Military

R-Gator unmanned military ground vehicle unveiled

By Gizmag Team

NEW PICS - UPDATED October 29, 2004 John Deere and iRobot have unveiled the Military R-Gator, an intelligent unmanned ground vehicle that will use off-the-shelf technology to autonomously perform dangerous and taxing missions. The R-Gator combines John Deere's rugged utility Gator with iRobot's robotics technology.

The Robotic Gator, or R-Gator as it is called, is built on the combat-proven John Deere M-Gator military utility vehicle platform, and enhanced with proven iRobot military robotic controls and navigation and obstacle avoidance systems.

The intelligent, durable and flexible R-Gator is designed to serve numerous important roles, including acting as an unmanned scout, "point man," perimeter guard, pack/ammo/supply carrier and more for soldiers, marines and airmen. Read More

U.S. Army to deploy Aerostat Surveillance System In Iraq

By Mike Hanlon

Lockheed Martin has delivered a 56,000-cubic-foot tethered aerostat surveillance system to the U.S. Army for deployment in Iraq. The aerostat is equipped with a variety of sensors which combine to provide a persistent surveillance capability in the defence of ground forces and high-value assets. The aerostat is currently being tested prior to transportation to Iraq. Read More

The next generation military carbine?

By Mike Hanlon

The Heckler & Koch XM8 modular assault weapon system may be the immediate future of individual weapons systems. Currently undergoing its second round of testing by the American Military, the XM8 could replace existing M4 Carbines in the US Army arsenal as soon as Q4, 2005. Read More

US Army buys US$100 million rugged computers

By Mike Hanlon

The US Army is digitising the battlefield to such an extent, that it has awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract valued at approximately US$100 million for the supply of DRS Technologies rugged Applique Computer Systems for the U.S. Army's Force XXI Battle Command.

The US Ar... Read More

US ARMY develops SMARTRUCK III

By Mike Hanlon

Imagine a truck that can detect an airborne bio-hazard and alert authorities before it can cause harm or havoc. Or spot and track illegal trespassers or attackers in complete darkness -- and repel them should they try to disable the truck's advanced surveillance and communications capabilities. Or sense an incoming missile and knock it out of the sky. No, it's not a multi-million dollar sci-fi fantasy, it's the US Army's new SMARTRUCK III, designed for America's homeland, a war zone or private security. Read More

US Army testing autonomous Stryker Combat Vehicles

By Mike Hanlon

The next time the US military goes to war in a foreign land, there will be a lot more robots and a lot less soldiers doing the grunt work. One of the first tasks that will be assigned to robots instead of soldiers will be driving - resupply, convoy operations, ground medical evacuation and unmanned reconnaissance are all areas targeted for autonomous vehicles. Read More

New Weapon System shoots around corners

By Mike Hanlon

January 2004 Corner Shot is a new weapon system designed for urban combat which enables the user to observe and engage a target from behind a corner without exposing any body parts. The highly technological system was officially unveiled in late December 2003 in Israel and is already being used by some of the world's elite Special Forces. Corner Shot attaches to most handguns currently used by Special Forces, for example the GLOCK, SIG SAUER, CZ or BERETTA. It includes a small, high-resolution camera and monitor, which can observe and view a target from various vantage points. Read More

Military Diesel Hybrid Truck Features a Fuel Cell Auxiliary Power

By Mike Hanlon

General Motors and the U.S. Army used the NAIAS to show an interesting diesel hybrid military vehicle equipped with a fuel cell auxiliary power unit (APU) that could become the model for the Army's new fleet of 30,000 light tactical vehicles by the end of the decade. Read More

The US Army develops a truck with 007-like capabilities

By Mike Hanlon

This US Army concept vehicle can fire pepper spray, oil slicks and tyre-shredding tacks, has bulletproof armour, electric-shock doorhandles and a retractable laser-guided machinegun - just the thing for peak hour in mid-summer. Read More