Watch DARPA’s smart EXACTO bullets change path mid flight
Bullets haven't evolved in many years, but now DARPA's smart bullets could turn everyone into a professional sniper.
Key takeaways
- The video of DARPA's early tests look like an obscure video game from the 1980s where players trace out a path to a robot which then runs away.
- Over several shots, EXACTO improves the accuracy of both expert and novice snipers sending .50 caliber doom to its mark each and every time.
- Watch EXACTO in action For now EXACTO is specifically designed for combat in places like rural patrols in Afghanistan, where fighting is at long range and the weather can interfere with snipers' accuracy.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2019) 'Watch DARPA’s smart EXACTO bullets change path mid flight', 311 Institute, 8 July. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/watch-darpas-smart-exacto-bullets-change-path-mid-flight/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
DARPA’s self-steering bullet, which first appeared in 2015 as you can see in the video below, is, if acronyms are enough to go by, supposed to have "razor-fine precision." Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance, or EXACTO, is a bullet that chases its target, adjusting course mid-flight to make sure it hits exactly what or who it is supposed to hit. And recently DARPA tested their latest version of their new bullet against moving targets, and pounded them all.
The video of DARPA's early tests look like an obscure video game from the 1980s where players trace out a path to a robot which then runs away. Tracked on screen are the projected path of the bullet, and then the actual flight path EXACTO takes, and you can see it bending and turning its trajectory to follow a sideways-sprinting target, which is no mean feat.
Over several shots, EXACTO improves the accuracy of both expert and novice snipers sending .50 caliber doom to its mark each and every time.
For now EXACTO is specifically designed for combat in places like rural patrols in Afghanistan, where fighting is at long range and the weather can interfere with snipers' accuracy. It is, as the name hints, a weapon specifically for edge cases which is what most snipers do, and this won't change, but in the instances where having a self-correcting bullet could matter DARPA wants to make sure that the US military has a weapon that can do what its opponents can't.
Little information about EXACTO is publicly available, but despite fears to the contrary by military experts it’s unlikely we’ll see the technology escape into the wild and appear on American streets any time soon, if only because of its cost.
What this means for your organisation
Precision is moving into the round.
EXACTO adjusts its course mid-flight to follow a target running sideways. The skill gap between expert and novice snipers narrows over several shots. Teams that assume accuracy depends on the shooter should test that view.
Conditions matter less than before.
EXACTO is built for long range fighting, such as rural patrols in Afghanistan, where weather can spoil a sniper's aim. Extreme weather is already a trend to act on. Planners should ask which of their tools still fail when conditions turn bad.
Wider use is limited, for now.
Little about EXACTO is public, and cost makes its spread to American streets unlikely soon. That is a limit of price, not of principle. Sensing technology such as time of flight sensors is mature, so watch how guidance and sensing combine.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
- Which of our plans assume that weather or distance will limit an attacker's accuracy?
- What would change in our risk view if precision no longer depended on skill?
- Who in our organisation tracks defence technology that may reach civilian settings?
The trends and technologies behind this story
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s article and 311 data. First published on Fanatical Futurist.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
Bullets haven't evolved in many years, but now DARPA's smart bullets could turn everyone into a professional sniper.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder, President and Futurist of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- Department defense tests maneuvering bullets popsci.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 8 July 2019. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2019). Watch DARPA’s smart EXACTO bullets change path mid flight. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/watch-darpas-smart-exacto-bullets-change-path-mid-flight/
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