Guided .50 BMG Rounds – A Snipers Best Friend

[Talyn]

Guided munitions aren’t exactly new. We’ve had guided missiles for decades, even man-portable stuff like the famed Stinger rocket launchers. Colin Powell once said, “We can hit a quarter-inch target under a bridge without destroying the bridge.” The problem with guided munitions is the size. It’s rockets, it’s missiles—it’s large and it’s heavy. Until now. Now we have two competitors aiming to create guided .50 BMG cartridges.

A Guided .50 BMG?​

• The DARPA EXACTO Round
• The Sandia National Laboratories Guided Bullet Technology
• So Where Are They?

Firearms firing .50 BMG rounds aren’t known for being small, but they are a lot smaller and lighter than Stinger missiles, rocket launchers, and Sidewinders. Smaller guns and smaller munitions allow for a guided round with a lot less potential for harming civilians. There is a lot of potential for these munitions and how they can integrate with the infantry. Let’s examine the two programs aiming to take the cake.

Guided .50 BMG Rounds - A Snipers Best Friend

What would you think about a .50 BMG round that's smart, guided, and deadly accurate? It's not science fiction. Ask DARPA.

gatdaily.com

The DARPA EXACTO Round​

Those pesky scientists at DARPA are working on something called the EXACTO round. EXACTO stands for Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance. This .50 BMG cartridge combines a smart cartridge with a high-tech optic and a remote control.

The Sandia National Laboratories Guided Bullet Technology​

Sandia National Laboratories has produced its own guided bullet technology. SNL is a private company that’s been involved in government procurement and development for quite some time. Their guided bullet technology also uses a .50 BMG cartridge but relies on laser designation rather than remote control.