If you have seen the film Wanted starring Angelina Jolie you might
remember the scene in which a bullet is able to be curved to a target by
changing its course. Science fiction? Not any more, the US Military has
now unveiled a new type of bullet that can do just that and can guide
itself to a target, automatically changing its path as its flies. Sandia
National Laboratories has long been at work with the United States
military developing the ultimate "smart bullet.” It announced today that
a successful prototype of the bullet was created and tested at
distances of over a mile (about 2,000 meters).
Sandia researcher Red Jones explains: "We
have a very promising technology to guide small projectiles that could
be fully developed inexpensively and rapidly. Sandia’s new technology
features a dart-like "smart bullet” that allows for unprecedented
movement while in flight.” Sandia, has carried out research
and conducted computer aerodynamic modelling tests, which have revealed
that unguided bullets under real-world conditions could miss a target
more than a half mile away (1,000) meters by 9.8 yards (9 meters), but a
guided bullet would get within eight inches (0.2 meters). Source: Digital Trends |