Chris At Home

Smart bullets, brain/machine interfaces, heat rays, exoskeletons, the cool stuff.

The Air Force calls the program Barrel Launched Adaptive Munitions, or BLAM, in an unusual display of wit. The researchers agree that the guidance technology is the easy part; it's already available for missile systems and only needs to be made smaller. The difficult part is designing a bullet that can turn in mid air and can become aerodynamic to prevent falling towards the ground as it moves towards the target, in accordance with our ancient enemy, gravity.

Some programs have experimented with tiny attitude jets on the bullet to steer it. But BLAM uses a more exotic, science-fictiony method: the front of the bullet actually flexes to create lift in various directions. Lift on the bottom keeps the bullet flying at the same altitude it was fired, without dropping; lift on the right steers the bullet left, and so forth.

Bugs had these decades ago. Friggin' rabbit.

High flying, shape-shifting UAVs!

Update: Want to watch the Baalbek raid? There is video.

Update: F-22 Raptors offered to Israel. Nice photo, too.