Army Researchers Patent Self-destructing Bullet Designed To Save Lives (networkworld.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Researchers from the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center recently patented a new type of bullet capable of self-destructing after traveling over a predetermined distance. The idea behind the new and advanced projectile is that it might help limit the extent of collateral damage (read: innocents dying) during battle or in other operational settings and environments. As for how it all works, the U.S. Army explains that when one of these limited-range projectiles is fired, a pyrotechnical material is ignited at the same time and reacts with a special coating on the bullet. "The pyrotechnic material ignites the reactive material, and if the projectile reaches a maximum desired range prior to impact with a target," the Army writes, "the ignited reactive material transforms the projectile into an aerodynamically unstable object." The researchers add that the desired range of its limited-range projectile can be adjusted by switching up the reactive materials used. Put simply, the Army has come up with what effectively amounts to a self-destructing bullet that is rendered ineffective over certain distances.

Comments

LESS!

[TechyImmigrant]

>self-destructing bullet that is rendered ineffective

self-destructing bullet that is rendered less ineffective

There, fixed that for you.

Re: What happens when they hit their target?

[Entrope]

It sounds like the reacting coating causes the bullet to start tumbling in the air, and the increased drag is what stops the bullet. It could come apart, or just get a groove on one side; it doesn't have to flatten out anything like tgat.

Presumably one novel part of the research involves ensuring that the coating only reacts when the bullet has been fired and is moving at high speed.

Re: What happens when they hit their target?

[Rei]

These things can have unintended consequences, however. Anyone else remember the DIME explosives Israel's been using? Small explosive radius! High lethality within that radius, but the fragments slow down rapidly outside it! Peppers the people around it with countless bits of inoperable, highly carcinogenic shrapnel! Wait, forget that last one.... Small but effective blast radius!

Re: What happens when they hit their target?

[tnk1]

War sucks. There's really no way around it.