Our military is tasked with keeping our country safe, and to that end, they require innovative weaponry. Currently, the U.S. Special Operations Command is experimenting with a new type of bullet that will give our Navy SEALs a unique advantage when it comes to underwater combat. These unique bullets could allow our Navy SEALs to shoot up into boats or allow helicopter gunners to shoot submarines. Rather than building a new innovative weapon, they’ve opted to design innovative ammunition.
How Underwater Bullets Work
Average bullets can travel through the air at a rate of half a mile per minute, but that speed quickly comes to a stop when bullets are shot through water. Water is much denser than air, and the drag prevents a bullet from effectively reaching its target. Underwater bullets, on the other hand, have a tungsten tip, which creates a gas bubble in front of the bullet. This supercavitation effect allows the bullet to speed through the water. Your average bullet doesn’t have this capability, so it’s essentially dead in the water.
How the tungsten tipped underwater bullets create this gas bubble is unknown. However, it’s been postulated that when fired, the bullets harness the gasses expelled by the gunpowder in some way.
Bullets with Versatile Fire Power
The underwater bullets are completely compatible with the guns currently in use by the military and can be used both in and out of the water. Amazingly, the bullets are completely effective when fired with a fully submerged weapon; likewise, the bullets can be fired with a surface weapon into the water or shooting from under the water to the surface. No matter how these bullets are used, they have reached their targets.
According to the Defense One website, a .50 caliber version of the underwater bullet can shoot nearly 200 feet underwater. Furthermore, the .50 caliber bullet can penetrate 2 centimeters of steel when fired from 55 feet away. That demonstrates that this new ammunition could be used to punch holes in submarines. The bullets have also been successfully tested by shooting from a helicopter into the water.
One test used an AR-15 to successfully fire these tungsten tipped bullets through 13 blocks of ballistic gelatin. Each of these blocks is 16 inches in-depth, and are slightly denser than water. In comparison, an ordinary bullet will only shoot through a couple of ballistic gelatin blocks.
The Forefront of Innovation
The U.S. military sets the world standard when it comes to national defense, and this bullet will certainly raise the bar when it comes to ammunition. Whether its special operations overseas or defending our border, the tungsten tipped underwater bullet will help keep both our soldiers and our citizens safe.
Brandon Webb is a former U.S. Navy SEAL, Sniper, and finished his time in the Navy as the Naval Special Warfare Sniper Course Manager. A passionate Entrepreneur (Crateclub.us) and a New York Times bestselling author. Brandon Webb is a member of YPO New York City and, Harvard Business School OPM 56. Brandon Webb wants to thank all of the readers out there!
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