New Smart Weapon Being Tested in Afghan Theater

In cramped the warfare ridden streets of Afghanistan a straight shot is not always possible. But when a fraction of a second counts, those engaged in unconventional warfare need to adopt unconventional tools.  With this in mind the U.S. Army has been experimenting with a rifle that can pass through walls and deliver a powerful explosive payload once on the opposite side.    

According to an MSBC story the weapon went into strategic deployment in November, “The feedback from U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan will be used to tweak the rifle before it is given to a larger number of troops in 2011. Then, starting in 2014, the Army is scheduled to issue 12,500 smart rifles to troops in Afghanistan.”

A laser targeting system on the rifle measure the exact distance to a target, in the case of the bullet a wall an enemy is hiding behind. The marksmen can then adjust the distance telling the bullet where to detonate itself, once it’s breached the wall for example. Magnets inside the bullet generate a signal as it spins through telling the weapon based computer when the slug should go off.  Once it has done so the casing will explode spreading shrapnel in all directions.

While the new unit is a completely new tactic to a thousand year old problem, it’s not without its downside. The ordinances cost around $25,000 to $35,000 apiece.

Chris DiMarco is a Web Editor for TMCnet. He holds a master's degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University. Prior to joining TMC (News - Alert) Chris worked with e-commerce provider Suresource as a contact center representative and development analyst. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Chris DiMarco