The Pentagon’s Super-Sniper Program Is Under Way
Danger Room:
The Pentagon’s super-sniper program is under way. Back in April, we told you about “One Shot,” DARPA’s program to build scopes that compensate for the wind — and boost snipers’ kill-rates by ten-fold, in the process.
The first of those contracts has now been handed out to Lockheed Martin. It’s a $2 million, nine-month deal to basic wind-measurement system. That’ll be followed by an eighteen month project to build a prototype One Shot scope.
“Even a light gust has a huge impact on [snipers] and missing the target by over 1.5 meters at distances as short as 400 meters is not uncommon,” notes DARPA program manager Deepak Varshneya. The agency wants its new scope to provide lethal precision at 2000 meters range, in winds up to 40 miles per hour. If it all works out as planned, American snipers will able to fire in a hurry — “engag[ing] and pull[ing] the trigger” in “less than one second” — and they won’t miss, no matter how hard the wind blows.
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$2M 9-month deal? I sure wish them luck. My bet is that they could be over budget by 10X and still not make an effective device that would be man portable.
October 11th, 2007 at 3:48 amThere’s a whole new sniper system that was featured on the Military Channel just recently. It uses a ballistic computer to compute sight adjustments. Looks like a pretty solid system That coupled with the PDCue system would make our guys the deadliest sniper teams on the planet…bar none.
October 11th, 2007 at 6:24 amThis is very real possibility using laser technology to measure distance, climate and gps, which would compute all data back to a “chip installed battery powered scope”, for auto adjustment.
October 11th, 2007 at 6:41 amYea, but when the battery runs out, the boys on the ground better know how to ajust their scope the old fashion way.
October 11th, 2007 at 7:02 amDeliver the 1st ones to waziristan…Pop goes the weasel.
October 11th, 2007 at 7:36 amThis scope may be helpful in some situations , but in long range shooting there are many more variables to consider , opposing cross winds, temp ,altitude , humidity , mirages , ballistic coefficients of different bullets , varying muzzle velocities of same ammo batches , and on and on….. things that can’t be measured consistently .
October 11th, 2007 at 8:00 amIt might be ok on a 50 cal but on smaller cals the variables are harder to control. It’s probably designed for the 50 anyway (2000 meters )
Still need the training in Kentucky and Tennessee shooting .
There is nothing that exists (or will be in our lifetime) that can compute the “exact” required bullet drift to the target that will fit into a scope (or a rucksack).
Bullet drop based upon all factors (save vector wind) can be caluclated pretty accurately with a small electronic package. The drift of a bullet based upon the wind all of the way to the target is another matter entirely.
October 11th, 2007 at 8:22 amOur sniper teams are already the BEST , more practice and they will be better. Like the old saying goes “Good Training”
October 11th, 2007 at 8:53 amThe History channel did a show on sniper training. I have reloaded a lot of my own ammo over the years and was impressed to find out that the marines produce all sniper rounds by hand. That is they weigh everything out (powder, primer, etc), they shape the brass, etc, all by hand. Once the bullets are made they all maintain a very consistent flight path as a result of the mfg process.
October 11th, 2007 at 9:24 amBerrett has a new round. the .416. It’s superfast. desined specificly to have a flat trejectory at 2000 meters.
October 11th, 2007 at 9:52 amMess
Yes, precision handloading is good and is one of many requirements for accuracy. It is a real science. The firearm is also made to precision tolerances. Cartridges are formed to chambers to keep tight/consistent clearances. Barrels are chosen for their metallurgical properties . Plus many other tricks. Even so, the further out the shot, the more the dynamics change .
October 11th, 2007 at 10:25 amThe more the small caliber (less than 50 cal)shooter engages varying conditions learning all the weapons quirks, the more deadly he becomes. This is where the computed trajectories don’t cut it.
It would be nice to have a target seeking bullet , wouldn’t it ?
“The drift of a bullet based upon the wind all of the way to the target is another matter entirely.”
Lasers are used now to measure wind velocity “linear” segmented up to and more than 1″ for a distance of up to “miles”…calculating a drift is more than feasible…what will be the crux of the problem is the munitions. My guessing is for them to announce this is they already have prototypes
October 11th, 2007 at 6:21 pmFor your target-seeking bullet, you first need a nano-computer that doesn’t get dizzy …
October 11th, 2007 at 11:59 pmBrian H
Well lets see…. What would fit in a 30 cal round … Ahhh the mind of a democrat (smaller than a nano computer), yes!!! They are use to being Dizzy , and we could get two birds with one stone !!!! Now!!! how do we get it to acquire the correct target ???????????????????
October 12th, 2007 at 6:56 am