I guess the current generation of sniper rifles aren’t deadly enough for DARPA. They want to improve the sights, which take a lot of skill to use. Snipers have to account for cross-winds, range and other factors to keep their shot on target.
High tech laser-equipped sniper scopes may be the answer. DARPA has been working on this problem for awhile and calls the project One Shot. Their previous attempts helped shooters increase their chance of hitting their mark by a factor of four, but they had a short battery life, range finder accuracy errors and overheating problems.
So now DARPA is wotking with Cubic Corporation to overcome these problems, giving the firm a $6 million contract to develop a “compact observation, measurement and ballistic calculation system” that it calls the One Shot XG. The XG is designed to give the shooter an offset aim point to counteract the environmental conditions that would affect bullet trajectory. They hope to see ten weapon or scope-mountable field devices within 15 months.
Source Engadget