Self-Aiming "Sniper" Scope? ....

[BigBear]

Anyone see this:

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/10/01/self-aiming-shot-sniper-rifle-scheduled-year/

Two things come to mind with an admendum:

1. This seems like "cheating" to me and takes all the "skill" out of marksmanship; However (this is the adendum) anything to help our troops acheive success in the field and come home in one piece is fine by me.

2. Someone has been reading some novels involving a SuperSniper911 scope. HAHAHA.

[ronaldrwl]

Very impressive although I'm not surprised they can achieve their one shot goal. I wonder if the Lockheed in waterton canyon is evolved.

[rockhound]

sounds like something to have fail.

i would more trust my life to a well trained marksman

what if the battery goes dead, the sensors go out, the weather is too cold, the weather is too hot, what if the W.A.M. overheats.

The article said nothing about it calculating for a moving target

[funkfool]

Lockheed Martin to continue One Shot program electro-optics work to help snipers hit targets in crosswinds
Oct 1, 2010
Posted by John Keller (http://www.google.com/profiles/112296657013440302133)
ARLINGTON, Va., 1 Oct. 2010. Electro-optics specialists at the Lockheed Martin Mission Systems & Sensors (MS2) segment in Akron, Ohio, are continuing work on electro-optical technology to enable snipers to hit targets with their rifles at long ranges with only one shot in crosswind conditions, under terms of a $6.9 million contract awarded Thursday from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, Va.
This work is Phase 2E of the DARPA One-Shot program (http://www.militaryaerospace.com/index/display/article-display/284222/articles/military-aerospace-electronics/volume-18/issue-2/news/darpa-eyes-sniper-scope-that-compensates-for-crosswinds.html), which was begun in 2007 by Lockheed Martin MS2. In Phase 2E, Lockheed Martin will develop a field-testable prototype observation, measurement, and ballistic calculation system that enables snipers to hit targets with the first round, under crosswind conditions, up to the maximum effective range of the weapon.
For key enabling technologies of the One-Shot program, see Fiber lasers are key enabling electro-optical technologies for One-Shot program's sniper targeting system.
DARPA released a broad agency announcement (DARPA-BAA-10-67) for this work last May. Lockheed Martin experts will develop a system to provide day and night direct observation of the target, measure everything that influences a bullet in flight, and rapidly calculate and display the aim point offset and expected crosswind variability in the shooters rifle scope.
The system will use technologies to operate over a range of visibilities, atmospheric turbulence, scintillation, and environmental conditions. Lockheed Martin will deliver 15 operational and field-hardened systems, with options for as many as 100 additional units.
In the first phase of the One-Shot program, Lockheed Martin developed a brassboard down-range system that measured average downrange crosswind, range to target, spotter scope position, target heading, air temperature, pressure, and humidity to calculate the ballistic solution for a 0.308 bullet at ranges as far as 3,600 feet.
Although the brassboard system improved the first-round hit probability, its size, weight, and power (SWaP) were inadequate, the engagement range too short for the newest sniper weapons, and could not be used with standard rifle scopes.
Lockheed Martin's objective is to deliver 15 field-testable and hardened prototype systems by October 2011 that provides the capability to profile downrange crosswind and range to target in near real time, at longer ranges, and improved probability of a first round hit.
The system's integrated spotter scope (ISS) should measure crosswinds, maximum effective range of the weapon, temperature, atmospheric pressure, humidity, cant and pointing angles, and GPS coordinates, as well as allow direct day and night observation of targets with continuous updates of the aim point offset corrections, with no alignment verification of the laser/crosswind optics to the spotting scope necessary.
The rifle scope also should communicate the aim point offset and expected crosswind variability to the rifle scope using a wired or wireless data link. For more information contact Lockheed Martin MS2 online at www.lockheedmartin.com/ms2 (http://www.lockheedmartin.com/ms2/), or DARPA at www.darpa.mil (http://www.darpa.mil/).

[theGinsue]

Pretty cool. I'd love to get the chance to try one myself.

[SA Friday]

We are technologically close to this capability. If anyone can get it to work, LM is one of companies I could see pulling it off. With that said:
batteries dies, shit breaks, the desert is dusty....

Modern day reticle design and doing the math for about five thousand long-distance rounds is not a replacable skill. Those who retain it will always be the better shooters.

The money to manufacture these scopes won't be cost effective anywhere in the near future. They will be too expensive to change long-disntance shooting until the technology is cheap enough to equal high end optics and a good calculator.

Personally, I would prefer to use the money to train more shooters.

[theGinsue]

Personally, I would prefer to use the money to train more shooters.

+1

While I'll agree that technology has aided our world tremendously, I also tend to think that we rely on it far too much. When we lose access to our technological achievements, we find that we no longer possess skills we once had. Now, we neither have the tools nor the skills. (Think of the book One Second After)

I'm definitely in agreement that the money would be better spent training people to use the less advanced tools that we have now. Tools that rely on the person more than the tool itself.

Of course, I'd still love to try one of these new devices when they are finally ready for production.

[BigBear]

I agree with all that's been said; main points being it's kewl, we rely on tech too much, rather train a human, etc...

Outside of that though, for use in the civilian world... doesn't it just seem to take the "fun" out of marksmanship?

Doesn't matter though, I'm still trying to figure out how to use my simple crosshairs... lol.

[Hitman 6]

sounds like something to have fail.

i would more trust my life to a well trained marksman

what if the battery goes dead, the sensors go out, the weather is too cold, the weather is too hot, what if the W.A.M. overheats.

The article said nothing about it calculating for a moving target

+300.

How much can we rely on technology before its too much?