Smart Ammunition

Smart ammo rounds are in reality tiny nanomachine versions of the Barnes-Gutierrez Engine. Standard smart ammo consists of needles constructed of a synthetic diamandoid core. The needle is coated with a compound camera consisting of hundreds of nano-sensor units. This sensor array is connected to a nanocomputer that handles guidance and control. The pistol, rifle, wand or other device which is firing the projectile provides the initial acceleration to the round using a gravity pulse. The microcomputer of the gun transfers targeting information to the initial round. The targeting information is limited by the very small capacity of the nano-computer. A nano-laser handles communication with trailing needles in a burst. Typically a mini-swarm of half a dozen needles are fired at one time, although specialized ammo types may be fired as individual rounds. The nanocomputer is not sophisticated enough, nor is the B/G engine powerful enough, to handle hover-and-wait targeting. Standard smart needle ammo attempts to lock onto the target zone or a specific high IR or EM target and makes minor course corrections along the way. It can sometimes be avoided by ducking behind cover or using a force screen set to distortion.
Standard smart needles come in the following varieties: solid core, tranq, tracer.
Large caliber smart ammo (LCSA) uses a larger, more sophisticated nanocomputer that allows better target acquisition. These rounds can carry a larger payload, allowing more kinds of ammunition to be used. LCSA comes in armor piercing explosive (APEX), chem, sub-munition, paralysis, flashlaze, as well as solid core varieties.
Sub-munition rounds release a swarm of smart needles which can be programmed to follow a standard smart needle round. Very useful for an over-and-under bull-pup which fires smart needles from the top barrel and LCSA from the bottom.
Chem rounds are the typical smoke and gas rounds and may be used to release bio agents.
Flashlaze rounds are a kind of laser weapon which uses a single use laser projector with its own power source. When triggered the flashlaze round projects an X-Ray laser blast. The laser crystal in the round is used up in the effort.  Since flashlaze weapons are ineffective against any target protected by a force screen they are not typically used against military targets. Their benefit is that a flashlaze derringer can fire a single devastating shot against an unprotected foe and is easily hidden. Since the unit is dormant until triggered the device is very hard to locate with sensors. As a laser weapon the flashdaze rounds can be used to quickly light a fire or burn through a barrier (although it is not as effective as a laser beam weapon to cut a doorway through a wall, for example.)
20mm smart rounds are large enough to have sophisticated target homing capabilities which used IR, hyper-spectral, and ultra-scanner sensor systems for target tracking. These types of weapons can even track targets behind walls and other cover. Heavier Armor Piercing rounds make physical armor almost useless. Smart loads are constructed of smart materials, like monowire and memory material, which can expand after it penetrates the target, to do more damage. Burrowing needles dig deeper into the body after they hit, inflicting even more damage. Energy warheads capable of triggering an EMP event to damage unshielded electronics can also be used. Another form of energy warhead is capable of emitting a gravity pulse, which may penetrate even a force screen. Larger flashlaze rounds are also available, as are plasma warheads similar in function to the flashlaze, except a beam of ionize plasma is released, similar to that from a plasma blaster.