The revolutionary "extreme accuracy tasked ordnance" or "EXACTO", as it is called, is a .50-calibre self-steering guided missiles system developed under the auspices of The Pentagon, by the U. S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

Jerome Dunn, DARPA Program Manager, said in a statement, "Fitting EXACTO's guidance capabilities into a small .50-caliber size is a major breakthrough and opens the door to what could be possible in future guided projectiles across all calibers".

Seen as Pentagon's brainchild, more than $25 million has already been invested in the project since its initiation in 2008. But eight years down the line, it can be seen as a miracle of sorts. Initially developed to aid the military snipers in Iraq and Afghanistan in hitting their targets even in hostile environmental conditions, EXACTO today can be handled even by an amateur shooter.

In a video released on Monday by the DARPA, a February test-run shows both an expert and a novice sniper using the bullet to hit long-distance, shifting targets. EXACTO bullets capture a range of up to 2,000 meters and are capable of adjusting their trajectories to hit moving targets.

The striking feature is that these guided bullets are completely oblivious to adverse conditions like high winds, dusty terrain and target movement, to name a few.

The magic bullet functions on what can be called a "fire-and-forget" principle. Any movement near the target area triggers a response from EXACTO. Though the precise technology employed in the bullet remains undisclosed, what is certain is that the bullet consists of two parts - a guidance system which identifies the target and then signals the bullet, which is the second part. The bullet uses its on-board computer and fins to automatically adjust its path to zero in on the target and finally hit the bulls-eye.