DARPA Developing Super Scope 44
Iddo Genuth writes "Researchers at the Strategic Technology Office of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) are developing new high-resolution scopes that extend the range of viable image recognition and reduce atmospheric interference. Still in the early prototyping stage, DARPA hopes the new optical system (PPT presentation) will eventually result in a decrease of friendly fire incidents and collateral damage from military operations. 'Called the Super-Resolution Vision System (SRVS), this new system exploits atmospheric turbulence effects that magnify pieces of images behind heat haze. The formal name for this phenomenon is atmospheric turbulence-generated micro-lensing and it creates a brief, high resolution image behind the haze. The SRVS takes many such images and collates them to create a cohesive image of the entire larger area under observation using new advances in signal processing made possible by advances in computer processing power and increased storage capabilities.'"
Re:super scope was already invented by nintendo (Score:3, Interesting)
but where I serve only snipers and sharpshooters use scopes.
Same in US.
This sounds to me that either the US infantry is reckless (snipers firing without positively IDing their targets)
Unlikely.
or that the term 'friendly fire' was used to gain support from those unfamiliar with military tactics.
More likely.
Even more likely: the reporter got it wrong.
Or it's to be used in assassination attempts from ultra-long range where the target is in a crowd of non-targets or friendlies. But that's just paranoid ranting. Isn't it?
Re:super scope was already invented by nintendo (Score:2, Interesting)
Friendly fire isn't a myth, I suspect it goes somewhat unreported in the US compared to over here as it seems to be other countries' soldiers that are usually on the wrong end of it.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/2921807.stm
Here's to 60 years of precision bombing - yeeee haaaaw!