The US military looks set to increase its use of "smart" weapons following the development of a cheap, steerable bomb. Smart bombs use hugely expensive on-board target-seeking systems, and this makes the military very choosy about when they are used. But Lockheed Martin's new Owl bomb has no on-board seekers or sensors. Instead, it's steered by radar signals from friendly aircraft. On launch, Owl extends its wings and glides towards the target, steered by computers on the nearby aircraft that continuously track it and recalculates its aim. The "dumb bombs" can work at night or in bad weather, and unlike TV-guided or laser-guided bombs, they are not troubled by smoke or dust.
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