The Perfect Shot

One of the most effective warriors on the battlefield is the sniper. A talented shooter can, at great distances, take out selected targets, sow paralyzing fear into the enemy, and in some cases, halt the advance of an entire front.

Using advanced sniper systems such as the Barrett .50, modern snipers can make lethal head shots from as far away as a mile and a half. Thus, if a sniper is set loose in enemy territory, the damage inflicted can be decisive.

With cutting edge technology advancing by leaps and bounds, the sniper rifle is turning into a hyper-ballistic machine that, in the right hands, will bring death from afar with stunning precision.

Snipers promise: "One Shot One Kill."

Now, full realization of this proud motto seems close at hand.

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?

A new DARPA-funded electro-optical system will calculate the ballistics for him, telling him where to aim and ensuring a perfect shot, no matter the weather conditions.

Lockheed Martin won a $6.9 million contract this week for the second phase of DARPA's One-Shot system, which will provide direct observations of a target, measure every variable that influences a bullet's flight, and calculate the aim offset in a sniper's rifle scope.

Full story here.

Do keep in mind that no matter how excellent the weapon and optics, ultimately it's the highly-trained sniper who makes the difference between success and failure.

The Hurt Locker, the Academy Award winning film about a bomb disposal unit in Iraq, has the best, most realistic dramatization of a sniper duel that I have ever seen in a Hollywood movie. In fact, the sniper sequence--featuring the mighty Barrett .50--seems far more realistic than the bomb sequences.