Military
Wearable sniper detection to be deployed in Iraq
A wearable sniper detection system is to be used by troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan in the US Army’s first large-scale deployment of its type. The Soldier-Wearable Acoustic Targeting System (SWATS) can pinpoint the location of snipers after a single gunshot, audibly informing soldiers of the point of origin.
The best .338 sniper rifle in the world
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November 26, 2008 The sniper is one of the most feared specialists of war and he is one workman who definitely relies on the right tools. There are a surprising number of sniper rifle manufacturers out there, so it’s a big call when one declares itself to be the best .338 in the world, though the raw specifications of the Accuracy International L115A3 sniper rifle suggest there is merit to the claim. The UKP23,000 (USD$34,000) rifle was designed incorporating performance-enhancing features gleaned from international target shooting and fires an 8.59mm bullet which is heavier than the 7.62mm round of the previous L96 and hence less likely to be deflected over extremely long ranges. Put the 6.8kg rifle in the right hands and it can hit a human-sized target from 1400 metres. Even at that range, it hits harder than a .44 Magnum does in the same room. Read More
The I-Ball short range throwing camera
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With populations rapidly migrating to cities over the last century, most of the world’s military conflicts are now being fought in urban environments. Fighting in an urban environment presents innumerable problems for a force acting ethically as the three-dimensional environment restricts visibility, and offers much easier concealment for defenders and IEDS. Accordingly, the U.S. and U.K. are quickly attempting to use technology to overcome the tactics they are encountering in Iraq and Afghanistan. These latter day wars have seen the greatest advances in situational awareness technologies in history with UAVs becoming a critically important tool. Now a new class of military technology is being created for the foot soldier which might become ubiquitous in times to come – the short range throwing camera. Read More
Raytheon and US Navy demonstrate submarine-compatible UAS
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Raytheon and the US Navy have demonstrated unmanned aircraft system capability for submarines. The Submarine Over the Horizon Organic Capabilities (SOTHOC) program is developing a specialized UAS designed for collection of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance in a complex littoral environment. Read More
Northrop Grumman delivers compact high-energy laser to USAF
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Northrop Grumman has delivered the first production-line high-power, solid-state laser to the US Air Force. Called Vesta II, the transportable 15kW device is an add-on to the Joint High Power Solid State Laser (JHPSSL) program and will be used as a "testing device for lethality, atmospheric propagation, long-range imaging and laser weapon applications". The push-button laser is a further step towards the 100kW power level goal set by the U.S. military for combat purposes which will see weapons capable of shooting down rockets and missiles. Read More
Raytheon's KillerBee UAV tested in simulated combat
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Raytheon’s KillerBee, a 10-foot wide UAV designed for surveillance and reconnaissance, has been successfully demonstrated in a simulated combat environment. A Raytheon flight operations crew delivered the 30 pound KillerBee system to a remote location using Humvees and achieved set up and launch within 45 minutes before executing the operational scenario and retrieving the aircraft with a net-recovery system. Read More
Airborne Systems deploys 10,400 square foot autonomously guided parachute
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Parachute design and manufacturing company Airborne Systems has successfully tested a precision guided cargo delivery system capable of carrying 42,000 pounds under a single ram-air parachute. GigaFly, as the system is known, was used to drop a 33,000 lb load from a C-130 aircraft at 15,000 feet and autonomously guide its cargo to a point 275 meters from the designated target. Read More
Underwater exoskeletons mimic dolphins and penguins
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The University of West Florida’s Institute of Human and Machine Cognition has released designs of biologically inspired aquatic exoskeletons – robotic suits that enhance the user’s strength and provide great advancements in speed, stealth and maneuverability, allowing the wearer them to mimic the efficient swimming styles of penguins, dolphins and turtles. Read More
PAC-3 anti-ballistic missile successfully tested
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Lockheed Martin and the Japanese Self Defense Force have successfully tested the PAC-3 Missile against a tactical ballistic missile target, at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. The PAC-3 Missile Segment is an upgrade to the Patriot air defense system, and is designed to detect, track, engage and destroy TBMs. Read More
Northrop Grumman to build first new aircraft carrier class in 40 years
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The Gerald R. Ford CVN 78 is the first ship in the first new aircraft carrier class in over 40 years and Northrop Grumman has received a $5.1 billion, seven-year contract for its construction, which is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in 2015. Read More
The Dillon M134 - the second coming of the Gatling Gun
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Just over a 140 years ago, Richard Gatling’s famous multiple barrel invention became the scourge of the battlefield with its fearsome firepower and was used by colonising European powers to decimate the warriors of the non-industrialized nations they sought to conquer. Nowadays, the electrically-powered Dillon Aero M134D Minigun is taking the concept to new heights, using six barrels to fire up to 4,000 7.62 MM bullets per minute. As the modular M134D system can be easily adapted to any platform, it is finding favour in a host of new fearsome forms, most notably in the BAE-built Remote Guardian System being tested beneath V-22 Ospreys. Perhaps even scarier is the prospect of the weapon being used aboard the Ripsaw MS-1, a tracked 650-horsepower Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) under development which is capable of accelerating to 50 mph from standstill in around four seconds, turning in its own length and taking a 30 foot high 45 degree hill in its stride. Now is not a good time to be on the wrong team. Proof? Watch this!
JDAM Countermine System shoots 4000 darts
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August 10, 2008 Amphibious assaults are a dangerous business, which is why the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center is assembling a comprehensive Assault Breaching System. A key part of the new system is a Countermine System (CMS) designed to minimize mine-related human losses and not surprisingly, the new design is innovative, very complex and pretty scarey. Basically, it’s a warhead that dispenses its payload of 4000 neutralizer "darts" at a predetermined altitude to clear a safe pathway for the Marines that follow. The new CMS warhead is delivered accurately above the designated area required for clearance by the equally innovative JDAM guidance platform. Read More
Reaper UAV deployed in Iraq
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The MQ-9 Reaper, a hunter-killer UAV with long loitering capability, has completed its first operational mission in Iraq. The craft has been used in Afghanistan since 2007, clocking 3,800 hours and attacking 16 targets with 500-pound bombs and Hellfire missiles. Read More
The Garmin eTrex that survived a bomb blast
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July 30, 2008 Ever wondered just how rugged Garmin's eTrex GPS actually is? Take a look at these photos of fully functioning eTrex that's been through a bomb blast of sufficient magnitude to completely write off a Humvee. Read More
Metal Storm developing Non-Lethal Weapon System
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July 22, 2008 Better known for its highly lethal Stacked Projectile Electronic Ballistics Technology which enables one gun to fire a million rounds a minute, Metal Storm has received a contract from the United States Marine Corps Systems Command to demonstrate capabilities for a Mission Payload Module – Non-Lethal Weapons System (MPM-NLWS) designed to provide the warfighter a non-lethal counter-personnel capability. Read More
MEDUSA: Microwave crowd-control raygun
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As part of the U.S. Navy's investigation into futuristic nonlethal weaponry, the Sierra Nevada Corporation is building a microwave energy pulse gun that can produce a painful screaming sound inside a person's head from a long distance away. The inescapable sound, which is inaudible to untargeted bystanders, can be set to irritate, nauseate or even incapacitate people and animals that lie within range. Future applications may include crowd control, military use and even shopping mall security, provided it proves safe from permanent side effects. The science behind it also has the potential to give hearing to certain deaf people, or even projecting voices into peoples' heads. Read More
Seagull-cam military/spy camera technology
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Video capture and transmission technology has become so compact, reliable and cheap that remote-controlled spy-cams are making their way into general military use in a variety of creative packages. That seagull bobbing quietly up and down on the water, for example, could be one of Macroswiss's electrically-propelled remote control surveillance cameras. The company also manufactures small gun-mounted targeting cameras that allow operatives to point their firearms around corners and shoot whatever's on their wrist-mounted screen like it's a video game. And then there's the short-range throwing camera, which can be lobbed grenade-style into a dangerous or hostile area. It automatically rights itself and transmits a remotely-controlled rotating view back to an assault team so there's no surprises when they enter the area. Read More
Boeing announces B-52 airborne electronic attack contract
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July 1, 2008 Boeing has been awarded a $14.9 million contract by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to develop airborne electronic attack technologies that can be used over long distances. Read More
MAARS ground robot system ships
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QinetiQ has delivered the first of its combat-ready Modular Advanced Armed Robotic System (MAARS) ground robots to the US military. Read More
Airborne Laser completes activation tests
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Boeing and the US Missile Defense Agency have completed the first laser activation testing for the Airborne Laser missile defense program. The tests involved circulating water through the laser to verify its integrity, before circulating chemicals through the laser to confirm sequencing and control. Read More
Airborne Laser completes activation tests
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Boeing and the US Missile Defense Agency have completed the first laser activation testing for the Airborne Laser missile defense program. The tests involved circulating water through the laser to verify its integrity, before circulating chemicals through the laser to confirm sequencing and control. Read More
US Navy launches its first Littoral Combat Ship
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A speedy trimaran with helicopter decks, a stealthy radar profile and a healthy array of arms, the US Navy's newest Littoral Combat Ship is configurable to suit a wide array of combat missions including mine-sweeping, anti-submarine and surface combat support - and it wouldn't look the least bit out of place soaring over the credits of a Star Wars movie. Read More
NLOS prototype on track
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May 14, 2008 The Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) Cannon Firing Platform first unveiled back in June 2006 is now approaching its final stages of assembly ahead of delivery of the first prototype to the US Army in June. Read More
Demron lightweight, lead-free radiation-proof suit
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May 9, 2008 Radiation Shield Technologies has been granted a new patent for Demron, the protective garment that shields users from alpha and beta radiation, gamma rays, x-rays, and other nuclear emissions. The flexible, cool, and lightweight suit provides all the protection of a lead apron with a new level of comfort, and without any dermal or inhalation risks.
Thales UK's optronic mast: the sonar invisible periscope alternative
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Thales UK's optronic mast is a non-hull breaching substitute for a periscope, which rapidly captures a 360 degree scan and sends the image to the console screens in a sub’s operation center. The electro-optics system provides improved surface visibility, while allowing the ship to remain hidden from sonar detection. Read More
The MineWolf - the machine with superhero aspirations
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The MineWolf can best be described as a superhero – a machine which uses its unique and extraordinary strength to benefit humanity. The nearest machine we can think of is the tmsuk’s 3.5 metre tall Enryu robot which rushes into burning buildings and rescues people. The most effective demining machine, it can reclaim 30,000 square metres of land, and can run over 10 kg anti-tank mines without flinching. Like Enryu, it even has remote-control capability for really dangerous tasks, but sadly, it’s losing the war. There are 110 million landmines buried and active on Mother Earth. Another 215 million are stockpiled and ten million are produced annually. If we stop laying mines NOW and continue clearing at current rates, the world will be free of mines in the year 3100. It’s a prime example of what can happen when people use technology the wrong way. Read More
How to make a dumb bomb smarter
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Boeing has begun delivering the first Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition (LJDAM) kits to the U.S. Air Force. The Precision Laser Guidance Set (PLGS) kits have been created inside just 11 months to satisfy the Air Force and Navy's urgent need for weapons capable of engaging fast-moving land targets. The US$47,000 PLGS gives a JDAM with a 500 pound warhead the ability to hit a target travelling at up to 70 mph. It’s quite an amazing piece of engineering because the PLGS kit goes in the nose, and the US$22,000 JDAM kit fits to the tail of what was once a very dumb bomb. The JDAM kit offers both GPS and inertial navigation, and the PLGS adds laser, meaning it only takes US$67,000 to make a dumb bomb much smarter. Read More
RemoteReality 360 degree periscope camera system
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April 15, 2008 RemoteReality has designed a submarine periscope camera system that provides an instant, omni-directional view of surrounding waters. The system, which greatly outclasses the rotating periscope in terms of situational awareness and safety, will be trialled by the US Navy will on a Los Angeles class nuclear submarine later this year. Read More
Happy birthday to DARPA
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The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) will be celebrating its 50th anniversary at a conference in Washington today where it will reflect on the accomplishments of the last 50 years and the challenges of the future. DARPA’s mission is to prevent technological surprise for the United States and to create technological surprise for adversaries. A brief recap of its achievements verifies a job well done – the technologies it has developed have changed the face of warfare, catalyzed the information revolution, and continue to have a massive influence on the evolution of technology in daily life. Happy birthday DARPA.
Splinternet debuts Dirty Bomb detector network
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April 2, 2008 Splinternet Holdings is introducing a new "dirty bomb" detection system that manages a network of solid state GammaTect radiation sensors which send real-time notifications to command centers as soon as the presence of threat-level gamma rays is detected.
ArmoRight: buoyancy vest meets lightweight body armor
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March 25, 2008 Designed and engineered by a retired Navy SEAL, ArmoRight™ is a lightweight body armor system for use in marine environments that combines protection from from handgun, rifle and shrapnel threats with neutral or positive buoyancy capabilities. Read More
Raytheon tests bunker-busting Tandem Warhead System
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March 24, 2008 If you're sitting behind a 20 foot thick wall of compressed, steel-reinforced concrete you could be forgiven for feeling somewhat invulnerable to outside attack - but think again. Raytheon has developed a new, lighter and more powerful bunker-busting conventional warhead system which punched through more than 19 feet of a 330-ton reinforced concrete block during tests conducted in late January. Read More
The unstoppable back-packable 6x6 Spyrobot
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March 22, 2008 The Macroswiss 4WD Spyrobot is virtually unstoppable – it can swim and traverse almost any terrain with its 4WD flapper wheels. Now work has begun on a 6WD model which will carry four times its weight - an arsenal of sensing apparatus and increasingly, munitions, yet still remain back-packable for squad level usage.
NASA’s “instant” Wireless Video Surveillance System
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March 21, 2008 NASA Dryden Flight Research Center now protects several of its unique aircraft at a satellite facility with an interesting high-tech wireless video surveillance system. Given 60 days to design, procure and deploy a security system from scratch, the security department turned to AgileMesh, a provider of rapidly deployable video surveillance, and Firetide, a developer of wireless mesh and access networks. Read More
Demonstration milestone for Solid State Laser program
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March 18, 2008 Military laser systems are approaching battlefield readiness with Northrop Grumman having successfully demonstrated the performance of a laser chain, a key component of the Joint High-Powered Solid State Laser. Read More
