It sounds like something from a science fiction film, but soon, a ‘magic bullet’ that floats around in the air waiting for its target could become science fact.
This far-fetched sounding piece of ammunition isn’t designed to kill, though.
Called ‘Nonlethal Warhead for Miniature Organic Precision Munitions’, there isn’t even a prototype yet - but it’s on the U.S Army’s wish list.
Looking to the future: The U.S Army wants small businesses to develop a floating non-lethal bullet
It’s been requested through the U.S Government’s ‘Small Business Innovation Research’ program, which encourages companies to research and build products in return for a potential commercial deal.
For the floating bullet, the Army admits that ‘this effort will require innovative research and advancements in non-lethal technologies which can be packaged within a very small volume and weight’ and suggests that designers should consider ‘mechanical, such as rubber balls; acoustic; chemical; electrical; or dazzle’.
The idea certainly isn’t pie in the sky, as the U.S Army already has a ‘kamikaze’ robotic drone dubbed Switchblade, which quietly hovers before dive-bombing and blowing up a target.
It launches from a tube before its wings fold out as it flies into the air.
The U.S. Army is paying manufacturer AeroVironment $4.9million for the drones to help it develop a new way of killing suspected militants.
The drones have a miniature electric motor and transmit live video from overhead, which helps soldiers identify the enemy.
Impressive craft: A soldier launches a 'kamikaze' drone and watches its live feed as it flies out of a tube. It will soon be available for use by the U.S. Army
The operators can then send a message to the drone ‘to arm it and lock its trajectory onto the target’, the company said.
The drone will fly into a target and detonate a small explosive - but it can still be disarmed at the last moment even if it is heading for a kill.
The Army's Close Combat Weapons Systems (CCWS) signed the contract for the drones with AeroVironment last June.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2135489/U-S-Army-floats-idea-magic-bullet-hangs-air-waiting-strike.html#ixzz1tCUMJ8Le
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