smart weapon

Programmable bomb or missile that can be guided to its target by laser technology, TV homing technology, or terrain-contour matching (TERCOM). A smart weapon relies on its pinpoint accuracy to destroy a target rather than on the size of its warhead.

Examples are the cruise missile (Tomahawk), laser-guided artillery shells (Copperhead), laser-guided bombs, and short-range TV-guided missiles (SLAM). Although the development of smart weapons has been ongoing since the Korean War, their first major impact was during the Gulf War in 1991. Suprisingly, only 3% of all the bombs dropped or missiles fired were smart. Of that 3%, it was estimated that 50–70% hit their targets, which is a high accuracy rate.