History Main / RecursiveAMmo

* ''VideoGame/AngryBirds'': The Blue Bird splits into three on command.

* An example in computer security is a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fork_bomb Forkbomb,]] which is a program that simply launches another instance of itself.[[note]]"Fork" is the {{UsefulNotes/UNIX}} command a process uses to launch another instance of itself.[[/note]] The copies then launch copies, increasingly consuming the computer's resources until it eventually crashes.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_independently_targetable_reentry_vehicle MIRVs,]] a [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill Nuclear cluster bomb]]. For a sense of scale, a conventional warhead can level a city block, the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki leveled small towns, and the warheads in MIRVs are each an order of magnitude more powerful than Little Boy and Fat Man - just one of these warheads could level London, and just one MIRV could level most of England.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_independently_targetable_reentry_vehicle MIRVs,]] a [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill Nuclear cluster bomb]].

* In VideoGame/ConwaysGameOfLife, there are structures called 'breeders' that generate copies of a secondary pattern (such as a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_(cellular_automaton) Gosper gun]]) that themselves generate copies of a tertiary pattern (in the case of the Gosper gun, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glider_(Conway%27s_Game_of_Life) gliders]]).

* Many militaries have experimented with "Duplex" ammunition. These are ordinary bullets they already use but with a small concave on the bottom that allows a second round to be stacked behind the first. The idea is that you're firing two shots with every pull of the trigger. They haven't ever been officially adopted by any unit due to the increase in cost and complexity for a very minor benefit. [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR5YOhsHffsPp5AoQRuUukL5oifmWiqbs2nDAl3GUII-bW5aJfGg3i2uwZR2LphWltlCk0&usqp=CAU Here]] [[https://external-preview.redd.it/5rifqX7E-mx_MM6UxuzOUFD61kAbhXhmw9hA3G7IYL8.jpg?auto=webp&s=bac3451891d92ff6264917c7c4555006cb4c2c99 are]] [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSyb7W0vsJyjslZyM-2RgbQ8Y5wYcCKqABgzPs2gyt2ZlnleqWORyzLa9oL6ze9ioCm7OA&usqp=CAU some]] [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQz8tFH3YPOyF3uZPkzky0gvK3OdyHsrKQ5vw&usqp=CAU examples]].

--> '''Eddie:''' [[JustForPun Dum-dums]].

* ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'': Eddie Valiant has a Toon revolver (given to him by WesternAnimation/YosemiteSam) that fires Toon bullets - each one a different western stock character, each one then taking on their target with their own weaponry. Although they're pretty much the opposite of ''smart'' ammunition, demonstrated when a bunch of them hare off in the wrong direction.

* In Creator/TomClancy's ''Literature/TheBearAndTheDragon'', United States F-16s deploy 192 J-SOW (nicknamed "Smart Pig") missiles against a Chinese force of about 1000 armored targets, mostly tanks. Once close enough to their targets, the J-SOW missiles each deploy 20 smaller guided munitions with anti-armor capabilities that quickly destroy enough of the enemy vehicles to render the Chinese force irrelevant.
** The AGM-154 JSOW Joint Standoff Weapon is the real joint United States Navy/Air Force weapon system on which the Smart Pig is presumably based. It has been a great success and has been in use since the 1990s. Clancy's version is similar in function to the real one, though likely more effective than is realistic in order to move the plot along and to reinforce the theme that the United States military is too powerful to fail.
* In Creator/JulesVerne's ''Literature/TheBegumsMillions'', one of the munitions developed by [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Prof. Schultze]] was a shell packed with a hundred of small cannons which, in turn, fired incendiary bombs after release.

* ''Literature/NightsDawnTrilogy'', starships launch "combat wasps", which in turn launch "submunitions".
* In Creator/HarryHarrison's ''Literature/{{Northworld}}'' series, mention is made of shield penetrating bullets that hit a shield then fire another shot at the same now weakened spot, up to twice. [[note]](original shot from gun, bullet hits shield and fires second, second hits shield and [[MoreDakka fires third.)]][[/note]] This is probably also inspired by a RealLife weapon, the explosively formed penetrator.
* In David Brin's ''Literature/{{Uplift}}'' series, some of the more advanced Galactic missles have multiple layers to them. In Startide Rising, [[spoiler:the Soro fire missiles at a Synthian scout. He fires anti-missile missiles at them, and the missiles shoot ''them'' down with BeamSpam!]]
* In Creator/HarryTurtledove's ''Literature/WorldWar'', cluster bombs are one of the modern-era weapons unleashed on UsefulNotes/WorldWarII-era Earth by The Race. It takes a while for the contemporary soldiers to get used to them and several are crippled by bomblets blowing off one of their feet. Fortunately for humanity, they're also one of the weapons the Race only has a very limited supply of.

-->-- '''Matt Roszak''', ''Bullet Heaven's'' developer, responding to the page quote.

* ''Series/HimitsuSentaiGorenger'': In one episode the Gorengers face a MonsterOfTheWeek that can shield itself from the [[FinishingMove Gorenger Storm]] by turning into a rock. They counter this by developing a parent-child version of the Gorenger Storm. After being launched at the enemy, it drops a smaller version of itself on the ground. The enemy easily blocks the first ball but then charges at the Gorangers and dies from stepping on the second one. Something similar happens in a later episode when they are facing a shark monster who blocks the Goranger Hurricane before it hits him, but then it opens up and fires a smaller rocket right down the monster's throat.

* ''Series/HimitsuSentaiGorenger'': In one episode the Gorengers face a MonsterOfTheWeek that can shield itself from the [[FinishingMove Gorenger Storm]] by turning into a rock. They counter this by developing a parent-child version of the Gorenger Storm. After being launched at the enemy, it drops a smaller version of itself on the ground. The enemy easily blocks the first ball but then charges at the Gorangers and dies from stepping on the second one.

* ''Series/HimitsuSentaiGorenger'': In one episode the Gorengers face a MonsterOfTheWeek that can shield itself from the [[FinishingMoveGorenger Storm]] by turning into a rock. They counter this by developing a parent-child version of the Gorenger Storm. After being launched at the enemy, it drops a smaller version of itself on the ground. The enemy easily blocks the first ball but then charges at the Gorangers and dies from stepping on the second one.

* ''VideoGame/DeepRockGalactic'' has the Cluster Grenade for the Gunner class. It is described in-game as ''"basically Armageddon in the palm of your hand"' and by the Gunner himself as his 'grenade-grenade!'. When the grenade explodes, it releases nine smaller grenades. Which also explode.

* ''Anime/CowboyBebop'', episode "Gateway Shuffle": a group of insane ecoterrorists launches a large bomb containing a mutagenic virus toward a moon. As our heroes near it, it opens and releases three missiles. Two are destroyed by Spike, and just as Faye's about to destroy the third, it splits further into a thousand tiny rockets. The moon is only saved when the authorities close the hyper-space gateway they were all in before any missiles get through.

* ''Lightnovel/FullMetalPanic'' pulled this off in ''The Second Raid'' season premier: when the Arbalest is [[GunshipRescue retrieved]] by the [[CoolBoat Tuatha De Danaan]], the sub fires several cluster missiles onto the tanks lining the riverside. The entire army gets wiped out in seconds.

* ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'': [[MacrossMissileMassacre Missile barrages]] tend to have this.

* ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'': A miniaturised version of the Jericho (from ''Film/IronMan'') is shown as part of Tony's suit's arsenal, used to take out multiple Chitauri.

* ''Literature/BannerOfTheStars'' has antimatter mines that, when shot at by point defences, split into even more mines. These mines disguise themselves as the debris of the destroyed mine, and then jump any Abh spaceship that strays too close. '', the United Mankind develop a new type of mine (other sci-fi series would probably call them torpedoes), which can divide into four independent mines to overwhelm point defense guns or lie in wait in debris fields until a ship passes by. They're dealt with by deploying MoreDakka.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

-->--'''Matt Roszak''', ''Bullet Heaven's'' developer, responding to the page quote.

** Cluster torpedoes, which fire like normal torpedoes but split into a medium sized but extremely dense (normal mines deploy 4 in an area about as big as a ship this deploys 20+ in that same area) auto armed mine field (the mines the track in to the target).

* ''VideoGame/Fallout3'' has the Experimental MIRV, which acts a lot like a shotgun that fires 8 mini-nukes in a single shot. It's considered AwesomeButImpractical mainly because mini-nukes are a rather rare ammo type (there are less than 30 to be found in the entire game) and only Super Mutant Behemoths can survive being hit with ''one''.
* ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' has the Legendary weapon ability Two Shot. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Each shot launches two projectiles but only costs one round of ammo]] with a slight decrease in accuracy. One of the vendors sells a unique Fat Man named Big Boy that comes with this property. And the Fat Man, including Big Boy, can be equipped with the MIRV weapon mod, which changes it from firing a single large bomb to eight tiny submunitions. Unless the weapon already has the Two Shot property, in which case it causes it to fire ''twelve'' [[MacrossMissileMassacre bomblets]] at once.
* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' "Gun Runners Arsenal" is a DLC that adds many new guns and Ammo types. To make up for the lack of mini-nukes available in the base game, the DLC includes four new fun flavors of these miniature atomic bombs that you can buy, and a great new nuke catapult named "Esther" to launch them from. One of these new mini nukes, the tiny tots variant, is a mini nuke that splits up and becomes several more nukes. At range, this ammo type functions like a normal cluster bomb, pepping a wide area with several mini-mini nukes to kill a bigger region of mooks. This ammo also makes the nuke catapult a viable close range weapon as the sub munitions can be detonated at relatively close range without being harmed, so you effectively have a nuclear shotgun. To top it off, the Tiny tots nuke only costs the same as a normal mini-nuke (assuming that people actually sold normal mini-nukes).

* ''Webcomic/ManlyGuysDoingManlyThings'': [[http://thepunchlineismachismo.com/archives/316 This episode]] features an action figure whose gun shoots little guns. The little guns "might shoot deep fried beer cans or somethin' ".