A Perfect Shot Every Time?

[Badgersmilk]

A sniper crouches near an open window and zooms in on his target, who sits a half-mile away. He peers through a scope and holds his breath, preparing to squeeze the trigger. But it’s windy outside, and he can't afford a miss. What to do?

Clearly, he needs a self-aiming gun. Fortunately, one should be available next year.

To many things wrong with this to know where to start.  Even with a "self aiming gun" I'd be confident enough he'll miss (from the details given) I'd volunteer to be the target for the price of lunch afterwords.

The fanciest scope / rifle in the world still won't make an accurate shooter.  The $$ & technology will be wasted on the average soldier.  And anybody taking this shot isn't a "sniper".

Will the new scope be of some benefit to the military.  Probably not IMO.  Trying to think of an application...  

Maybe mountain goat hunting?

[fightingquaker13]

To many things wrong with this to know where to start.  Even with a "self aiming gun" I'd be confident enough he'll miss (from the details given) I'd volunteer to be the target for the price of lunch afterwords.

The fanciest scope / rifle in the world still won't make an accurate shooter.  The $$ & technology will be wasted on the average soldier.  And anybody taking this shot isn't a "sniper".

Will the new scope be of some benefit to the military.  Probably not IMO.  Trying to think of an application...  

Maybe mountain goat hunting?

Given that we can put a GPS guided bomb through someone's bedroom window from 20,000 feet at 500 mph, I wouldn't be too quick to make that bet. However, point taken.
FQ13

[Solus]

To many things wrong with this to know where to start.  Even with a "self aiming gun" I'd be confident enough he'll miss (from the details given) I'd volunteer to be the target for the price of lunch afterwords.

The fanciest scope / rifle in the world still won't make an accurate shooter.  The $$ & technology will be wasted on the average soldier.  And anybody taking this shot isn't a "sniper".

Will the new scope be of some benefit to the military.  Probably not IMO.  Trying to think of an application...  

Maybe mountain goat hunting?

True.  All that the fancy stuff is doing is getting you a very accurate point of aim soonest. 

Hitting it is still gonna be where the skill is.  If you can't do a tight group at those extended ranges without even making adjustments, you have no chance.

[ratcatcher55]

I have worked on DARPA and DITRA projects so let me finish laughing!

Phase Two means they had to build one or two breadboard prototypes. No testing in the field yet.

When L&M gets done Phase Three they will have to deliver only a few units for test.

Phase Four will be an Alpha test bed

Phase Five will be a Beta test bed and look at what it would take to manufacture.

Then they have to find someone in Big Army or USMC that will want it for the set of procurement hurdles.

They have done the low cost ($6.7 M) part of the project. They are looking for funding for the rest of the program, probably by set asides.

Lockheed Martin..We leave no government $$ behind!

Doesn't Chytec (sp) do this already.

I have a friend that was a F-4 pilot in Vietnam. They carried the Aim - 7 missile that could not miss!
He said the first thing he did when he was over the North was to fire them all to reduce drag on the aircraft. He said in his unit they had a 5% hit rate in combat.

[tombogan03884]

To many things wrong with this to know where to start.  Even with a "self aiming gun" I'd be confident enough he'll miss (from the details given) I'd volunteer to be the target for the price of lunch afterwords.

The fanciest scope / rifle in the world still won't make an accurate shooter.  The $$ & technology will be wasted on the average soldier.  And anybody taking this shot isn't a "sniper".

Will the new scope be of some benefit to the military.  Probably not IMO.  Trying to think of an application... 

Maybe mountain goat hunting?

Read "I Sniper" Hunter has already written all the reasoning behind it.
And no, the Cheytac does not already do this.

[Sponsor]

[billt]

That and Rogaine and Prozac. Keeping yuppies horny, hairy and happy! Screw kids with malaria. We've got priorities!
FQ13

Kids with malaria in Upper Volta have no money for drugs, illegal or pharmaceutical. Rich, horny, goofy yuppies do. You manufacture a product based on the affordability of it for the people who need it. Sick kids in third world countries don't factor into that equation. Money has no heart and soul, only value.   Bill T.

[fightingquaker13]

Kids with malaria in Upper Volta have no money for drugs, legal or pharmaceutical. Rich, horny, goofy yuppies do. You manufacture a product based on the affordability of it for the people who need it. Sick kids in third world countries don't factor into that equation. Money has no heart and soul, only value.   Bill T.

True enough. Still, you have to wonder. If you are a bio-chemist smart enough to come up with rogaine, with a world class lab to back you up, do you wonder if maybe you could have done something better for the world than curing male pattern baldness? Just sayin'.
FQ13

[billt]

True enough. Still, you have to wonder. If you are a bio-chemist smart enough to come up with rogaine, with a world class lab to back you up, do you wonder if maybe you could have done something better for the world than curing male pattern baldness? Just sayin'.
FQ13

I agree to a point. Another thing you have to remember is that Viagra was discovered purely by accident. They were actually trying to develop a drug that would dilate the Heart blood vessels to relieve pain for people suffering from Angina. They wound up coming up with a formula that dilated the wrong blood vessels! It was the most profitable mistake in history!  Bill T.

[Solus]

True enough. Still, you have to wonder. If you are a bio-chemist smart enough to come up with rogaine, with a world class lab to back you up, do you wonder if maybe you could have done something better for the world than curing male pattern baldness? Just sayin'.
FQ13

You might be smart enough and concerned enough to do it, but it's not your lab and not your cash paying for the lab.  Come up with your own lab and finances to run it and you can come up with anything you wish...if that is how you want to spend your money.

[JC5123]

To many things wrong with this to know where to start.  Even with a "self aiming gun" I'd be confident enough he'll miss (from the details given) I'd volunteer to be the target for the price of lunch afterwords.

The fanciest scope / rifle in the world still won't make an accurate shooter.  The $$ & technology will be wasted on the average soldier.  And anybody taking this shot isn't a "sniper".

Will the new scope be of some benefit to the military.  Probably not IMO.  Trying to think of an application...  

Maybe mountain goat hunting?

Not sure I fully agree with you here. I think that the technology would be a benefit. However I think you are right in the fact that technology falls far short of the skills that a true sniper brings to the table. If this self aiming gun can produce better than 1.3 rounds per casualty, I'll take a closer look. This was the sniper rate during Vietnam, and it remains almost unchanged today. (I read something about a year ago stating that it's 1.8 rounds/ casualty in Iraq/ Afghanistan. Of course to also have to take into account that in Vietnam 700-800 yds was considered a very long shot. Today we have these guys making head shots with Barrets at 2000 or better.