Super sniper scope

Pretty amazing. [Link]

Battles are increasingly about taking out a few select enemies, not large numbers of foes. If you want a device that allows you to locate, target and kill a subject, you need look no further than DARPA's Super-Resolution Vision System (SRVS), which I looked at recently in the New Scientist technology blog.

Heat haze ordinarily throws off snipers. But SRVS changes heat haze from an obstruction into a means of enhancing the view. An effect called " turbulence-induced micro-lensing" means that every instant the heated air acts as a series of lenses; at a given moment you may be able to look right through them and see a magnified view of the scene beyond. The trick is to use digital technology to identify the "lucky regions" or "lucky frames" when a clear view appears and assemble them into a complete picture.

The end result is a portable device 35 centimeters long and weighing two kilogram with an unprecedented capability. This sniper scope can beat the 'diffraction limit,' which defines the best that any other optical device can do -- in conditions of severe heat haze, no less.

It would be able to be used beyond normal visual range. The sniper would be invisible.