RangerDave wrote:
Yeah, I don't really know much of anything when it comes to weaponry. I wasn't necessarily imagining the computer built into the gun itself, though. More like a laptop running the calculations and hooked up to a scope that's basically an LCD screen showing the shooter where the bullet will hit. Like I said, probably a stupid question.
Not a stupid question at all; if you have no experience with such matters it won't be obvious why this is.
You could make the laptop work, but you would need GPS sensors all over the gun telling the computer which direction it was pointing. Those would require power. You'd also need ungainly cables reaching from the gun to the computer. Then you'd need a rangefinder. This configuration could allow the rangefinder to be separate from the gun which would solve the "aligned to the barrel" problem I mentioned earlier, but it would still need power. Something small like a GVS-5 aould be adequate, and probably comparable to what a Sniper team already carries.
But now we've added the need to carry, say, 6 pounds of laptop around, maybe more (since it will need to be some hardened type like a Toughbook for field use) and probably 1 or 2 spare laptop batteries, which will add to the already considerable weight soldiers carry in the field, plus the space required in their rucksacks, complicating his packing, especially since it will need to be readily accessible. Then, when you get to the firing position, you'll need to screw around getting all of this stuff plugged into each other, which will cause a lot more movement (bad thing for snipers) and of course with cables all over the place you'll be unable to quickly leave except by rapdily unplugging your weapon while your partner unplugs the rangefinder and ditching the laptop, unless you want to haul *** with a laptop trailing USB cables in your hands.
Then of course if it's night both the laptop and the screen on the rifle would create light...
Finally, if the screen on the rifle becomes damaged, how will you shoot? Detach it and put a scope on? PRobably workable, but that may cause problems too depending on how hard it is to zero the scope to the rifle.
All of this might be worth it if there was some phenomenal increase in performance to be had without also getting a lot more snipers killed, but I don't think that's likely to be realized.
Don't feel stupid for asking this. Real professionals have come up with far worse ideas, and spent an assload of money on things they damn well should have known better about. Even workable, good ideas often create problems when first implemented because even with field soldier consultants, these things get desinged in a lab, but have to work in the field. For example, when the FBCB2/Blue Force Tracker first got fielded to us in 2nd BCT 4ID for the Digital Division program (this is about 10 years ago now) it was tearing up HMMWV generators like crazy because they only had 60 amp generators designed for the vehicle itself and by the time all this extra electronics got added, you really needed over 100 amps.
Just remember this example when someone asks "Why doesn't the military just do/buy X and solve all their problems?" It's generally because X will create more problems than it solves. Not always. Politics matters too, as does institutional dogma, but for the most part, if theres an obvious solution it has some not-so-obvious complications. When you're talking about foot soldiers, those problems generally can be summed up as "too **** heavy."
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