Self Guided Bullet - 50 cal - guides towards 'laser directed point'

[MR 450BUSHMASTER]

Sorry if this is old news - first I had heard of it! There's a video in the link, and I've pasted the article below.

Sandia Labs' bullet doesn't miss

Sandia Labs' bullet doesn't miss

Scientists patent self-guided bullet

Updated: Tuesday, 31 Jan 2012, 7:50 PM MST
Published : Tuesday, 31 Jan 2012, 7:50 PM MST

• ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Engineers at Sandia National Laboratories have invented a bullet that guides itself to the target.
  
  Sandia has wide expertise at miniature technology, and the bullet works like a tiny guided missile.
  
  The patented design doesn't shoot straight. Instead of a spiral rotation, the bullet twists and turns to guide itself towards a laser directed point. It can make up to thirty corrections per second while in the air.
  
  Jim Jones, distinguished member of technical staff, and his team of engineers at Sandia Labs think the .50-caliber bullets would work well with military machine guns so soldiers could hit their mark faster and with precision.
  
  "We've tested gunpowders to see if we can get muzzle velocity for military interest," Jones said. "We've tested various electronic components to see if they would survive the launch."
  
  The team needs a sponsor to take the prototype and manufacture it on a commercial scale. Research and development grants have taken the project this far.
  
  Jones says it's about halfway through being fully developed for commercial use.

 

[Jakashh]

I saw this. They said it would be available for civilian use too lol.

 

[orbitup]

I saw this. They said it would be available for civilian use too lol.

TexasRedneck would be the only one who could afford it.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

Who paints the target???

 

[Jakashh]

Who paints the target???

I wonder if the laser is connected to the gun, or whether there is a separate module for that.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

If there is a laser on the gun, why do they need special rounds.....the laser would have to be held steady long enough for it to get to the target?
Am I missing something here???

 

[Jakashh]

True. It must be a separate from the gun. A two man operation, or one man, if he is a good multitasker and the target isn't a moving one.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

But, why is all this needed if one is steady enough to hold the laser on target for a full second (800yds @ 2400fps, a mile would be 2.2 secs.) why could they not just shoot a regular .50 cal???

 

[ZX9RCAM]

I guess it would be easier than working out windage & elevation, etc.....

 

[TheDan]

Neat! Wonder how much each bullet it going to cost, tho

 

[hkusp1]

Oh good god I can just see this in the news. Cool though.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

What is the spread of a laser designator @ 1 mile?

 

[TxDad]

What is the spread of a laser designator @ 1 mile?

+ or - the accuracy of the .50 without the laser