The Guns & Ammo Network

Self-Guided Bullet: Can’t-Miss Round?

by Robert W. Hunnicutt • February 1, 2012 • 7 comments

Guided artillery shells have been around for years, but small arms have always fired “dumb” bullets.That may be changing with a new bullet design from Sandia National Laboratory. The lab, in Albuquerque, N.M., was one of the linchpins of atomic bomb production, and now works in a variety of fields on the frontiers of technology.

Sandia showed a .50 cal. round with a saboted 4-inch bullet that uses laser guidance to correct its flight path 30 times a second. Tiny fins continuously move the bullet, which is fired from a smoothbore barrel.

Sandia is looking for a partner to commercialize the ammunition, which it says has military, commercial and recreational applications.

No price estimate was offered, but I think we can assume a self-guided bullet will be a good bit higher than cast lead.

You also can set your watch for anti-gun groups to call for a ban on this technology, just as they did when an abortive attempt was made to sell caseless ammo 15 or 20 years ago.

 

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  • Triplanetary

    I wouldn’t worry about the poor ignorant people who are scared of guns because of lax enforcement and aggressive rhetoric on our part. Here is a big chance for another round of, tax, spend and profiteer. I’m concerned about what we are going to end up paying per round when we paid for the research.

  • Guest

    Maybe now gangbangers will actually be able to hit their target, instead of having to hose down a street to get the one guy they wish to nail.

  • JOhn

    The Military doesn't care what you think.

  • Dav Moro

    As you all know a bullet fierd from a horezontal barrel acsellerates toward the ground at 10M per second per second, tradjectory due to gravity, will these tiny finns lift the bullet ? if so this will create a tremendous amount of drag. ? how will the curve due to gravity be over come to follow a laser or is the flight of this round intended to be so short that this does not need to be taken into account?

  • ARPRO64

    I think the reference to physics and gravity is mute as the bullet is traveling at approximately 2750fps as it exits the barrel, at 100 yds its still going 2601.9fps with no drop – so therefore the stabilizing fins have done nothing yet, flash forward to 500 yds, its still moving at 2055.77fps and has dropped 46" , thats a slight adjustment considering the speed at which the bullet is moving…. I see a future for this technology for military snipers, that might not seem significant to some, but it means a hell of a lot to the lives of American Soldiers saved by a single head-shot by a Navy Seal at a mile away!
    References – Barrett.net/ammunition/50BMG

  • ham

    would be great for military use it would make any soldier a sniper. All the shooter would need to do is get bullet close to target. no precise calculations sniper could shoot and run while spotter puts bullet on target in a safe spot. question is what will this do to the people who need security ie goverment officials , bankers , high profile people. It will never be availible to rec shooters

  • 762NATO

    The cost will kill this outside of SF and the intelligence communities.