By By Buddy Bynum / editor
May 4, 2003
An intriguing news item from the Birmingham News crossed the desk the other day by way of The Associated Press. The story was datelined Huntsville, Ala., and reported how Army researchers at Redstone Arsenal are studying a way to make bullets smart enough to knock down small enemy mortar shells or rockets.
Here's the gist:
A smart bullet is one option being considered for protecting troops from enemy barrages, according to Bill Nourse, aerospace engineer in the Army's Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center at Redstone Arsenal. Other options include using small rockets or missiles, he said.
We're really in the early phases of concept exploration,'' Nourse said.
Studies began last year after Army air defense officials spelled out their need for such a system, Nourse said. Systems such as the Stinger and Patriot missiles can shoot down enemy airplanes and missiles, but there's nothing that can shoot down the smaller mortar or artillery shells, he said.
One concept researchers are looking at is turning a regular 40 mm bullet commonly used in anti-aircraft guns into a smart bullet, Nourse said. We believe there is a path forward for this technology and we will continue to work it,'' he said.
The 40 mm bullet is about 13⁄4 inches in diameter and about 4 or 5 inches long.
Sensors
Sensors would be embedded in the projectile or slug at the end of the firing cartridge, Nourse said. The sensors would read radar signals being bounced off the target. One of the ideas for steering is tiny thrusters that could fire to guide the bullet to a target up to 25 miles away.
The idea here really isn't to have a bullet that guides like a missile. It's to do enough course correction that you can increase the probability of hitting a small target … at a longer range,'' Nourse said.
The bullets wouldn't be able to turn corners or make major course changes, Nourse said. It is smart, but it's not brilliant,'' he said.
A barrage of maybe 10 or 12 bullets would be fired to improve the probability of a kill, Nourse said. Anti-aircraft weapons now shoot thousands of bullets with a low probability of hitting anything, he said.
A 90 percent kill rate is a reasonable goal, Nourse said.
So far, the smart bullet is in the early concept phases. It would take years before a smart bullet could be developed and put into the hands of soldiers, Nourse said. But the idea could move from the lab to the development stage as soon as early next year.
Challenges
Among the challenges for developing such a smart bullet is miniaturizing the sensors and thrusters and making them tough enough to survive the initial blast from the barrel of the cannon or launcher.
And then the story posed the central question for many in our neck of the woods, something beyond the military applications:
Could deer hunters one day be putting smart bullets in their rifles?
It would take an even bigger leap in technology to develop a smart bullet smaller than 40 mm, Nourse said.
Probably a long way off, but you never know.''
In this age of modern technology, you truly never know. But wouldn't a smart bullet that "sees" a deer just over the next hill and has a 90 percent kill rate take the sport out of hunting? What would such a thing do to the thrill of the chase? And how would you distinguish a deer from, say, another hunter?
A smart bullet is a long way from gear some deer hunters use now inappropriately and illegally such as night vision goggles and spotlights. But it wouldn't be an improvement.
For the military, yes, I'm for doing whatever it takes to protect our troops in the field. For hunting deer, humans still ought to have to rely on their own eyes.