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Military
Russia announces test-flight of fifth generation fighter aircraft
By Mick Webb
16:11 February 3, 2010 PST
Russia has reportedly successfully test-flown its first fifth generation fighter jet prototype. Formally known as the Prospective Aircraft Complex of Frontline Aviation (PAK-FA), the craft made its 47 minute maiden voyage on 29th January. Manufactured by the Russian state owned Sukhoi Aircraft Corporation, the development of this tactical frontline stealth fighter jet is being seen as a significant milestone in the efforts of the country to modernize its post Soviet–era military technology. Read More
Unique three-layered snail shell could lead to tougher body armor
23:06 February 1, 2010 PST
They say life imitates art, but any scientist knows that the best designs imitate life. Researchers from the MIT Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (ISN) are drawing new biomimicry inspiration for body armor design from a hardy ocean snail that boasts a shell structure unlike anything else seen in nature... or in material research labs. Read More
Metal Storm’s virtual minefield gets a patent
By Gizmag Team
23:12 January 26, 2010 PST
Metal Storm has been granted another round of patents and one in particular has important implications for the future of minefields. The company’s weapon technology functions somewhat like an inkjet printer, using computer-controlled electronic ignition and a system of stacked projectiles in multiple barrels. As each barrel can contain a variety of projectiles, it can fire a sensor from each of the barrels to cover an area with sensors. If any sensor is triggered, the barrel to which it belongs fires a subsequent explosive projectile to the exact same point. The system offers many advantages, including the ability to be switched off leaving no explosive ordnance remaining in the area that had been protected. With landmines being one of the most dreadful and enduring legacies of war, it’s an enormous shame that only one side will be using Metal Storm, as it represents a potential solution to the deployment of this insidious device. Read More
i-mate 810F - the 'Chuck Norris' of handsets
By Jeff Salton
18:57 January 26, 2010 PST
Handset manufacturer i-mate’s 810-F is so tough the company has given it a lifetime year-on-year warranty. That’s because it has already put the 810-F through a grueling set of tests and trials, including running a car over it, immersing it in all kinds of fluids, kicking it, dropping it, baking it, freezing it and even calling it bad names – and yet the device continues to work. I-mate says the 810-F has even passed the rigors of US Military toughness specifications (standards as referenced for impact resistance, crush force, submersion, rain/mist/salt, fog, dust ingress, and vibration). Follow the link for some video evidence. Read More
VTOL Flying-Wing: a new take on UAV design
By Gizmag Team
20:26 January 24, 2010 PST
The age of unmanned aerial vehicles UAVs has well and truly dawned but designers aren't resting on their laurels when it comes to improving the capabilities of these multi-talented aircraft. One innovation that's come to the fore recently is the use of an enclosed four rotor platform (see our recent look at the CyberQuad) which offers a number of advantages including greater stability, agility, hovering ability and a smaller footprint. This unique new design from Britain's VTOL Technologies takes this idea a step further, adding four movable rotors to a single "flying-wing" to create an aircraft that claims to deliver a higher payload capacity for its size and up to four times the endurance of current vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAV designs. Read More
HULC robotic exoskeleton to get fuel-cell Power Supply
By Gizmag Team
02:40 January 21, 2010 PST
HULC, the Lockheed Martin (LM) powered robotic exoskeleton is being extended in its range to support 72+ hour extended missions. LM is working with Protonex Technology Corporation to evaluate and develop fuel cell-based power solutions that can be carried by the HULC, while at the same time powering the exoskeleton and the soldier’s mission equipment during extended dismounted operations. Read More
Mobile MaxPure solar filters bring pure water to refugees
By Jeff Salton
23:01 December 22, 2009 PST
Recently we reported on Marines and their deployment of GREENS solar-power for technological devices on the battlefield. World Water and Solar Technologies (WWST) has also placed solar-powered water purification units throughout the world including war-torn Darfur, Sudan. Working with the Humanitarian International Services Group (HISG), two high-volume Mobile Max Pure (MMP) water filters have been installed that use the sun for their power. Placed in a carefully selected location where it could do the most good, each unit can generate up to 3.5kW of solar electric power and provide 30,000 gallons of clean drinking water for the many thousands of displaced civilians. Read More
Airbus A400M makes maiden flight
By Darren Quick
23:52 December 15, 2009 PST
Airbus Military's all-new A400M four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft has taken to the air for the first time. The aircraft’s first test flight in the skies above Seville, Spain, comes after many delays – it was originally scheduled for Q1 2008 – but was successfully completed when the plane landed safely at 14.02, December 11, after a flight lasting three hours and forty-seven minutes. The A400M will increase the airlift capacity and range of the aircraft it was designed to replace - the C-130 Hercules and Transall C-160. Read More
REX - robotic beast of burden hits the market
By Mike Hanlon
17:57 December 13, 2009 PST
The military potential of robotics has long been one of the primary driving forces in the funding of research and development in the field. Aerial UAVs transformed armed conflict so dramatically that a new wave of robotic military capabilities are being readied for the battlefield in the hope of providing a similar competitive edge. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) recently began showing a battery-powered robotic beast of burden which can carry up to 200 kilograms, run three days without a recharge, and follow and respond to the voice commands of its master. Though designed for use on the battlefield, REX has myriad commercial applications in agriculture, manufacturing, and beyond. Read More
Next-gen Global Hawk HALE UAS completes its first flight
By Darren Quick
18:37 December 10, 2009 PST
The first of the next generation of Northrop Grumman’s Block 40 configuration RQ-4 Global Hawk has successfully completed its first flight. The two hour flight took the aircraft from Northrop Grumman’s manufacturing facility in Palmdale, California to Edwards Air Force Base, California. Designated AF-18, the Block 40 configuration of the high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aircraft system (UAS) will carry the Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP) active electronically scanned array radar that will help warfighters detect, track and identify stationary and moving targets. Read More
Marines take GREENS solar power to the front lines
By Darren Quick
20:24 December 9, 2009 PST
In response to a Marine Corps requirement from Iraq for an expeditionary renewable power system, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Advanced Power Generation Future Naval Capabilities program has introduced technology designed to harness some of the sunlight that beats down upon U.S. Marines operating in the Arabian Desert. Fueled by the sun, the Ground Renewable Expeditionary ENergy System (GREENS) is a portable, 300W, photovoltaic/battery system that provides continuous power to marines in the field. Read More
Sealegs amphibious RIB completes Malaysian circumnavigation
By Gizmag Team
22:16 December 8, 2009 PST
A specially built military class 7.1 meter Seaglegs amphibious RIB has completed a 1620 kilometer "circumnavigation" of the Malaysian Peninsula in a record time of 31 hours and 57 minutes. The boat completed its journey carrying up to ten Malaysian special forces commandos who are trialling the Sealegs to assess the capability and functionality of Sealegs amphibious craft for military purposes. Read More
Gryphon winged suit drops in for some serious air time
By Jeff Salton
16:50 December 8, 2009 PST
Are you were waiting for a good reason to join the armed forces? Perhaps you are just a kid who always dreamed of flying and never grew up, or maybe you are thinking of challenging Yves (Jetman) Rossy in the human winged flight game? This could be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for. Get ready to duck … the Gryphon Next Generation Parachute System could be headed your way. Although engine-less, the Gryphon still has an electronic guidance system and heads-up display navigation and all equipment is cleverly tucked away making for better “stealth” flights. Read More
Feature: Decoding Bletchley Park's history
By Paul Ridden
17:36 December 7, 2009 PST
At first glance, even second glance, Bletchley Park could easily be just another beautiful British building deserving of some loving care and attention. But for many years its walls guarded one of the best kept secrets of the 20th Century. During the Second World War it was the top secret home to the cryptanalysts, mathematicians and military personnel later credited with shortening the war by at least two years and saving millions of lives by breaking the secret ciphers used in Nazi communications. Seventy years after war was declared on Germany, Gizmag's Paul Ridden takes a closer look at what went on at HMS Pembroke V, the people who worked there and talks to some of the those now dedicated to ensuring that its legacy lives on. Read More
Modern Warfare 2 blasts all-time entertainment industry records
By Darren Quick
04:05 November 20, 2009 PST
The controversy caused by leaked scenes of a level of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 where the player mows down innocent civilians at a Russian airport has done nothing to slow sales of the much-anticipated game. Released worldwide on November 10, the game has set an all-time entertainment industry record, grossing an estimated US$550 million in its first five days. Read More
Mantis takes flight - the UK’s largest ever fully-autonomous UAV
By Darren Quick
21:42 November 17, 2009 PST
The largest fully-autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) ever to be built in the UK has completed initial flight trials in Woomera, South Australia. Built by BAE Systems for the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) the Mantis is the company’s first genuine fly-by-wire, all-electric aircraft and is designed to execute its mission with a much-reduced need for human intervention by understanding and reacting to its environment. BAE said Mantis successfully completed a series of trials demonstrating its capabilities and the potential for large unmanned systems to carry out intelligence-gathering at long distances. Read More
Lockheed Martin F-35B prepares for vertical takeoff and landings
By Darren Quick
15:38 November 17, 2009 PST
The first aircraft in history to combine stealth with short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) capability and supersonic speed has been delivered to the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., where it will conduct its first hovers and vertical landings. The Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II STOVL stealth fighter will replace U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B STOVL fighters, F/A-18 strike fighters and EA-6B electronic attack aircraft, and will also be used by the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force and Royal Navy and the Italian Air Force and Navy. Read More
Ants inspire military strategy software
By Gizmag Team
17:45 November 9, 2009 PST
Ant colonies aren't called superorganisms for nothing. In some species, millions of individuals can act as a single entity to protect and feed the colony. This behavior has led to over 200 different species being called "Army Ants", so in a way it's no surprise that these mechanisms have been used for the basis of new software that helps troops to define the best path within a battle field. Read More
Concept car provides roadside bomb protection
By Darren Quick
15:50 November 4, 2009 PST
Casualties in Iraq from Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) have dropped as the number of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles has increased, but with roadside bombs still responsible for the majority of casualties to coalition forces in Afghanistan, there is a need for a smaller, more nimble version more suited to its rugged, mountainous terrain. A new concept that would see military vehicles built around a protected personnel compartment and use a sacrificial “blast wedge” to absorb energy could improve safety for the occupants of future light armored patrol vehicles. Read More
Spiraling maple tree seeds inspire world's smallest single-winged rotocraft
By Jeff Salton
18:08 October 21, 2009 PDT
Students at the University of Maryland’s Clark School of Engineering have turned to nature to create a flying device that can hover and perform surveillance duties, and that could lead to applications for military and emergency services. The enigmatic maple tree seeds (or samara fruit) - and the unique spiraling pattern with which they glide to the ground - have intrigued children and engineers for decades. Now aerospace engineering graduate students have applied the seeds’ design to airborne devices and created what they believe to be the world's smallest controllable single-winged rotocraft. Read More
BAE Survivability Concept Demonstrator vehicle to debut at AUSA
By Paul Lester
17:59 October 7, 2009 PDT
Recent developments in the military sector have demonstrated an increasing importance in protecting troops in the field, whether this be by automating vehicles or enhancing armor-based protection and maneuverability. BAE Systems has decided against picking a specific area to test with its M1151 Survivability concept but, instead, has lumped a range of technologies into a single vehicle, and is currently unveiling the fruits of its research at the AUSA (Association of the United States Armys) annual exposition in Washington. Read More
Wearable antennas promise shirts with satellite link
By Jeff Salton
03:48 October 5, 2009 PDT
Gizmag has always had an interest in "smart clothing", whether it be a jacket that warms you on icy slopes, a coat that delivers an electric shock to ward off physical threats, vests that double as health monitors or even a concept bra that's supposed to help in the search for a husband. The latest research being conducted in the area involves flexible antennas which can be embedded in clothing, allowing the wearer to communicate with low-orbiting satellites wirelessly and exchange greater levels of information, including GPS positioning. Read More
Non-Lethal Thermal Laser prototype only works on nudists
By Darren Quick
01:07 September 22, 2009 PDT
Non-lethal weapons are intended to have reversible effects on personnel and material. They provide soldiers with another option when lethal force isn’t considered to be the best first response to a situation. One non-lethal weapon prototype that is being evaluated by U.S. military is the Thermal Laser System, which attaches to a rifle and uses a laser to create a heating sensation to repel adversaries. Unfortunately, current trials indicate that clothing nullifies the weapon's effectiveness. Read More
New class of UAVs look more like UFOs
By Darren Quick
21:41 September 14, 2009 PDT
Most Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) employ a fixed wing design much like that of a traditional plane. But these designs offer limited maneuverability and payload capacity, require a runway to takeoff and land, and are unable to hover. Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) UAVs get around these problems, usually by employing rotors like a helicopter. Now UK-based company AESIR has developed a VTOL UAV that has no external rotating parts, instead relying on a phenomenon known as the Coanda effect to generate lift. Read More
Graphite could revolutionize mass data storage AND circuit design
11:25 September 10, 2009 PDT
Graphite has long been known to have unique electrical properties and has therefore been put forward by many as a possible substitute for silicon for use in integrated circuitry. Now, in a major step towards making graphene-based electronics, researchers from Rice University have published the results of work on graphite-based mass data storage and reprogrammable gate arrays. Read More
windykites1
- February 9, 2010 @ 19:22 UTC
