[9mm+]

Pretty impressive setup, but I'm sure that there will still be a need for snipers on the ground, too... :)

Washington, April 23 (ANI): The US Army is testing the Autonomous Rotorcraft Sniper System (ARSS) - a remote-controlled unmanned vigilante robot helicopter equipped with a high-velocity sniper rifle.

According to a report by Fox News, its RND Edge semi-automatic gun is mounted on a self-stabilizing turret with built-in zoom camera, and fires 7 to 10 precisely aimed .338-caliber rounds per second.

Back on the ground, a human directs it using a modified Xbox 360 controller, which plugs into a laptop so that the operator can see what the drone sees.

The system is intended for the urban battlefield - an eye in the sky that can stare down concrete canyons, and blink out targets with extreme precision.

Attempting to return fire against the ARSS is liable to be a near-suicidal act, as ARSS is described as being able to fire seven to 10 aimed shots per minute, and it’s unlikely to miss.

Because the Vigilante is smaller, lighter and cheaper than a manned combat helicopter, it can be supplied in greater numbers, and without the need for those elite, highly-trained snipers.

Sniping from a chopper currently takes tons of skill and training, but ARSS is literally point-and-shoot for the operator on the ground, using a videogame-type controller.

The software makes all the necessary corrections, and the system should ensure first-round kills at several hundred yards.

The secret is in the control system and stabilized turret, which is currently fitted with a powerful RND Manufacturing Edge 2000 rifle specifically designed for sniping work, using the heavyweight .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge.

“Having the ability to accurately engage single point man sized targets with an airborne UAV will give the ground based soldier the ability to have a high-point survivable sniper at their disposal when needed,” stated the Army solicitation notice when the project was announced in 2005. (ANI)

[Uncle Mike]

I fear....!

Visions of the Terminator come to mind with the autonomous hunter killers swooping around blasting people with their lasers...not a laser this time, but a .338 Lapua...just as bad! lol hehehe

[mg.mikael]

Here's a pic of that ARSS robotic sniper.....

http://xmb.stuffucanuse.com/xmb/viewthread.php?action=attachment&tid=6098&pid=17024

[nwilliams]

The software makes all the necessary corrections, and the system should ensure first-round kills at several hundred yards.

When the robot apocalypse comes we are all doomed:uhoh:

[mljdeckard]

The army is always testing all kinds of stuff. There's a LONG path between 'testing' something and seeing the army actually put it in service. For all the detail in this article, 'testing' might not mean anything more than the inventor persuaded the army to send a guy out to watch him demonstrate it.

[CWL]

Well, it's cheaper than a Hellfire missile and causes less collateral damage I suppose.

My question is why develop a specialized automatic .338 Lapua rifle when there are already .50 BMGs available that can be modified?

[mljdeckard]

Or .408 Chey-tac or .416 Barrett?

[Uncle Mike]

Wonder how many rounds of .338L it would take to knock that thing down...? lol

[9mm+]

The 338 Lapua was a "standard" RND 2K; it was not specially designed for the ARSS. What was specially modified was the fire control system and stabilization (which would have been needed for the 50 BMG, too). The .338 is preferred over the .50 for the FC stabilization in flight. The .50 kicks too hard on such a small craft to make follow-up shots successful. The .338 is powerful enough to get the job done and is more controllable in flight.

[chuwee81]

xbox 360 controller, ...interesting. Reminds me of my game crazy cousin who's really good at Halo3 games. Maybe he should apply to be the test "operator".

[Prince Yamato]

Visions of the Terminator come to mind

Yeah, I've been thinking the same thing lately...

[MikePGS]

.338 lapua? No big deal, just duct tape an extra trauma plate to your back!

[blackops]

That thing is a joke. Give a 416 to a trained guy with a pulse and the robot will be shrap metal.

[Jorg]

That thing is a joke. Give a 416 to a trained guy with a pulse and the robot will be shrap metal.
The idea is to send it in to clear areas where the trained guy wouldn't retain his pulse for very long.

[pink_talon]

Hi all of you!
I am so glad that so many had exactly the same image in mind...probably black and white with Brad Fidel music playing and a team in a crew-served on a truck zipping around! I've been waiting for something like that to come around. Even if that product is only a blue-sky demo, with RPVs turning into UAVs and then civilian technology giving us mini (or micro) UAVs etc, it's not hard to predict. If you guys start looking at how much urban control structure and cameras are being incorporated, it's just linear extrapolation, right? Add that to papers on 4th/5th gen warfare and its effects on personal freedom and economy, you have a chilling 15 min glimpse into the future. With GPS in our cell phones, I guess I'm not expecting to see RPVs over our skies quite yet, but I can just see what airborne C3I will look like when (not if) our next riot happens (I'm in the LA,CA area). I don't know if you've seen the same thing, but in my town (a very up-mkt place) and another like it. Police now have M-16/AR-15/M4s next to their 870s! The other town have em next to their Benellis (lotsa $$s that town). After N. Hollywood (my belief: copycat of Heat) I have footage of sherriffs practicing shooting from a chopper w/ a semi-auto shotgun (looked like m1s90). Woof, things will be exciting if they start clearing places after a disaster like in New Orleans!

oh p.s. dedicated game machines are some of the fastest hardware around. Sony's playstation 3 is being networked, in one instance to produce avg over time of 5 petaflops (petaflops being the spoor you track while hunting Petas, nyuk, snort)

Best regards!

[slabuda]

.338 lapua? No big deal, just duct tape an extra trauma plate to your back!

Well I was expecting someone to say this....you win.

[Broken11b]

well, i dont know why you guys are being skeptical or nervous. I, for one, welcome our new metal overlords and look forward to the rise of the machines

[cchris]

Wow, I was just thinking about this today. While I'm no expert in control systems engineering by far (I actually quite suck at it), I was wondering if the same concept of tracking - be it an unmanned camera tracking the player at a football game, or a missle tracking an enemy aircraft - would ever be implemented into a sniper rifle. I assumed the technology was out there, and now I know for sure.

Now, only if they could attach a few MP5's, a PSG-1, and some Glocks to it, then the Rapid Tactical Force might consider using it for "retail shopping security".

:D

[garymc]

Great idea, but the art is in the name. When someone on the ground shoots the thing down, the operator can say "they shot me right in the ARSS." Blew my ARSS right out of the air...

[smithmax]

Broken11b, they can tell when you're lying, so it's no use.

And regarding the ones saying that you can shoot it down easily, I'm assuming that this will be able to fly/hover out of earshot. Plus, if the enemy sniper is preoccupied with a little drone that's trying to kill him then he has less time to kill our guys.

[PandaBearBG]

It looks like a crippled refridgerator. Amazing concept and technology though. Seems like a lot of military robots use XBOX controllers.

[woodybrighton2]

xbox controller is actually a very good piece of control equipment cheap off the shelf.
plus typical operator already knows how to use it.

so stop you kid going to the range or camping and get them playing video games your countrys future defence relies on it:D

[627PCFan]

Enough bickering. Lets get started. Whos going to donate a Xbox controler to "TheHighroads" new cause ;)

[CoRoMo]

...fires 7 to 10 precisely aimed .338-caliber rounds per second.fire seven to 10 aimed shots per minute

Which is it? Per minute or per second?

Surely it isn't so slow as to only get off 10 shots per minute.

[hmphargh]

I wouldn't be surprised if it takes a few seconds for the robot to acquire and identify a target. That does seem a bit slow, but this is also just a testing prototype.

[padd54]

I have a RND Edge 2000 being built, it should be complete in a month or two.

I was under the impression that this was 7 separate targets within a minute. Not many human snipers can do that. Also, that it only carries 7 rounds. Remember, this is not a FA, but a discrete sniper platform.

[mljdeckard]

Don't underestimate the technology. If you have ever done gunnery in an M-1, you know that there is a LOT you can do with gyro-stabilization technology, and that's 1980-is tech. It's not at all unrealistic for a flying platform to be as good as a human or better in slow-fire.

Again, it's just a question of if the army really decides it's worth it.

[pale horse]

"My question is why develop a specialized automatic .338 Lapua rifle when there are already .50 BMGs available that can be modified?"

Our snipers in Iraq did not favor the .50 for great accuracy. Partly due to the lack of match ammo. When you unlink the regular ammo it is not great for accuracy. That's not to say you cant do it, but they told me its not as accurate as they would like. On the other side having the 338 ammo you can engage to 1200-1500 Meters (I have been told) with various combination of bullets. For anti personnel the round is great, and to strap the thing on a heli with some gyros that would be good for cover and recon.

[mljdeckard]

Don't underestimate the technology. If you have ever done gunnery in an M-1, you know that there is a LOT you can do with gyro-stabilization technology, and that's 1980-is tech. It's not at all unrealistic for a flying platform to be as good as a human or better in slow-fire.

Again, it's just a question of if the army really decides it's worth it.

[Warhawk83]

garymc wrote:

Great idea, but the art is in the name. When someone on the ground shoots the thing down, the operator can say "they shot me right in the ARSS." Blew my ARSS right out of the air...

LMFAO :D


Anyway, looks like it would be quite effective. Now we just have to see how much this thing costs, and if the gub'mint is willing to spend it. BTW I think the .338 is a fine choice.

[nyggis]

Am I the only conservative reactionary who would like to pull the brakes on the technical developements and see angry short-haired guys running cursing up steep hills carrying bolt action rifles fighting each other.

The thought of a physically underdeveloped 19-year old with pimples, Jolt cola in hand and x-box, killing some hard core well trained soldier by the click of a game console button in a safe warm bunker somewhere makes me feel ill...

31 years old and already an old fart... I feel sorry for my girlfriend.. :)

[Presto Junk]

Well, if the Army doesn't need it , I can see a place for it in the civillian market.
Imagine a Elk hunt in Wyoming without having to leave the comfort of your easy chair.
Probably too expensive for prarie dogs though.

[danweasel]

well, i dont know why you guys are being skeptical or nervous. I, for one, welcome our new metal overlords and look forward to the rise of the machine

I am with you, all hail!

[Gryffydd]

The thought of a physically underdeveloped 19-year old with pimples, Jolt cola in hand and x-box, killing some hard core well trained soldier by the click of a game console button in a safe warm bunker somewhere makes me feel ill...

If the 19 year old is one of us and the trained soldier is one of our enemies, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

[nyggis]

You have a point...

[bigalexe]

Personally I had assumed it was rather illegal of me to strap (bolt, duct tape, or otherwise affix) a shotgun onto an RC car with a remote controlled solenoid connected to the trigger. That is the way I am paraphrasing the way I interpret these tests.

So please explain what needs to be done so these kinds of tests can be done legally, or is there no law prohibiting me from firing a gun remotely as long as the gun is legal.

[9mm+]

Bigalexe -- these tests are for the military so they're perfectly legal. If you're planning on doing the RC + shotgun test at home, my advice would be to consult a lawyer first or just say no altogether. There is a lot than could (and likely would) go wrong here...

[Broken11b]

Hey, if Bigalexe wants to build his own superintellegent death machine to fight the other super-machines, more power to him

[Broken11b]

And it does give new meaning to the term, Fight the machine. now if we can just find a was to automate the tanks and infantrymen... Yep, no possibility for anything bad there. I especially like that they're super smart

[WinchesterAA]

I wonder if American Police Force (http://www.americanpolicegroup.com/) will get one of those for Hardin, Montana.

[MikePGS]

Bigalexe -- these tests are for the military so they're perfectly legal. If you're planning on doing the RC + shotgun test at home, my advice would be to consult a lawyer first or just say no altogether. There is a lot than could (and likely would) go wrong here...
Name one thing that could go wrong with attatching a shotgun to a remote control car and then coming up with a way to fire the shotgun (also by remote). :D

[9mm+]

Hey, if Bigalexe wants to build his own superintellegent death machine to fight the other super-machines, more power to him

LOL...if BATF would agree with that, we would all be wiring the kids' XBox to our firearms... :)

[Erik M]

My brother and I watch Anime from time to time and we both think that this thing looks like something straight out of Ghost in the Shell. A remote controlled sniper drone. Kinda sounds like something from Warhammer 40k too.

[Avenger]

That thing is a joke. Give a 416 to a trained guy with a pulse and the robot will be shrap metal.


MOS 14m or 14s? :rolleyes:

[FIVETWOSEVEN]

i wonder if american police force will get one of those for hardin, montana.
hahahahaha

[Dwrice]

I wonder how stable it is.

[9mm+]

I wonder how stable it is.
I had read in another article that there were some issues with the gyroscopic stabilization, but researchers from the University of Utah were able to fix the problems. Now, it appears to be rock-solid.

A bigger question would be the target acquisition process. In a dense environment with lots of movement and questionable visibility, the ARSS will need some excellent optics and EO-IR systems.

[normnip]

" . . . shot me in the ARSS . . ." Really. LMFAO.

So, then, what you all are saying is that for me to own one of these babys or just turn it into a glorified clay pigeon, all I'll need is an xbox controller and learn to hack into the software or radiowaves?

I believe in the KISS principle: the more complicated the contraption the more achilles heels it'll have and the easier it'll be to find one.

[bigalexe]

Ok the reason I brought this up is that honestly there's probably a lot of testing that has to get done before the military would even consider coming to your backyard (or inviting you to there's) to show off your new robo-gun.

In a nutshell what I see here is a really fancy RC Helicopter, some really fancy RC aiming devices, a $50 pen camera and receiving equipment for the controller, add on a mount for the gun, replace the trigger with a solenoid, and then you have a rudimentary version of what they built. Honestly that version is not very expensive, technically complicated, or illegal to buy parts of and piece together. Additionally mapping the digital inputs from a 5vdc controller (such as the Xbox, PS3, or ancient NES) is not hard to do if you have some programming knowledge for something like an Arduino.

What I'm saying here is to get a very simple and unstable version of what they are doing is quite easy for someone with engineering background. If you can afford to purchase and shoot an AR-15 with a Trijicon, you've probably spent more on the gun than this project would cost you using a budget .22LR rifle for proof-of-concept so I think cost isn't too difficult.

So I'm guessing in order to actually test this stuff you need either a very big backyard, something on the order of a thousand acres, or a friend in the federal government to make the ATF believe you aren't crazy.

Oh and in response to this:
Name one thing that could go wrong with attatching a shotgun to a remote control car and then coming up with a way to fire the shotgun (also by remote).

The engineer decides to use a common RC Frequency such as 49mhz and gets interference resulting in an accidental discharge while he's working on the car with the gun loaded (because it was just a quick tweak) and also pointing at the front of his pelvic area.

[last to know]

when I was in highschool a friend of mine got busted for chasing down kids with his rc chopper that he set up to launch bottle rockets between the skids.this was in 1982 and he was 17. it cost his father several grand in cort costs and loyers fees to keep my buddy out of jail. so this is something i would think long and hard about before i would try any similar "test".

[Dannix]

I'm not particularly crazy about such designs.

It wouldn't be particularly hard for a military to down such a device as the radar cross section is probably not particularly stealthy. But it sounds like the perfect weapon platform for tyranny as long as the citizenry are infringed from possessing modern military tech.


The engineer decides to use a common RC Frequency such as 49mhz and gets interference resulting in an accidental discharge
Even a knowledgeable RCer would due better. Analog would be out of the question for something like this. I personally would develop my own app-layer protocol for an extra level of security (though through obscurity, true).

when I was in highschool a friend of mine got busted for chasing down kids with his rc chopper that he set up to launch bottle rockets between the skids.this was in 1982 and he was 17. it cost his father several grand in cort costs and loyers fees to keep my buddy out of jail. so this is something i would think long and hard about before i would try any similar "test".
Flour bombs are pretty popular. Just don't drop them on people. Sounds like your friend really just needed one of the kids older brother to beat him up and trash his heli.

[MikePGS]

Yowzers, I guess I should've added the sarcasm tags :)

[Cap'n Jack Burntbeard]

My first thought on this is convoy protection, controlled by the boots on the ground.
The only thing better than this would be the Sarcos Exoskeleton (http://www.raytheon.com/newsroom/technology/rtn08_exoskeleton/) with some armor, I guess truth really is stranger than fiction.:uhoh: