Military

BAE to develop next-generation night-vision goggles

By Emily Clark

23:44 September 24, 2007 PDT

September 25, 2007 U.S. army soldiers will be the recipients of enhanced night vision goggles that use digital imagery to improve mobility and situational awareness under all lighting conditions, overcoming battlefield obscurants that would generally hinder vision. Under development by BAE systems as part of the Enhanced Night Vision Goggle program for the U.S. defense forces the helmet-mounted system will digitally combine video imagery from a low-light-level visible sensor and an uncooled long-wave infrared sensor onto a single color display located in front of the soldier's eye. Read More

Russia tests “Father of All Bombs”

By Loz Blain

23:30 September 17, 2007 PDT

September 18, 2007 Russia has just announced the completion of successful testing of what it dubs the “Father of All Bombs” – four times more powerful than the USA’s comparatively placid “Mother of All Bombs". Both devices are viewed - somewhat dubiously - as “environmentally friendly” alternatives to nuclear devices, as they leave no radioactive fallout. Read More

Unmanned jet-skis to take on harbour patrol missions

By Loz Blain

01:09 September 17, 2007 PDT

September 17, 2007 UK-based defense contractor QinetiQ is preparing to demonstrate the Sentry – an unmanned watercraft the size of a jet-ski that’s set up to perform remote-controlled patrol, reconnaissance and damage assessment missions. Its six hour mission endurance and control range of up to 16 nautical miles will make this stealthy vehicle a very practical security tool. Read More

Integrated tourniquet clothing system aims to save lives on the battlefield

By Gizmag Team

18:42 September 6, 2007 PDT

September 7, 2007 One of the most common causes of preventable deaths in tactical environment is bleeding to death, so any advance in providing assistance as quickly as possible in such situations clearly has the potential to save lives. This is the thinking behind a new range of clothing from Blackhawk that integrates tourniquets into the design which can be immediately accessed by the wearer, their buddy, or a medic to minimize the loss of blood. Read More

Remarkable inventor pioneered human-powered flight

By Emily Clark

18:00 September 5, 2007 PDT

September 6, 2007 The aeronautical world is mourning the loss of visionary inventor, designer and engineer Dr Paul MacCready, who passed away on 28 August 2007. Among his very long list of accomplishments, he was most widely known as the "father of human-powered flight". Using a craft he created, the Gossamer Condor, MacCready made the first sustained, controlled flight by a heavier-than-air craft powered solely by its pilot's muscles. Read More

Airborne Laser project achieves development milestones

By Shaun McKeegan

01:28 September 5, 2007 PDT

September 5, 2007 Successful testing of an aircraft mounted laser weapon system has been carried out by the US missile defense agency and industry partnership team at Edwards Air Force base in California. The Airborne Laser (ABL) team has demonstrated the ability to point and focus the Lockheed Martin developed Beam control/Fire control system on an airborne target. Read More

Reaper UAV to be deployed for combat

By Shaun McKeegan

16:39 August 30, 2007 PDT

August 31, 2007 The US Airforce has announced the deployment of a new squadron of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into combat zones in Afghanistan and Iraq. Capable of carrying a payload of 3,750 pounds, the jet-fighter sized MQ-9 Reaper can fly at 300mph, reach 50,000 feet and stay airborne for 14 hours at a time. The "hunter-killer" UAV also incorporates Infrared, laser and radar targeting and is capable of deploying precision guided weapons. Read More

MEADS reveal first glimpse of advanced battle management system

By Noel McKeegan

16:34 August 19, 2007 PDT

August 20, 2007 MEADS International has released the first photographs of the highly versatile battle management tactical operations center (TOC) planned for the Medium Extended Air Defense System – a mobile air defense system designed to replace existing systems in the United States, Germany and Italy. Read More

LED Incapacitator is enough to make you sick

By Shaun McKeegan

21:09 August 9, 2007 PDT

August 10, 2007 A real life “light saber” that can subdue anyone in its path? This new type of non-lethal weapon comes in the form of a flashlight that totally incapacitates whoever looks into it. The LED (Light Emitting Diode) Incapacitator emits bright pulses of light at rapidly changing wavelengths that cause disorientation, temporary blindness, nausea, and even vomiting. Read More

BAE Systems demonstrate Common Modular Power System for tactical wheeled vehicles

By Noel McKeegan

01:57 August 9, 2007 PDT

August 9, 2007 BAE Systems are demonstrating a prototype Common Modular Power System (CMPS) at the Power and Energy Symposium currently being held at Troy, Michigan. This is in response to a need expressed by the United States Department of Defense for a power system that is able to provide 400amps of 28-volt DC power across the full rev range of a High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV or Humvee ) - a perceived requirement for 21st century warfighting. Read More

CPU-controlled artificial leg offers new freedom of natural movement for amputees

By Loz Blain

July 27, 2007 Prosthetics is a fascinating field – science’s ability to mimic the complicated natural function of lost limbs can make a truly life-altering difference for amputees. Nowhere is this difference more strongly felt than in the field of artificial legs that get amputees out of wheelchairs, off crutches and back to a level of mobility that lets them blend back in into ordinary life. The latest drive towards the development of advanced prosthetics includes this new microchip-controlled artificial knee joint that’s opening up an unprecedented level of freedom of movement for above-knee amputees and allowing amputee servicemen to remain active in their jobs if they so choose. The US$30K hydraulic C-LEG’s CPU “brain” automatically adapts to changes of speed and direction, and can be pre-programmed into up to 10 switchable “modes” to enable natural driving, cycling and other programmable activities that require different leg actions to normal walking and stair climbing. Read More

New head mounted display for use in military training

By Kyle Sherer

Juy 18, 2007 A Helmet mounted display is a versatile technology that allows computer images to be projected in front of the wearer’s eyes, and can be used to show a plethora of wicked awesome things, including distant focus, tactical information and thermal imaging. The usefulness of the product has ensured that it is constantly seeing new developments, innovations and applications. L-3 Communications’ Advanced Helmet Mounted Display has recently been incorporated into the U.S. Army Flight School XXI, a promising sign for the emerging twin fields of “augmented reality” and “making people more like the Terminator”. Read More

“Tornado emergency hotline. Please hold.” - ROSETTA emergency comm. kit puts order back in crisis

By Kyle Sherer

July 18, 2007 In this new age where communication, not ammunition, is the deciding factor in warfare. The ROSETTA-911, a rapid response communications system developed by Platforms Wireless International Corporation, has shown that not only is it effective in battles, but can also assist emergency workers in saving lives. The system enables disparate VHF, UHF, 800 MHz radios, cellular and land-line (secured) telephones, and Internet/VOIP to interconnect and communicate with each other, regardless of differences in equipment makes or brands, communications protocols, and/or communications backbone systems. After successfully demonstrating an earlier model to the US Department of Defense in 2006, PWIC has recently announced the readiness of its new and improved version. Read More

The AHKY wrist worn translation device

By Mike Hanlon

July 16, 2007 Speaking via an interpreter is difficult enough at the best of times, so you can imagine the difficulties soldiers in foreign lands have communicating with the population when there is a significant language barrier, no interpreter and lots of big guns in the near vicinity. The AHKY (Arabic for ‘speak’ ) is a new wrist worn translation device developed by Iraqi-born University of Derby student, Amin Ismail, will soon tackle the problem when it is deployed by British troops serving in Iraq. The AHKY currently has ten phrases which have been programmed in English, Arabic and Kurdish. Phrases such as ‘nothing will happen to you’; ‘turn around slowly’; and ‘come here’. Other languages and phrases specific for a user’s specific mission are uploaded prior to each use. Read More

Lockheed Martin achieve autonomous navigation milestone

By Noel McKeegan

July 10, 2007 Lockheed Martin has successfully demonstrated its Multifunction Utility/Logistics and Equipment (MULE) robotic vehicle’s ability to autonomously navigate complex obstacles. The MULE's Engineering Evaluation Unit (EEU) climbed a 30-inch step and bridged a 70-inch gap without operator intervention, relying only on parametric descriptions of the obstacles and the vehicle's self-awareness. This brings the project a step closer to its aim of providing robotic vehicles by 2013 that can keep pace with dismounted soldiers on any terrain whilst providing firepower support, casualty evacuation or enough payload capacity to support two dismounted infantry squads Read More

Lightweight, hybrid multifunction fuel cell to lighten soldiers' backpacks

By Loz Blain

July 5, 2007 Infantry soldiers have a tough lot in life. Apart from being constantly shot at and placed in risk of bodily harm, they're frequently forced to carry around large amounts of heavy equipment, sometimes weighing over a third of their bodyweight. On a typical 5-day-operation, disposable and rechargeable batteries alone account for about ten kilograms of backpack weight, not to mention the various charging devices for cell phones, PDAs and visual systems. There's good news though - German researchers have developed a lightweight hybrid power supply that will soon be able to ease the load. Read More

Autonomous, self-mooring buoy system

By Noel McKeegan

June 26, 2007 Both military and scientific missions stand to benefit from a new rapidly-deployable and autonomous mooring buoy system developed by Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and Lockheed Martin. Capable of being launched from air or sea, the system can self-moor in various bottom types - including sand, mud or rock - to depths of between 30 and 650 feet and has applications ranging from submarine detection to the collection of meteorological and oceanographic measurements. Read More

LANdroids - self-organizing, self-healing communications network for urban warfare

By Loz Blain

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

Removable Laser Countermeasure System successfully thwarts heat-seeking missiles

By Mike Hanlon

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. Read More

Next-generation Sky Warrior's maiden flight a success

By Loz Blain

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

First Ducted-Fan Micro Air Vehicles deployed in Iraq

By Mike Hanlon

June 18, 2007 Honeywell’s Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) is being deployed in Iraq specifically to identify improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from the sky. The deployment marks the first time a ducted-fan unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) will be used during combat missions. Each MAV is small enough to carry in a backpack and is equipped with video cameras that relay information back to foot soldiers using a portable handheld terminal. The circular vehicle, just 16 pounds and 13 inches in diameter, operates like a small remote-controlled helicopter and can easily fly down to inspect hazardous areas for threats without exposing soldiers to enemy fire. Read More

Boeing Wedgetail moves into flight testing

By Loz Blain

June 14, 2007 Despite expensive project delays, Boeing have commenced flight testing of Project Wedgetail, a specially modified 737 aircraft that will provide state-of-the-art airborne battle management and surveillance capabilities to the Australian armed forces. Featuring Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) radar, an expanded passive surveillance system and a highly effective self-defense capability, the aircraft will form a key part of Australia's defense strategy. Read More

Using polarisation to help detect deadly trip-wires

By Loz Blain

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

The inhumane treatment of robots

By Mike Hanlon

May 9, 2007 The development of robots for the U.S. Military is primarily so they can do jobs that keep humans out of harm's way. One of the world’s foremost roboticists, the delightfully eccentric Mark Tilden, recently encountered an interesting response while testing an autonomous landmine-detecting robot according to the Washington Post. Tilden is best known as the designer of Wowee’s Robosapien, RoboReptile ad infinitum range of robotic toys, but has worked for NASA and more recently Los Alamos National Laboratory where he is developing a five feet long stick-insect-like autonomous robot designed to step on landmines, get itself blown up, then intelligently adapt so that it can continue onwards with its remaining legs and step on more mines. During a demonstration, where the robot was continually blown up until it was down to one leg, Tilden was ordered to stop by an Army Colonel who was distressed at seeing the crippled robot hobbling toward the next landmine. With his judgement clouded no doubt by seeing humans engaged in the real thing, the Colonel declared the demonstration was inhumane. Read More

U.S. Army’s first all-composite, armor-ready truck cab

By Mike Hanlon

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