The Marines are on the verge of finalizing a new super bullet for their sniper teams. The .50-caliber round is designed to be able to change direction in mid flight and steer itself on target, the Marine Corps Times reported.
The agency responsible for developing the Defense Department's next generation, science fiction-like technology is working to bring guided bullets that can change direction mid-flight to the military's most elite marksmen.
After successfully test firing a guided .50-caliber round this summer, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is now conducting "system-level" testing, which will help determine how a guided bullet would work with a service rifle on the battlefield.
As incredible as the round is, the Marines don't expect it to supplant traditional ammunition or intensive sniper training.
"This is an amazing advancement in sniper technology and it will save countless American lives on the battlefield," he told Marine Corps Times. "It will turn any Marine into a precision shooter at extreme distances."
Still, he emphasized the need for skilled snipers.
"This technology cannot and should never replace the job of the sniper team," said Innis, who has extensive experience with .50-caliber rifles and now works as an instructor for Michigan-based Condition Zero Training Group. "Technology can fail at any given moment and shooters need to adapt to this and respond accordingly."
Not to mention, snipers have an array of other difficult to master skills. Those include getting into position without being detected, and surveillance and reconnaissance. They are invaluable as a commander's eyes on the battlefield.
The round is still in development, and there is no word on when it might see active deployment.