Precision guided firearms (PGFs) are long-range

rifle A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...

systems designed to improve the accuracy of

shooting Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missiles can ...

at targets at extended ranges through target tracking,

heads-up display A head-up display, or heads-up display, also known as a HUD (), is any transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints. The origin of the name stems from a pilot being able to view informa ...

, and advanced

fire control Fire control is the practice of reducing the heat output of a fire, reducing the area over which the fire exists, or suppressing or extinguishing the fire by depriving it of fuel, oxygen, or heat (see fire triangle). Fire prevention and control ...

. Inspired by

missile lock-on Lock-on is a feature of many radar systems that allow it to automatically follow a selected target. Lock-on was first designed for the AI Mk. IX radar in the UK, where it was known as lock-follow or auto-follow. Its first operational use was in t ...

and

fighter jet Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...

technology, the application of PGF technology to small arms mitigates multiple sources of

marksman A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision shooting using projectile weapons (in modern days most commonly an accurized scoped long gun such as designated marksman rifle or a sniper rifle) to shoot at high-value targets at longer-than-u ...

error including mis-aim, trigger jerk and shot setup miscalculation.Wawro, Alex (Jan. 9, 2013)
“The Hunting Rifle of the Future is Here at CES.”
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PC World ''PC World'' (stylized as PCWorld) is a global computer magazine published monthly by IDG. Since 2013, it has been an online only publication. It offers advice on various aspects of PCs and related items, the Internet, and other personal tech ...

''. Retrieved Jan. 22, 2013.Dillow, Clay (Jan. 10, 2013)
“The 'Intelligent' Rifle, Now With iPad App, Wi-Fi, Infallible Accuracy.”
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Popular Science ''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, incl ...

''. Retrieved Jan. 22, 2013. PGFs can significantly increase first shot success probability (FSSP) out to extreme ranges of 1,100 meters or more. Precision Guided Firearm

PGFs are fully integrated systems consisting of a rifle, networked tracking scope, guided

trigger Trigger may refer to: Notable animals and people ;Mononym * Trigger (horse), owned by cowboy star Roy Rogers ;Nickname * Trigger Alpert (1916–2013), American jazz bassist * "Trigger Mike" Coppola (1900–1966), American gangster ;Surname * Bru ...

and precision conventional

ammunition Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...

based on standard caliber bolt action or semi-automatic rifles. Wireless connectivity allows PGFs to integrate with local and wide area networks to provide voice, video and data connectivity to remotely connected devices and systems.Hutchinson, Lee (Jan. 9, 2013)
“$17,000 Linux-Powered Rifle Brings ‘Auto-Aim’ to the Real World.”
''

Ars Technica ''Ars Technica'' is a website covering news and opinions in technology, science, politics, and society, created by Ken Fisher and Jon Stokes in 1998. It publishes news, reviews, and guides on issues such as computer hardware and software, sci ...

''. Retrieved Jan. 22, 2013. Precision-guided

small arms A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes c ...

prototypes have been developed which use a laser designator to guide an electronically actuated bullet to a target. Another system in development uses a laser range finder to trigger an explosive small arms shell in proximity to a target. The U.S. Army plans to use such devices in the future. In 2008 the

EXACTO EXACTO, an acronym of "Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance", is a sniper rifle firing smart bullets being developed for DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) by Lockheed Martin and Teledyne Scientific & Imaging in November 2008. The n ...

program began under

DARPA The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military. Originally known as the Adv ...

to develop a "

fire and forget Fire-and-forget is a type of missile guidance which does not require further external intervention after launch such as illumination of the target or Wire-guided missile, wire guidance, and can hit its target without the launcher being in line- ...

" smart sniper rifle system including a guided smart bullet and improved scope. The exact technologies of this smart bullet have not been released. EXACTO was test fired in 2014 and 2015 and results showing the bullet alter course to correct its path to its target were released. In 2012

Sandia National Laboratories Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), also known as Sandia, is one of three research and development laboratories of the United States Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Headquartered in Kirtland Air Force Ba ...

announced a self-guided bullet prototype that could track a target illuminated with a

laser designator A laser designator is a laser light source which is used to designate a target. Laser designators provide targeting for laser-guided bombs, missiles, or precision artillery munitions, such as the Paveway series of bombs, AGM-114 Hellfire, or ...

. In mid-2016, Russia revealed it was developing a similar "

smart bullet A smart bullet is a bullet that is able to do something other than simply follow its given trajectory, such as turning, changing speed or sending data. Such a projectile may be fired from a precision-guided firearm capable of programming its behav ...

" weapon designed to hit targets at a distance of up to . In 2019, Israel started using a smart scope named Dagger, also known as Pegion, made by SmartShooter, which is based on the SMASH 2000.

Air burst An air burst or airburst is the detonation of an explosive device such as an anti-personnel artillery shell or a nuclear weapon in the air instead of on contact with the ground or target. The principal military advantage of an air burst over ...

grenade launchers are a type of precision-guided weapons. Such grenade launchers can preprogram their grenades using a

fire-control system A fire-control system (FCS) is a number of components working together, usually a gun data computer, a director, and radar, which is designed to assist a ranged weapon system to target, track, and hit a target. It performs the same task as a ...

to explode in the air above or beside the enemy.

History

The three main technologies employed for long-range shooting—the

bolt-action rifle Bolt-action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by ''directly'' manipulating the bolt (firearms), bolt via a cocking handle, bolt handle, which is most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the weapon (as most users are r ...

, telescopic rifle scope and machined

cartridge Cartridge may refer to: Objects * Cartridge (firearms), a type of modern ammunition * ROM cartridge, a removable component in an electronic device * Cartridge (respirator), a type of filter used in respirators Other uses * Cartridge (surname), a ...

ammunition—were developed in the nineteenth century. The first bolt-action rifle was produced in 1824 by the German firearms inventor

Johann Nicolaus von Dreyse Johann Nicolaus von Dreyse (20 November 1787 – 9 December 1867) was a German firearms inventor and manufacturer. He is most famous for submitting the Dreyse needle gun in 1836 to the Prussian army, which was adopted for service in December 1840 ...

. The first documented telescopic rifle sight was developed between 1835 and 1840 by the American Morgan James. Machined metal-cased cartridge ammunition was first adopted by the British in 1867.

System requirements

To qualify as a precision guided firearm, the system must: * Be a complete firing system – rifle, ammunition and networked tracking scope * Persistently track the target, automatically compute a multi-variable firing solution, and ensure precise engagement when target and firing solution are optimally aligned

Technology

The precision guided firearm integrates technology commonly found in drones,

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...

s, jet fighters,

smartphones A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, which ...

and

microprocessors A microprocessor is a computer processor where the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit, or a small number of integrated circuits. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, and control circu ...

, into the conventional system. The following technologies can be integrated in a PGF system: *Target acquisition, either through manual designation or auto-acquisition *Lock on and persistent target tracking *Computerized firing solution calculation involving ranging and multi-variable ballistic calculation *Streaming video via wifi server, allowing another user to see the live feed from the system *Shot recording and transference to other media applications *Automatic zero adjustment *Interface with smartphones, tablets and software applications

Applications

PGFs are designed for use in

safari A safari (; ) is an overland journey to observe wild animals, especially in eastern or southern Africa. The so-called "Big Five" game animals of Africa – lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo – particularly form an importa ...

and other wildlife

hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

wildlife management Wildlife management is the management process influencing interactions among and between wildlife, its habitats and people to achieve predefined impacts. It attempts to balance the needs of wildlife with the needs of people using the best availabl ...

and predator/animal control, long-range

sport shooting Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...

competitions and military and/or law enforcement

sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...

use.Eshel, Tamir (Jan. 16, 2013)
“Precision-Guided Firearm: Turning Riflemen into Marksmen?”
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Defense Update ''Defense Update'' is an online defense magazine published by Lance & Shield Ltd. from Israel. History ''Defense Update'' was established in 1978 as a printed magazine, founded by IDF Retired LtCol. David Eshel. (דוד אשל) It was the first ...

''. Retrieved Jan. 22, 2013.

References

{{Firearms Rifles Hunting rifles Sniper rifles of the United States

History

System requirements

Technology

Applications

See also

References