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Military
Boeing to develop Free Electron Laser for US Navy
By David Greig
05:42 April 21, 2009 PDT
Boeing has won a U.S. Navy contract worth up to $163 million to develop the Free Electron Laser (FEL), a weapon system that the company says "will transform naval warfare in the next decade by providing an ultra-precise, speed-of-light capability and unlimited magazine depth to defend ships against new, challenging threats, such as hyper-velocity cruise missiles." The envisioned level of precision would enable U.S. Navy ships to deliver nonlethal or lethal force to targets with power and minimal collateral damage. Read More
High-level concerns flagged over Chinese naval weapon
By David Greig
23:11 April 19, 2009 PDT
After years of speculation, details are beginning to emerge of a "kill weapon" developed by the Chinese that is capable of targeting and destroying US aircraft carriers. The Dong Feng 21 anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) can carry a warhead big enough to inflict significant damage on a large naval vessel, such as a supercarrier, with a single strike. The missile employs a complex guidance system, using low radar signature and a maneuverability that makes its flight path unpredictable. This increases the odds that the missile can evade tracking systems to successfully reach its target. It is estimated that the missile can travel at mach 10 speed and reach its maximum range of 2,000km in less than 12 minutes. Read More
AA-12 combat shotgun
By Loz Blain
02:50 April 3, 2009 PDT
Assault rifles are all well and good, but when you really need to tear a person to pieces, nothing fills the air with metal quite like a combat shotgun. And for those times when a regular combat shotgun isn't generating enough flying body parts, connoisseurs turn to what must be the most outrageously devastating hand-held anti-personnel murder machine in existence: the Atchisson Assault Shotgun, or AA-12. Fully automatic and drum-fed, the AA-12 fires five 12-gauge shotgun shells per second, with extreme reliability and so little recoil that strong men can shoot it Arnie-style with one hand. And if that hail of hot buckshot isn't enough to make both shooter and target need a change of underpants, consider this: it has been developed in conjunction with the FRAG-12 - a new type of shotgun cartridge in which each round is a small, flighted high explosive or fragmentation grenade accurate up to 175 metres. Read More
Miltary grade 100 Kilowatt Solid-State Laser produced
04:24 March 23, 2009 PDT
Star Wars-style laser weapons have taken another step closer to reality with Northrop Grumman reporting that it has produced a 105 kilowatt (kW) light ray from an electric laser in the final demonstration milestone of Phase 3 of the U.S. military's Joint High Power Solid State Laser (JHPSSL) program. At this energy level such a "weapons grade" laser would be capable of taking out cruise missiles, rockets and artillery from land, sea and airborne platforms, but Han Solo won't be slipping this still hefty device into his side holster anytime soon. Read More
The Incredible HULC: Lockheed Martin unveils exoskeleton technology
By David Greig
00:34 March 12, 2009 PDT
The use of an exoskeleton to improve the performance of humans in various situations including the military is a hot topic in the media and leads the imagination to all sorts of possibilities. It has the potential to deliver extraordinary strength and endurance to the wearer possibly changing the face of modern warfare. As part of the further development of exoskeleton technology for military scenarios, Lockheed Martin recently introduced the Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC™) exoskeleton at the Association of the United States’ Army Winter Symposium in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Read More
BAE delivers new Mine Resistant All-Terrain Vehicles
By David Greig
20:34 March 2, 2009 PST
With the increasing use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in the Iraq War and in other theater operations, continued focus is being placed on protection of soldiers and vehicles. To this end, BAE Systems has delivered two different M-ATV (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicles) prototypes to the U.S. Government for two months of testing and evaluation. The new prototypes - the USC M-ATV and the GTS M-ATV - are lighter and more mobile than first-generation MRAP’s while providing comparable protection from roadside bombs. Read More
Mortar Stowage Kit brings automation to the battlefield
By Mike Hanlon
14:21 March 2, 2009 PST
Automation offers many advantages regardless of what you're doing, but on the battlefield, it can quite literally be a lifesaver. One of the many interesting exhibits at last week's AUSA Winter Symposium was the M326 120-mm Mortar Stowage Kit. The highly-automated, trailer-mounted system makes it easier for soldiers to quickly set-up and take down a M120 Mortar system on the battlefield, and apart from reducing a physically gruelling team job to the press of a button, the end result is astonishingly quick. The M326 uses an electrical/hydraulic system to hoist the fully assembled 300-pound M120mm Mortar into and out of its trailer and the process is now so quick that soldiers can emplace, fire and stow the system and be on the move again in less than three minutes. Read More
Protonex Soldier-Worn portable power management systems
By Kyle Sherer
14:57 February 22, 2009 PST
Smaller, lighter, and easier to configure than previous models, Protonex' new line of power managers reduce the amount of batteries soldiers have to carry into the field and streamline the recharging of electronics. The latest line feature six configurable power ports and provide troops with greater and easier access to man-packable equipment such as the Defense Advanced GPS Receiver, the Multiband Inter/Intra Team Radio, the PRC-119 radio system, Night Vision, BB 2590 batteries, PDAs and solar blankets. Read More
The electric cannon delivers shells over 200 miles at Mach 5
By Mike Hanlon
13:16 February 18, 2009 PST
Think of the electromagnetic railgun as an electric cannon which uses electrical energy instead of chemical propellant to launch projectiles at hypervelocities. First conceived nearly a century ago, the concept was investigated by Germany during WWII, but has really only stepped out of science fiction and into reality in the last 12 months. With shells travelling at Mach 5 on impact, and accurate to within five metres at a 200 mile range, such weapons maximize the damage they do through kinetic energy, and hence don't need explosive payloads. Accordingly, they are ideal for naval warfare as they minimise the risk to warships which do not need to carry explosive warheads or propellants. Earlier this week, the US Office of Naval Research (ONR) awarded a USD 21 million 30-month contract to BAE Systems for the detailed design and delivery of an Innovative Naval Prototype (INP) Railgun. As previously warned, if the Daleks don't get here soon, they'll have a serious fight on their hands. Read More
IBM patents bullet-dodging technology
By Mike Hanlon
15:08 February 15, 2009 PST
IBM has retained the Number One Plate Holder's title at the US Patent Office for 16 years straight, with 2008 issuances greater than Microsoft, HP, Oracle, Apple, EMC, Accenture and Google combined. On February 3 it astounded even seasoned patent watchers when it filed a patent for bionic body armor which not only recognizes a bullet has been fired, but delivers a shock to the target's appropriate muscles so they step out of the bullet's trajectory. Read More
Metal Storm 3 Shot Grenade Launcher Certified
By Mike Hanlon
02:39 February 4, 2009 PST
February 4, 2009 Defence technology specialist Metal Storm has successfully certified its semi-automatic 3GL grenade launcher as a safe shoulder-fired weapon. Metal Storm’s weapon technology uses computer-controlled electronic ignition and a system of stacked projectiles, to achieve a light, small non-mechanical gun with a very high firepower to weight ratio. The three-shot 40mm grenade launcher is light and compact enough to attach as an accessory to an assault rifle, while also providing a three-shot, semi-automatic firing capability, effectively trebling the reactive grenade firepower of an infantry squad. Read More
Laser-equipped ground vehicle used to shoot down UAV
16:26 January 28, 2009 PST
January 29, 2009 Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are now a well established tool in modern warfare, having proved their worth in both in reconnaissance and increasingly, combat roles. As with all weapons however, this success might not be viewed so glowingly if you happen to be on the receiving end. In developing ways to combat the threat of UAV platforms, Boeing has demonstrated for the first time that a laser equipped Avenger ground combat vehicle can shoot down a UAV. Read More
DAGR video released
By Mike Hanlon
22:19 January 9, 2009 PST
January 10, 2009 A few days ago we wrote about the ongoing success of the DAGR semi-active laser guidance kit that turns dumb 2.75-inch/70mm rockets into guided rockets with accuracy comparable to that of the precision-strike laser-guided HELLFIRE II missile. DAGR is being developed by Lockheed Martin to fill the gap between unguided rockets and the HELLFIRE weapon system by providing a precision-strike, air-to-ground weapon for lightly-armored high-value targets close to civilian assets or friendly forces, while limiting collateral damage. We reported on the first live warhead ground launch test of DAGR in which it maintained a perfect 12-for-12 success rate in contractor-funded flight tests. Here's the video - note how the Rocket penetrates the van and reaches the centre before exploding. Read More
DAGR guidance system running 12 from 12 in tests
By Mike Hanlon
16:10 January 6, 2009 PST
January 7, 2009 Coming soon to somewhere hopefully not near you. DAGR is a semi-active laser guidance kit that adapts to 2.75-inch/70mm rockets to provide guided-rocket performance comparable to that of the precision-strike laser-guided HELLFIRE II missile. DAGR is being developed by Lockheed Martin to fill the gap between unguided rockets and the HELLFIRE weapon system by providing a precision-strike, air-to-ground weapon for lightly-armored high-value targets close to civilian assets or friendly forces, while limiting collateral damage. This week saw the first live warhead ground launch test of DAGR and it maintained a perfect 12-for-12 success rate in contractor-funded flight tests. Conducted at Eglin Air Force Base, the latest test demonstrated DAGR's vehicle penetration and time-delayed fuzing when a DAGR-equipped rocket armed with a live warhead penetrated the side of a stationary vehicle before detonating inside. Read More
New British aircraft carriers will be second largest afloat
17:31 December 30, 2008 PST
Britain's new generation of aircraft carriers are beginning to take shape with the first of two planned vessels - the HMS Queen Elizabeth - now expected to enter service around 2016. Though still middleweights when compared to the USA's 100,000t displacement Nimtz class, the new vessels will still be the second biggest carriers afloat, displacing 65,000t, carrying more than 8,600 tons of fuel, 1,200+ personnel, 36 F-35B Joint Strike Fighters and four EH-101 Merlin helicopters, with a 16,000sqm flight deck that, as one of the design team recently put it to the Daily Mail, "would be a par four" if you covered it in grass. Read More
The remarkable Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle
By Mike Hanlon
17:31 December 15, 2008 PST
December 16, 2008 A series of tests later this week may change the future of amphibious warfare. Subject of the tests will be the omnipotent Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV, formerly the AAAV - Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle). The 2700 bhp EFVP1 promises a water assault like no other - it can launch from ships 20-25 miles over-the-horizon (OTH), travel on water at 25 knots and seamlessly transport 17 Marines 200 miles inland at speeds of 45 mph (in padded seats with airconditioning to boot). Should it encounter any resistance, it packs a fully stabilized 30mm automatic chain gun (MK46 Weapon System) and 7.62 COAX machine-gun. The US$27 Billion program will yield 573 such vehicles. Heehaaaw! Read More
The ultimate in zombie defense: the AR-15 semi-automatic with chainsaw bayonet
By Loz Blain
21:04 December 4, 2008 PST
The bayonet is largely a weapon of last resort - when the rifle jams, the ammunition runs out or the fighting gets to close quarters, you've still got something sharp and pointy to get the job done old-school. They've pretty much disappeared from today's more high-tech battlefields, but that doesn't mean there aren't mavericks out there still pushing the envelope - and we can't think of many inventions we've seen lately that would be more exciting to a 10-year-old schoolboy than this: the chainsaw bayonet. Whether you view this as blatant redneck idiocy or the coolest weapon in the world will largely depend on how much you enjoy wanton destruction - and if there's a more appropriate gun out there to be included in Gears Of War 3, we'd love to hear about it. Read More
Wearable sniper detection to be deployed in Iraq
By Kyle Sherer
17:45 December 2, 2008 PST
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. Read More
The best .338 sniper rifle in the world
By Mike Hanlon
01:30 November 26, 2008 PST
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
By Jack Martin
04:00 November 19, 2008 PST
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
By Kyle Sherer
17:30 October 30, 2008 PDT
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
18:02 October 8, 2008 PDT
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
By Kyle Sherer
22:21 October 2, 2008 PDT
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
20:46 September 25, 2008 PDT
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
By Kyle Sherer
17:45 September 25, 2008 PDT
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
windykites1
- November 24, 2009 @ 19:38 UTC
