Military
LANdroids - self-organizing, self-healing communications network for urban warfare
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June 25, 2007 Modern warfare is increasingly urban - when you're fighting small groups of anonymous guerrilla insurgents there's no pitched battlefields and American forces are finding that their radio communications are suffering in these Non-Line-Of-Sight environments. The solution? Squadrons of smart communications robots, or LANdroids, each the size of a deck of cards, that can be scattered through an urban environment to create a self-organizing mesh radio network. Each unit constantly repositions itself for maximal signal strength, and if a LANdroid is destroyed, the rest of the units will reposition themselves to restore communications. Read More
Advanced Gun Systems for U.S. Navy's futuristic new destroyers
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June 21, 2007 The role of the Navy has changed with the U.S. "War on Terror" - it is seldom involved in direct naval battles and much more often relegated to support of invading (liberating?) land and air forces. Thus, munitions are being designed to suit. BAE Systems' Advanced Gun Systems (AGS) are currently under construction and will redefine the state of the art for naval firepower. The vertically loaded, pivoting gun towers will launch 155mm standard and guided munitions to a range of approximately 100 miles, with accuracy between 20 and 50 metres and at a rate of up to 12 rounds per minute. Read More
Removable Laser Countermeasure System successfully thwarts heat-seeking missiles
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June 19, 2007 We’ve all seen the scenario many times in films – a heat-seeking missile is launched towards a helicopter and relentlessly pursues its prey to destruction. Now it appears that there’s a removable laser Directional Infrared Countermeasures (DIRCM) System which can defeat such threats. The system was tested for the first time recently and successfully thwarted a series of simulated heat-seeking missile attacks on a Dutch AH-64D Apache helicopter during flight trials at Vliehors Test Range in the Netherlands. The small pod containing Northrop Grumman's laser Directional Infrared Countermeasures (DIRCM) system mounts to the end of the stub-wing on the Apache AH-64D attack helicopter. The system functions by automatically detecting a missile launch, determining if it is a threat and activating a high-intensity laser-based countermeasure system to track and defeat the missile.
Next-generation Sky Warrior's maiden flight a success
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June 18, 2007 Resurrecting a great name from the 1950s, General Atomics have completed the maiden flight of their Sky Warrior Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). While the original, built by Douglas, was known for being the largest and heaviest "whale" of a bomber to take-off and land on aircraft carriers, the new Sky Warrior will operate as an unmanned long range surveillance, communications and weapons delivery drone. Able to run happily on diesel or jet fuel due to its Heavy Fuel Engine, the Sky Warrior will form a key part of the U.S. Army's Extended Range/Multi Purpose Unmanned Aircraft system. Read More
Using polarisation to help detect deadly trip-wires
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June 4, 2007 Silent, unmoving, millimetre-thin and extremely difficult to see, trip and command wires are frequently found on land mines, conventional munitions and many improvised explosive devices (IEDs). In a bid to increase troop and civilian safety in war zones, defense contractor QinetiQ has been given a UK£800,000 contract to produce and evaluate portable tripwire detection devices based on polarization technology that's showing positive results. Read More
U.S. Defense report nervous on Chinese military capability
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May 31, 2007 A new report from the US department of defense has raised concerns about China's growing military power, particularly in regard to cyber-warfare preparations and an expanding counter-space program. The report to congress entitled "Military Power of the People’s Republic of China" asserts that whilst Beijing continues to focus its military preparedness on the Taiwan Straits, it appears to be shifting its attention to arenas that may pose a greater threat to the rest of the world. Read More
High altitude launch capability demonstrated for MK-54 torpedos
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May 30, 2007 If there’s an absolute truth about military technology, it’s that it keeps getting more deadly with each passing year and the High Altitude ASW Weapons Concept (HAAWC) is a prime example. HAAWC employs the Lockheed Martin LongShot Wing Adapter Kit to allow the launch of torpedoes from high altitudes and long standoff ranges, allowing aircrews to remain beyond the reach of enemy air defences. Additionally, the manoeuvrability of the concept allows for off-axis launch of torpedoes at potential undersea targets preventing the need for the aircraft to manoeuvre. Read More
Electromagnetic scanner detects threat liquids without taking the lid off
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May 29, 2007 Without going through the hassle of removing bottle-tops, staff at security checkpoints are unable to see the difference between a bottle of drinking water and a potential molotov cocktail - the solution has commonly been to prevent people from passing through checkpoints with bottles. Now there's a device that can instantly detect whether a bottle contains a potential threat liquid without taking the top off. The Senicon is already in use in Japan's Kansai International Airport - and it's currently under review by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for use in airports and other areas under threat of terrorist attacks. Read More
Portable XPAK can detect the tiniest traces of explosives on any surface
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May 23, 2007 One of the telltale signs of an explosive crate, envelope or package is the tiny trace amounts of explosive chemicals the bomb-maker leaves on the outer of the package when he closes it. Trace quantities of explosives are very hard to wash off hands as well, which is the theory behind the XPAK, a new portable explosives detection unit that allows shipping officers and security personnel to quickly scan for trace quantities of explosives in the field. Read More
New study examines physiological impacts of taser use
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May 18, 2007 The taser: a convenient, effective non-lethal way of incapacitating a person, or a potential killer? Amidst claims of misuse, abuse and taser-related deaths, a new study has been undertaken to document the short and medium term physiological effects this painful and common law enforcement tool can have on subjects. Kudos to those who volunteered to be shocked; those five seconds would have felt like an eternity. Read More
Acumentrics demonstrates extended operation of fuel cells on synthetic JP-8 diesel fuel
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May 8, 2007 Acumentrics, a leading developer of solid-oxide fuel cells and uninterruptible power supplies for the distributed generation market, announced today that they have proven 1300 hours of fuel cell operation on synthetic JP-8 fuel. The synthetic JP-8 (“S-8”) Fischer-Tropsch fuel was provided by the Air Force Research Laboratory, and was produced as part of the DoD Assured Fuels Initiative. According to the company, this accomplishment marks one of the first fuel cell successes with heavy hydrocarbons in an extended run. Because Acumentrics’ ceramic fuel cells operate at high temperature, they accept lighter hydrocarbons such as propane and natural gas directly, and disassociate the fuel inside the cell, via in-situ reformation. For fuel cells to be of most use to the military, they must operate on heavy fuels. The heavy hydrocarbons in diesel and JP-8 require catalytic reforming before they can enter a cell. For this test the company employed a separate InnovaTek reformer (pictured).
U.S. Army’s first all-composite, armor-ready truck cab
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May 8, 2007 TPI Composites (TPI) has unveiled its new light-weight, all-composite truck cab. The cab was designed for the U.S. Army’s tactical wheeled vehicle fleet and addresses serious vehicle issues by being lighter in weight, highly durable, and strong enough to carry the heaviest of armor and mine blast protection. TPI’s lightweight, all-composite cab allows soldiers to carry more protective armor, ammunition, and equipment because it weighs hundreds of pounds less than cabs constructed with conventional materials. Read More
Advanced video games for US Navy pilot training
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April 30, 2007 It's the ultimate flight sim video game. 360 degree cockpit views, multiplayer, totally realistic instruments and the option to have a separate gunner in the back seat of your F/A-18 Hornet as you dogfight the others or engage in air-to-ground missions. Sadly, you'll need to sign your life away to play it. Read More
The Guided MLRS Unitary Rocket
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April 26, 2007 Lockheed Martin recently conducted several successful flight tests of a Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) Unitary Phase II rocket at White Sands Missile Range, NM, concluding the second phase of the Production Qualification Testing (PQT) requirement series for the contract. Guided MLRS Unitary integrates a 200-pound unitary warhead into the GMLRS rocket, giving battlefield commanders the ability to attack targets up to 70 kilometers away with extremely high precision. This low-cost, low-risk program has helped to greatly reduce collateral damage by providing enhanced accuracy to ensure delivery of the warhead to the target. Read More
X-Net arrest system stops cars quickly and safely.
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April 24, 2007 Conventional vehicle hindrance devices rely on puncturing tyres - which allow the vehicle to continue for some distance, sometimes out of control, and are ineffective against run-flat tyres. X-Net is a new system that brings any car to a quick, safe stop - as fast as an emergency brake, and with minimal vehicle damage. Read More
New breech-loading NLOS mortar fires first round
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April 13, 2007 The long-awaited Future Combat Systems (FCS) Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) Mortar Firing Platform has had its first outing, successfully firing its first shot (an M931 training round) last week. The successful firing was the first in a series of tests being conducted to confirm the reliability of the NLOS Mortar's unique breech-loading system and its other advanced armament technologies that enable greater rates of fire and firing angles, as well as the ability for Soldiers to fire the weapon under armor - a capability mortar crews don’t have today. Read More
The First SBInet Mobile Sensor Tower
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April 5, 2007 You’re looking at the first Secure Border Initiative (SBI) integrated mobile sensor tower, a key element of the SBInet system's mobile component. Once operational, the 98-foot high tower will detect and identify entries into the U.S. when they occur, allowing Border Patrol agents to respond effectively and efficiently to the entry and resolve the situation with appropriate law enforcement. The tower houses cameras, radar, wireless data access points, communications and computer equipment, and a tower security system. When combined with Border Patrol agent vehicle modifications, the mobile sensor towers will provide surveillance data to the Common Operating Picture, a critical component of U.S. Customs and Border Protection's comprehensive border security solution. Read More
The remarkable 57-mm Mk 110 Naval Gun system
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April 3, 2007 BAE Systems has received its second contract from General Dynamics for US$7.2 million to supply a 57-mm Mk 110 Naval Gun system for the U.S. Navy's fourth Littoral Combat Ship (LCS 4) as its main armament. Linked with a digital fire control system, the Mk 110 accurately fires automatic salvos of the highly lethal 57-mm Mk 295 ammunition at a firing rate of 220 rounds per minute and a range of up to nine miles. The 6-mode programmable 57-mm Mk 295 ammunition allows the system to perform against aerial, surface or ground threats with just a single round. Sailors can switch from warning to live fire to engage a target in seconds, and the servo-controlled electro hydraulic gun laying subsystems provide robust endurance and extreme pointing accuracy, even in high sea-state conditions.
Raytheon Jam-Resistant GPS Antennas
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April 2, 2007 Raytheon’s GAS-1 jam-resistant Global Positioning System (GPS)-antenna technology seems to be going from strength to strength, and with another option conversion under its current contract with the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy announced this week, more than 4000 of the units will be in operation by 2008. The system is able to recognise sources of electrical interference and by adjusting the way in which it receives the satellite signals, reject them, allowing navigation equipment to function safely, accurately and efficiently. In military use this allows operations to be carried out with greater accuracy and less risk. Raytheon claims its anti-jam system is able to track jammers and generate nulls faster than any competing system, and based on the order books, the claims appear verified. Read More
The 30,000 pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator
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March 28 2007 In terms of non-nuclear bombs, we’ve seen some doozies in the last 50 years, such as the Daisycutter (the 15,000 pound BLU-82 bomb designed originally to create jungle clearings in Vietnam with a lethality radius of 300 meters) and the aptly nicknamed 30 ft long, 21,000 pound MOAB (Mother Of All Bombs), the most powerful non-nuclear weapon ever designed. Now, there is to be a new mega-bomb, the Boeing-developed, precision-guided 30,000 lb Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) is designed specifically to attack hardened concrete bunkers and tunnel facilities and testing is underway.
The Dominator Integrated Infantry Combat System with man-packable VSAT terminal
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March 26, 2007 Elbit Systems heads up the Isreal Ministry of Defense Integrated Infantry Combat System (IICS) Project which aims to equip soldiers with miniaturised high-tech wearable tools for advanced situational awareness, quicker response and ultimately, increased lethality. The plan is to allow infantry soldiers to be networked into integrated information systems so they can send and receive information in real time, view up-to-the-minute Common Operational Picture (situational awareness of enemy and own forces) and live video from either external or on body sensors and transmit images and information back to command. The company’s Dominator Integrated Infantry Combat System was shown off for the first time last week and amongst a range of extraordinary capabilities, the integrated Globalight man-packable VSAT terminal stands out - it offers broadband communications, two way simultaneous voice, internet, VC. Phone, fax and email communications ANYWHERE. Read More
JDAM Scores Direct Hit in Extended Range Tests
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March 20, 2007 Two Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) weapons, each equipped with an Australian-designed and -built modular wing kit, have been successfully released from a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) F/A-18 Hornet during recent flight tests. Flying at 20,000 feet over the Woomera Prohibited Area in South Australia, a RAAF F/A-18 released the 500-pound Mk-82 JDAM Extended Range (ER) weapons and scored a direct hit on their respective targets. The ER wing kit provides more than three times the range of a baseline JDAM and is designed to be installed in the field to existing JDAM weapons. The affordable ER wing kit enhances the already highly capable JDAM into one of the most mission flexible, low-cost weapons available in the world today. Read More
Macroswiss Claymore Camera makes a dumb mine much smarter
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March 1, 2007 UPDATED IMAGES Anti Personnel (land)mines cannot distinguish between the footfall of a child and a soldier. The banning of landmines by the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty has left civilised military forces with a problem – landmines have traditionally been used to cover dead ground in the 20 to 200 metre range. The weapon of choice to replace the landmine has subsequently become the Claymore. Named after the 700 year-old two-handed Scottish sword, the Claymore is based on the Misznay-Schardin effect in that its blast is primarily in a single direction. The U.S. Army developed the design half a century ago during the Korean War into an anti-personnel weapon that would fire 700 ball bearings propelled by 650 grams of plastic explosive with lethal effect to 100 meters across a 60° arc in front of the 8 x 3 x 1.5 inch box. Claymores are not buried like mines – they are anchored above ground pointed towards the likely location of the enemy, and are now known the world over for the words "Front Toward Enemy" embossed on their olive plastic casing. For the first 50 years of their existence, Claymores have been dumb – but an ingenious telecommunications system that can be fitted to any Claymore looks set to give new life to the fearsome weapon. The newly available Macroswiss Claymore Camera consists of a video camera attached to the Claymore, which relays information to a remote receiver through a cable system so an operator can monitor events in front of the mine, and detonate it when the time comes. If the user wants to keep a record, the video feedback can be recorded with the GPS position and its even possible to ensure no-one can sneak past the mine by adding a motion detection system that will raise an alarm if there is any movement in the camera’s field of view. Read More
The Advanced Combat Camera System – 21st century periscope
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March 3, 2007 UPDATED IMAGE LIBRARY Innovative military engineering company Macroswiss has often made these pages, firstly for it Guncam which is a weapon-mounted camera that records video in firefights, grants accountability, helps training and avoids risky body exposure of the user. Then the company’s Spybot 4WD with flapper wheels made a huge impression at the European Land Robot Trials (ELROB) last July. Now the company has released the Advanced Combat Camera System (ACCS) which is an evolution of the highly successful Giraffe pole camera system. ACCS incorporates colour zoom, low light, and thermal sensors and can be deployed in a multitude of roles in support of combat units at fire team level, also providing an onboard Digital Video Recorder for intelligence and evidential applications. This “Camera On A Stick” (COAST) solution is basically a 21st century version of the World War 1 trench periscope, but with far wider roles, and significantly greater capability.
Emergency Escape Windows for up-armored vehicles
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February 22, 2007 The U.S. military is exploring ways to help troops in combat rapidly escape from up-armored vehicles in the event of an emergency, such as a rollover, fire or accident. The VEE Window enables crews of HMMWVs and other tactical vehicles to remove windows in less than five seconds to provide another way to rapidly exit the vehicle in the event of an emergency situation. BAE Systems is offering its Vehicle Emergency Escape (VEE) Window to help increase the survivability of soldiers and Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan. BAE Systems’ goal is to work with the Army to have the first unit equipped with this device by summer 2007. Read More
Legislation introduced to protect civilians from Cluster Munitions
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February 19, 2006 U.S. legislation was introduced on February 14 to protect civilians from the deadly effects of cluster munitions. The Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act, sponsored by Senators Dianne Feinstein and Patrick Leahy, would prohibit the use of cluster munitions in populated areas and prohibit the use and transfer of cluster munitions with submunitions that have a failure rate of 1 percent or more. U.S.-manufactured cluster munitions have reportedly been used in Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, the former Yugoslavia, and Laos. On top of that, the U.S. has transferred cluster munitions to over twenty countries, some with poor human rights records. In addition to limited U.S. use of these indiscriminate weapons, the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act of 2007 would require any country that buys U.S.-made cluster munitions to agree to not use such weapons in civilian areas. If you have any doubt about just how scary cluster munitions are, check out the following video links. Cluster munitions are fired, launched or dropped by aircraft or land-based artillery (FAQs here). The containers open over a target area and disperse large numbers of the submunitions that are designed to explode when they hit the target. In a recent statement calling for strong international action to end the human tragedy associated with cluster munitions, the International Committee of the Red Cross stated that "it is a terrible reality that civilians are so often caught up in the horrors of modern conflict, but it is utterly unacceptable that they should return to homes, villages and fields littered with explosive debris. Cluster munitions are often the worst offenders. It is time for decisive action to address this situation." The US has a stockpile of millions of cluster munitions that contain between 720 million and 1 billion submunitions. Only around 30,000 of those submunitions have safety features that might bring the failure rate below 1 percent. The acknowledged failure rate for some of the others is more than 20 percent. “This landmark legislation would put the US at the forefront of global efforts to eliminate weapons that have killed and maimed thousands of civilians,” said Steve Goose, director of the arms division at Human Rights Watch. “At the moment, the US is best known as one of the most prolific users, producers, exporters and stockpilers of the weapon.” You can lend your support here.
February 14, 2006 U.S. legislation was introduced on February 14 to protect civilians from the deadly effects of cluster munitions. The Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Ac... Read More
Artillery Precision Guidance Kit in testing
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February 8, 2007 The advent of precision guided munitions has completely changed the battlefield inside a few decades. Once bombs were dropped in vast numbers, as each one had a small probability of hitting its target. Then computers and advanced guidance entered the fray, and bombs became deadly accurate. Now the artillery section is getting in on the act. We reported last July that BAE had received a contract to participate in a competitive technical development program of a Precision Guidance Kit for use with Army cannon artillery ammunition which makes conventional cannon projectiles at least three times more accurate. Now the system is in testing and last month 21 155 mm projectiles were successfully fired equipped with the Precision Guidance Kit (PGK) test modules. Read More
The mine-resistant, ambush-protected 6x6 SUV
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February 8, 2007 For when the alternatives to not getting there just don’t bear thinking about, (or if your neighbour has a Hummer), perhaps give some thought to BAE Systems’ new 6x6 RG33. It’s designed with all the latest next-generation technology to help keep soldiers safe from Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), small arms, heavy machine gun fire and mines. The highly survivable RG33 incorporates a monocoque V-shaped hull design leveraging knowledge gained in recent and ongoing conflicts, and offers significant interior volume for crew and mission equipment. The base model exceeds the survivability of all currently-fielded mine protected vehicles and the optional extras include tailorable armor packages, blast-resistant seating, transparent armor and unique reconfigurable interior stations. The power train platforms is designed to handle upgrades and enhancements. Read More
Silly String used to detect tripwires for explosive devices in Iraq
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January 15, 2007 The Improvised Explosive Device (IED) is relatively new to the theatre of war as a mainstream weapon. It was first used en masse by Belarusian guerillas against German supply trains during World War II. Since then, explosive devices have been used to great effect in a number of asymmetrical conflicts. The IED has achieved main weapon status in the current Iraq War, and as usual, some ingenious improvisations have evolved to overcome them. As ludicrous as it may for a soldier in body armour to be carrying a weapon such as the one pictured, that’s just what is happening in beautiful downtown Baghdad at present. The U.S. Army has found that KIDdesigns’ Silly String, which shoots out a very lightweight foam string, is very effective at detecting tripwires without detonating the IED at the end of the wire - the foam is light enough to drape across the wires and thus identify them.
The One-Shot Sniping System
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January 7, 2007 The snipe is a wading bird renowned for being the hardest of all birds to hunt due to being difficult to locate, impossible to approach without flushing, or to hit once in the air due to its erratic flight. In the days of market hunting, those who brought snipes to market were regarded as the best of the best and earned the term snipers. The verb snipe originated in the 1770s among soldiers in British India applying similar skills in wartime with a human quarry. A sniper occasionally takes the one, well-aimed shot that, if done properly, will save lives and turn the course of battle. One of the many skills of a modern days sniper is mathematics – to measure or estimate the range, cross winds, and calculate the allowances needed for one shot to hit its target after travelling up to 2000 yards (the longest confirmed sniper kill of the Gulf War was made by a Barrett Model 82A1 sniper rifle at a range of 1,800 meters). Read More
England’s Taranis to be one of the largest UAVs ever
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January 6, 2007 Yet another potent UAV is in the development phase, this one for the UK Ministry of Defence to be constructed by a team headed by BAE Systems, together with Rolls-Royce, Smiths Aerospace and QinetiQ, plus MoD military staff and scientists. The four year project to develop a world-class UAV (Unmanned Air Vehicle) Technology Demonstrator Programme called Taranis. Ground testing of the UKP124 million Taranis project is expected to take place in early 2009 with the first flight trials taking place in 2010. Named after the Celtic God of Thunder, Taranis will be an unmanned fast jet demonstrator the size of a Hawk trainer - making it one of the world's largest UAVs - that will be stealthy, fast and be able to test deploy a range of munitions over a number of targets and be able to defend itself against manned and other unmanned enemy aircraft. Read More
What the best-dressed Special Ops Forces are wearing
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January 3, 2007 We’ve written before about Silynx Communications and its product range of miniature, software-defined, tactical communication headsets which are used by nearly all elite Special Ops Forces, so the company’s latest StealthOps system was a natural for these pages. StealthOps was created in response to Special Operations Forces’ need for an MBITR (Multiband Inter/Intra Team Radio ) covert system with a smaller form factor than existing systems so it could be easily concealed in covert operations. The new modular system offers complete MBITR radio concealment and a choice of either covert (wireless earpiece) or semi-covert (acoustic tube) operations. Ingeniously, a battery splitter allows the use of a battery remote from the transceiver, further reducing the form factor for easy concealment. There’s also a dual wireless PPT that can be concealed in a pocket, with a second button that can be assigned as a tone/morse generator and an elastic belt allows easy concealment of the MBITR, hand gun, spare magazine and wireless gateway under a shirt. There’s even a room eavesdropping/whisper feature with a microphone sensitivity switch.
Tiger fires Hellfire II during French Evaluation
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December 15, 2006 Australia’s new military helicopter is currently being checked out by France's Delegation Generale pour l'Armement (DGA) in Australia and part of the process took place last week at the Woomera Testing Range in South Australia. The French brought their own pilot to try out a combination of the Tiger and Lockheed Martin’s combat-proven HELLFIRE II air-to-ground missile. All went well, as the first-time French gunner, using a lock-on-before-launch technique, scored a direct hit with the HELLFIRE II missile on a target six kilometers away. On top of the HELLFIRE's seven-for-seven performance in earlier test flights from the ARH, the combination of the Tiger and HELLFIRE together make a formidable weapon system. A total of 22 new ‘Tiger’ helicopters will be bought by the Australian Defence Force, with the majority being built by Australian Aerospace in Brisbane at a cost of US$1.0 billion. Read More
Recoilless technology provides killer app for UAVs
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December 12, 2006 The technological progress of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle has been astonishingly rapid. At the beginning of the current Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts, it’s fair to say that UAVs were regarded as a reconnaissance tool for improving situational awareness but from the time the first Hellfire missiles were fired from an RQ-1A Predator UAV during 2002, the enormous advantage of an armed UAV that can help identify and eliminate a target has been recognised. Predators can prowl and strike where conventional military force cannot. In September we wrote about the first purpose-built hunter-killer UAV, and now the rush is on to add armaments to smaller UAVs. UAVs must be relatively large to withstand the recoil of the weapons they shoot, so weapon caliber has been limited. Now a new recoilless technology is set to revolutionize the small UAV’s role in the battlespace - Recoilless Technologies International (RTI) has signed a Joint Commercialization Agreement with UAV manufacturer, Tactical Aerospace Group (TAG). The new technology offers effective elimination and control of recoil and hence enables very small UAVs to pack a massive wallop. That’s just the start though because the technology can be applied to larger caliber weapons systems so everything that flies, floats or moves on land will also be able to pack a similar increase in firepower. Who knows how small a killer UAV can get? We have visions of a swarm of semi-autonomous, networked, killer microbots shooting miniature poison-tipped darts as in Dan Brown's novel, Deception Point. Read More
100th Aegis Weapon System ready for duty
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November 28, 2006 Aegis is the most successful air defence weapon system and multi-mission combat system in the history of the U.S. Navy. Aegis delivered revolutionary capability to the fleet immediately upon its introduction in 1983 and the periodic delivery of progressive spiral development upgrades has since maintained the Aegis Weapon System at a state-of-the-art technology level to take on new, more complex threats. Appropriately, the 100th Aegis Weapon System to be delivered to the U.S. Navy by chief contractor Lockheed Martin will be installed on a destroyer to be named Wayne E. Meyer, after the retired rear admiral who is widely regarded as the "Father of Aegis." The latest Aegis Weapon System has eight times more computing power and costs 66 percent less than the first Aegis of a quarter century ago. Read More
