new electro-optical system will calculate the ballistics for him, telling him where to aim and ensuring a perfect shot -- no matter the weather conditions.

Lockheed Martin won a $6.9 million contract this week for the second phase of DARPA’s One-Shot system, which will provide direct observations of a target, measure every variable that influences a bullet’s flight, and calculate the aim offset in a sniper’s rifle scope.

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: banglist; sniper
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To: Doogle
Using the One-Shot system, under development by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a new electro-optical system will calculate the ballistics for him, telling him where to aim and ensuring a perfect shot -- no matter the weather conditions.

This exact technology figured large in Stephen Hunter's latest Bob Lee Swagger novel, ISniper.

21 posted on 10/04/2010 5:31:53 AM PDT by Rummyfan (Iraq: it's not about Iraq anymore, it's about the USA!)
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To: Conan the Conservative
It is not unusual to see wind flags blowing in opposite directions even on a 300 m range

Ha! I see it all the time at 100 yards! It's not unusual to see two wind flags 10 feet apart blowing in opposite directions. One range I shoot seems to have a dividing line down the middle. All flags on the left half of the range will blow in one direction and all flags on the right half will blow in the other direction.

22 posted on 10/04/2010 5:35:51 AM PDT by 6ppc (It's torch and pitchfork time)
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To: NY.SS-Bar9

They still have 600 yard military rifle matches - not necessarily associated with the military, but the shooters use military rifles such as M-14, M-16, Garand, etc. My friend in Ohio has competed in this.

They use open sights, and IIRC, shoot at those distances from the prone position. I’ve shot 200 yard matches - we shot standing, kneeling, and prone.


23 posted on 10/04/2010 5:38:13 AM PDT by meyer (Tax the productive to carry the freeloaders - What is it with democrats and slavery?)
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To: Roklok

Seems like the only branch that has maintained standards is the Marine Corp.

There is a good one, and I’ll bet you know the answer.

The Marines only break things! They have no requirement to fix what they were ordered to break.

On a more serious note, the Air Force aircraft electronics fixers are basically doing the same. Remove and replace rather than fix what is broken. You replace a box rather than fix the box. It is faster, and the box gets fixed at a depot, but you are not using your electronics training very much and it becomes a lost art.

Pretty hard anyway to fix micro electronics with a sledge hammer and a soldering gun.


24 posted on 10/04/2010 5:41:49 AM PDT by wita
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To: Wonder Warthog
Yeah, right. Just like global warming. How, for instance, to they plan to measure the differences in wind velocity, given that the velocity can be different at different points along the bullet's path??

It takes care of that by launching multiple smoke grenades, which land every 50 yards between the shooter and the target.

Mark

25 posted on 10/04/2010 5:43:19 AM PDT by MarkL (Do I really look like a guy with a plan?)
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To: Doogle

“measure EVERY variable that influences a bullet’s flight”
EVERY variable? Just how do they plan to do that?


26 posted on 10/04/2010 5:56:26 AM PDT by Leftism is Mentally Deranged (Annoying liberals is my goal. I will not be silenced.)
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To: Leftism is Mentally Deranged

post #19


27 posted on 10/04/2010 5:57:24 AM PDT by Doogle ((USAF.68-73..8th TFW Ubon Thailand..never store a threat you should have eliminated))
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To: Roklok
There was much resistance to doing away with celestial navigation classes in Coast Guard OCS. When GPS came on line who needs to shoot the stars. We also got rid of the machine shops where we made/repair parts when every thing went modular. Kids in schools are dependent on calculators. It's called progress. Question really is do we the “sniper” to carry the rifle anyway, what with predators remotely controlled from Oklahoma.
28 posted on 10/04/2010 5:57:41 AM PDT by dblshot (Insanity - electing the same people over and over and expecting different results.)
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To: Roklok

Even though I was in the Army at the time, I had the same feeling in 1998 when the Naval Academy stopped teaching celestial navigation.


29 posted on 10/04/2010 6:01:25 AM PDT by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem meum)
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To: Doogle
DARPA

Decapitating Angry Religion of Peace Adherents

30 posted on 10/04/2010 6:04:02 AM PDT by Onelifetogive (I tweet, too...)
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To: NY.SS-Bar9

How long ago?

“All ready on the left? All ready on the right? All ready on the firing line! Shooters, remove ramrods! With a paper cartridge and one round, load! Prime your musket!...”


31 posted on 10/04/2010 6:05:14 AM PDT by M1911A1
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To: BushCountry
When I was shooting tournaments in the Marines (long time ago) we were shooting at 600 yards without a scope.

That's nothing! I can do that. Could you hit something at 600 yards without a scope? That's more of a challenge.

32 posted on 10/04/2010 6:06:35 AM PDT by Onelifetogive (I tweet, too...)
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To: Conan the Conservative

You didn’t read the article. It clearly states that it does account for the wind.


33 posted on 10/04/2010 6:12:09 AM PDT by Freeport (The proper application of high explosives will remove all obstacles.)
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To: wita

Sledge hammers broke boards. We used rubber mallets on the KY-3.

Some form of Doppler radar is probably used to get wind speeds and directions downrange.


34 posted on 10/04/2010 6:15:16 AM PDT by mikey_hates_everything
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To: Conan the Conservative

Mirage can raise havoc at those ranges too.

Gunner


35 posted on 10/04/2010 6:39:05 AM PDT by weps4ret (Where is John Galt?)
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To: Onelifetogive; BushCountry
When I was shooting tournaments in the Marines (long time ago) we were shooting at 600 yards without a scope.

That's nothing! I can do that. Could you hit something at 600 yards without a scope? That's more of a challenge.

National match course of fire in the 60s and 70s. Ranges were 200 yards, 300 yards, and 500 hundred or six hundred yards (depending on the range). Total of 50 rounds. Using the 5V targets for a max possible score 0f 250. Personal best was 247-15 V. So yes, you can hit targets at 600 yards with iron sights.

36 posted on 10/04/2010 6:41:58 AM PDT by CPOSharky (They ain't "illegals." They are just unregistered democrats.)
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To: MarkL
"It takes care of that by launching multiple smoke grenades, which land every 50 yards between the shooter and the target."

Methinks a line of smoke puffs would alert the target and provide a "connect-the-dots" arrow pointing right back at the sniper.... :^)

37 posted on 10/04/2010 7:10:54 AM PDT by Wonder Warthog
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To: Wonder Warthog
How, for instance, to they plan to measure the differences in wind velocity, given that the velocity can be different at different points along the bullet's path??

Real snipers (well, the spotters) look at grass, trees, water ripples and blowing sand along the whole trajectory and factor that into the shot. I don't think our image recognition technology is up to that ability yet. However, this system would basically automate 80% the connection between a ballistics chart ("there's an app for that"), the current conditions, and the scope.

38 posted on 10/04/2010 7:16:54 AM PDT by antiRepublicrat
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To: wita

I remember they were already doing pluck-and-chuck in satellite trucks in the 80s. Of course that’s line-level. After that the equipment goes up the maintenance chain until someone fixes it or decides it’s dead.


39 posted on 10/04/2010 7:21:12 AM PDT by antiRepublicrat
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To: MarkL
Why depend on a self-aiming rifle , when you can have self-aiming BULLETS?


40 posted on 10/04/2010 7:49:35 AM PDT by UCANSEE2 (lame and ill-informed post)
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