'Self steering' bullets being developed by Lockheed Martin.

[Zico]

"A self-guiding bullet that can steer itself towards its target is being developed for use by the US military. The bullet uses tiny fins to correct the course of its flight allowing it to hit laser-illuminated targets. It is designed to be capable of hitting objects at distances of about 2km (1.24 miles). Work on a prototype suggests that accuracy is best at longer ranges.

A think tank says the tech is well-suited to snipers, but worries about it being marketed to the public. Work on the project is being carried out by an Albuquerque-based subsidiary of defence contractor Lockheed Martin on behalf of the US government. The current prototype involves a 4in (10cm) bullet which includes an optical sensor in its nose to detect the laser. This information is then processed and used to move motors within the bullet which steer tiny fins, altering the ammunition's path. "We can make corrections 30 times per second," said researcher Red Jones. "That means we can over-correct, so we don't have to be as precise each time."
Accuracy

The team has carried out both field tests and computer simulations, and says "engineering issues" remain. However, they add that they are confident of bringing the product to market. Experts say there would be great demand for the innovation on the battlefield.

"One of the big successes in Libya was that the accuracy of the munitions used was much higher than in previous campaigns," Elizabeth Quintana, senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute think tank told the BBC. "97% of Nato's weapons hit their target to within about 2m (6.5ft). But that was achieved through air munitions. "This would be a revolution for ground forces, and may help further cut down on civilian casualties in future conflicts."

Unlike most bullets the self-guided prototype minimises spin, aiming to fly like a dart.
Prototype bullet Researchers say special gunpowder may be needed to help the bullet achieve faster speeds Normally small calibre rifle bullets are spun at over 2,000 revolutions per second to stabilise their flightpath and maximise speed. But the team's patent application notes that previous attempts to create self-guiding rapidly-spinning bullets ran into the problem that the electronics required became too complicated. To simplify things the researchers moved the bullet's centre of gravity further forward than it would normally be. When combined with the fins this caused it to only spin a few revolutions per second, making it easier to steer. Because the bullet's motion settles the longer it is in flight, the researchers say its accuracy improves at longer ranges. Tests with commercially available gunpowder have measured the bullet reaching just over twice the speed of sound (2,400ft per second), which is still below standard military speeds. But the researchers say they are confident that they can increase its velocity with customised gunpowder.
Terrorism

A press release said that: "Potential customers include the military, law enforcement and recreational shooters." That concerns some industry watchers. "The public may be uncomfortable with the implications of people being able to use this without needing to have a sight line to the target - you could see this having terrorist uses," said Ms Quintana. "There's talk of selling to recreational hunters, but I would imagine the authorities would want to limit the public's access to this kind of technology. "But it would be useful for law enforcement - particularly in hostage situations."



BBC News - Self-steering bullet researched by US weapons experts


Micro guided missles eh? I'm sctually a bit surprised its taken them this long... How long before the technology ends up in the hands of the people it was designed to be used against. They will then have to design a multi laser emitting or jamming defence system.. and so it goes on... the only winners are the defence contractors.

[Dave B]

Yay! More innocent bystanders can be killed by a coward who won't face his enemy. Hoorah for the good ol' US of A!

[Eki]

"A self-guiding bullet that can steer itself towards its target is being developed for use by the US military. The bullet uses tiny fins to correct the course of its flight allowing it to hit laser-illuminated targets.

Why do they use Finns, and why do they have to be tiny? Wouldn't micro-Owen do? Well, another flying Finn here and there won't hurt anyone.

[schmenke]

"A self-guiding bullet that can steer itself towards its target is being developed for use by the US military. ....

Good to see the U.S. taxpayer’s dollar funding something meaningful .

[Roamy]

this is the predecessor to the coming "cruise bullet" it will have a slower powder burn and a very extended range. The bullet head will contain explosives. This bullet should be quite good for assinations especially if they can get a 5 mile range or better.

[Malbec]

Micro guided missles eh? I'm sctually a bit surprised its taken them this long... How long before the technology ends up in the hands of the people it was designed to be used against. They will then have to design a multi laser emitting or jamming defence system.. and so it goes on... the only winners are the defence contractors.

There have been similar gadgets that have failed to make it to market despite having a lot of promise initially like the electromagnetically fired gun that had thousands of bullets already pre-loaded that had an unbelievable fire rate or the grenade launcher where the rounds could be preset to go off at a certain distance to kill enemies hiding behind cover.

The expense often makes the project unsustainable and I'll be surprised if this particular one makes it to market and is affordable for anyone bar elite services.

Not many secret weapons have made it into the hands of terrorists which is why they still rely on pretty crude WW2 era technology for the bulk of their attacks even in places like Iraq where they have been able to plunder military arsenals. SAMs are the only exception but that is because of their ubiquity. I see no reason why if this weapon becomes available it could fall into the hands of terrorists.

Thanks for sharing.

[ioan]

Sounds like a very expensive bullet.
Getting better accuracy from bigger shooting distance means they should get the sniper a visit to the ophthalmologist, unless it was about moving targets.

[anthonyvop]

Like most technology it is in its early stage. Right now and for the immediate future it will be of limited capability and expensive to be almost prohibitive to deploy.

Think of Cell phones. When they first were developed few if anyone could afford them and their range and quality were horrendous. Then came Motorola and they became somewhat affordable with limited range and mediocre quality. Now "Smart" phones are accessible to huge swaths of the population and the range and quality is as good if not better than land lines and their 100+ year old technology.

BTW I rather have my tax dollars going to a project like this guided round than being toss away as subsidies to political correct/politically connected companies like Solyndra.

[Zico]

There have been similar gadgets that have failed to make it to market despite having a lot of promise initially like the electromagnetically fired gun that had thousands of bullets already pre-loaded that had an unbelievable fire rate or the grenade launcher where the rounds could be preset to go off at a certain distance to kill enemies hiding behind cover.

The expense often makes the project unsustainable and I'll be surprised if this particular one makes it to market and is affordable for anyone bar elite services.

Not many secret weapons have made it into the hands of terrorists which is why they still rely on pretty crude WW2 era technology for the bulk of their attacks even in places like Iraq where they have been able to plunder military arsenals. SAMs are the only exception but that is because of their ubiquity. I see no reason why if this weapon becomes available it could fall into the hands of terrorists.

You may be correct, I guess a lot depends on the calibers used and whether additional hardware required to be retro-fitted to existing rifles or possibly even designing new bespoke rifles to fire them... as well as circumstances. ie; a large scale conflict where circumstances might allow the enemy to obtain and copy them... the Chinese are very good at that sort of thing.

I've followed the war in Afghanistan a little and can see a lot of potential for use for something like these.. I watched a documentary following some RAF Apaches in the Southern Afghanistan, I remember one crew hovering a couple of miles out watching an insurgent bury a weapon in a field, after they had obtained permision to take him out they launched a £50k Hellfire just to take out one guy! I can see a self homing round or two like this being a tad more cost effective option in the right circumstances dont you think?