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| Oh myyyy. (Image courtesy techly.com.au.) |
Showing posts with label war. Show all posts
Showing posts with label war. Show all posts
Pride Vs. Prejudice: Anonymous Gaily Hacks ISIS Twitter Pages
When acts of terror occur, one wonders at the source of the vitriol towards certain intended targets. Often, it seems that ignorance, hatred, and other motivators of malevolent acts may be based in a person (or a fanatical subculture’s) self-hatred, or repression of certain aspects of their lives. This creates a strong means of turning the terror back upon itself...for instance, in this faaaaaaabulous way.
Hear Hear! Army's New In-Ear Device Augments Soft Sounds; Levels Out Loud Ones
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| When you need all of your senses sharp, this makes perfect sense. (Image courtesy soldiersystems.com.) |
Gin + Rummy = A Winston Churchill-Themed Solitaire App From Donald Rumsfeld?
Almost everyone these days has a favorite game on their portable device or computer, and more are invented by the day. But if you want something a little more classic than Angry Birds, yet something that also smacks of insidious military domination, well, Donald Rumsfeld has got a new game for you.
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| The angriest bird of all is that which represents a deceived American public. (Image courtesy memes.com.) |
On The Mooove: Beef Tallow Biofuel Helps Propel Navy Ships
The U.S. Navy is the mightiest fleet in the world, but with the tides turning on fossil fuels, how will they expect to stay sustainable in the 21st century? The answer is fat. Gallons and gallons of it.
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| It's like how you eat burgers for fuel... except mixed with petroleum and multiplied by a warship. (Image courtesy sandiegouniontribune.com) |
That Time We Almost Built A Death Star
If you've been following this blog for a while, you know that we're fans of crazy weapons (especially on vehicles, from trucks to planes), stuck on "Star Wars", and definitely devoted to all sorts of stuff in space. However, the confluence of all three is something truly spectacular...had it ever been invented...
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| This, except huge, and in space. But someone had a bad feeling about it... (Image science.howstuffworks.com.) |
No Artificial-Intelligence Armies, Implore Already-Intelligent Humans
Well, here we are, citizens of the future. Our planet's greatest minds have had to band together and openly, prominently state that artificial intelligence shouldn't be used for warfare. That's where we're at.
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| Eventually, we'd make "The Terminator" look like a toy. (Image courtesy sciencefiction.com.) |
Hit The Lights: New Electromagnetic Pulse Weapon Blackens, Sans Bombs
Warfare can take many guises, and not all of them need to be abundantly destructive. Now, thanks to Boeing, a new electromagnetic pulse weapon will provide our military with the capacity to turn an enemy's lights out, rather than knocking their lights out.
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| Darkness falls: a new CHAMP missile strikes the grid. (Image courtesy ainonline.com.) |
Will The Force(field) Be With Us? Boeing Patents An Electromagnetic Shield
Shields have been the companion to swords since time immemorial...across numerous fields of war and peace, many will claim that the best offense is a good defense. Now, Boeing has thrown down (and up, and sideways) on this notion, and patented an electromagnetic force field.
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| This is part of the actual patent. How awesome is that? (Image courtesy ibitimes.co.uk.) |
Planes On The Brain: Non-Aviatrix "Flies" An F-35 Simulator Thanks To Neural Signalling
Ever have one of those dreams where you're flying? What if you could do the next best thing in real life and control a plane with your mind? Now, the U.S. military has designed a way to make this possible...
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| Forget flying by the seat of your pants...now you can fly by the seat of your mind! (Image courtesy globalresearch.ca.) |
A Shot In The Dark, Or Right On The Mark? DARPA Invents Bullets That Can Hunt You Down
It worked for missiles, and now, it's coming to a .50 caliber...hopefully not anywhere you're on the receiving end of.
According to Business Insider, the United States' Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has created a bullet that is able to change its own path in flight, like a Super Mario villain come to life. This would not just account for windage and other riflery considerations, but also could be made to seek out a specific target that has moved or taken cover.
What? How? The bullets use optical sensors embedded in their nosecones, which use in-flight information to determine whether their onboard electronically-operated fins should be deployed to change the projectile's course.
Known as EXACTO, for “Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordinance”, the project's mission will be “developing more accurate military artillery that will enable greater firing range, minimize the time required to engage with targets, and also help reduce missed shots that can give away the troops’ location.”
According to Business Insider, the United States' Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has created a bullet that is able to change its own path in flight, like a Super Mario villain come to life. This would not just account for windage and other riflery considerations, but also could be made to seek out a specific target that has moved or taken cover.
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| Next up: military-grade raccoon suits? (Image courtesy reinodocogumelo.com.) |
What? How? The bullets use optical sensors embedded in their nosecones, which use in-flight information to determine whether their onboard electronically-operated fins should be deployed to change the projectile's course.
Known as EXACTO, for “Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordinance”, the project's mission will be “developing more accurate military artillery that will enable greater firing range, minimize the time required to engage with targets, and also help reduce missed shots that can give away the troops’ location.”
That's no excuse to slack on your marksmanship, though. These new bullets should work well for snipers, but you never know when some good old fashioned-style targeting skills will come to your aid.
| Curse the thought of losing any of your high-stakes games of Rifle-Tac-Toe. (Image courtesy theartoftherifleblog.com.) |
Laser Turrets: The (Extremely) Hot New War Plane Accessory
After war planes switched out manned guns in favor of missiles, the classic "gun turret" on fighting aircraft was expunged from the design. Now, Lockheed Martin is making what's old new again, with an awesome twist: the turrets are housing lasers.
As reported by popsci.com, Lockheed Martin has modified a commercial jet to arm it with lasers, and eight successful flights have been logged with the aircraft already. The lasers operate out of turrets capable of 360-degree rotation, which when put into action will use the directed-energy weapons to eradicate enemy missiles.
The official term for the all-around-awesome lasers is "Aero-adaptive Aero-optic Beam Control" - "ABC" for short. For nations that do not have the funds to construct and maintain war planes, anti-aircraft missiles have been the preferred choice for thwarting airborne attackers. Now, such offenses will be easily countered and fried to a crisp thanks to the Lockheed lasers.
Lockheed Martin GTO Ray Johnson was enthusiastic about the durability and usefulness of the lasers, telling Popular Science, "[Lasers] can operate with the electrical power that could be generated on an aircraft. You could certainly see it go on bomber-sized aircraft and as the technology develops and size/weight/power are reduced, our notion is to see it get to the point where it can go on fighter-sized aircraft."
Combined with Boeing's new truck-mounted lasers, it seems that war is going to have a blindingly bright future.
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As reported by popsci.com, Lockheed Martin has modified a commercial jet to arm it with lasers, and eight successful flights have been logged with the aircraft already. The lasers operate out of turrets capable of 360-degree rotation, which when put into action will use the directed-energy weapons to eradicate enemy missiles.
The official term for the all-around-awesome lasers is "Aero-adaptive Aero-optic Beam Control" - "ABC" for short. For nations that do not have the funds to construct and maintain war planes, anti-aircraft missiles have been the preferred choice for thwarting airborne attackers. Now, such offenses will be easily countered and fried to a crisp thanks to the Lockheed lasers.
Lockheed Martin GTO Ray Johnson was enthusiastic about the durability and usefulness of the lasers, telling Popular Science, "[Lasers] can operate with the electrical power that could be generated on an aircraft. You could certainly see it go on bomber-sized aircraft and as the technology develops and size/weight/power are reduced, our notion is to see it get to the point where it can go on fighter-sized aircraft."
Combined with Boeing's new truck-mounted lasers, it seems that war is going to have a blindingly bright future.
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| "Star Wars" warplane technology is no longer only in a galaxy far, far, away. |
All-Weather Anti-Drone Laser Cannon. Yep.
It's called the HEL MD (High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator), and it's a truck-mounted laser cannon. The US Army has commissioned them from Boeing (spending $36 million over the last decade), and now, targets on land, sea, or air are in the sights of losing to lasers.
According to wired.com, the HEL MD system has "successfully engaged" drones and 60mm mortars, aka blew them the hell out of the sky. Tests were conducted at Florida's Eglin Air Force Base under cloudy and foggy conditions, making the weapon attractive for use in stormy naval situations.
The HEL MD currently uses a 10-kilowatt laser to scorch out its targets, although a more powerful beam will be used in future iterations. A “tactically significant power level” of 50 or 60 kilowatts will then be in force. Either way, the premise is simple: the laser's concentrated beam of light, when sighted on a target, soon turns into ever-expanding heat, disabling its target (possibly via a cool explosion, as "Star Wars" led us to believe.)
Quite awesomely, when mounted on a truck for mobility, the system requires only a driver and an operator with a laptop and Xbox controller to send up the lasery lightning. A telescope along with an infrared-based wide-angle camera helps to identify targets. The weapon is expected to be in development for several more years, so bust out your video games and get practicing...those enemy UAVs are in for a zapping.
According to wired.com, the HEL MD system has "successfully engaged" drones and 60mm mortars, aka blew them the hell out of the sky. Tests were conducted at Florida's Eglin Air Force Base under cloudy and foggy conditions, making the weapon attractive for use in stormy naval situations.
The HEL MD currently uses a 10-kilowatt laser to scorch out its targets, although a more powerful beam will be used in future iterations. A “tactically significant power level” of 50 or 60 kilowatts will then be in force. Either way, the premise is simple: the laser's concentrated beam of light, when sighted on a target, soon turns into ever-expanding heat, disabling its target (possibly via a cool explosion, as "Star Wars" led us to believe.)
Quite awesomely, when mounted on a truck for mobility, the system requires only a driver and an operator with a laptop and Xbox controller to send up the lasery lightning. A telescope along with an infrared-based wide-angle camera helps to identify targets. The weapon is expected to be in development for several more years, so bust out your video games and get practicing...those enemy UAVs are in for a zapping.
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| Hot. |
Clot In A Shot: New Injectable Foam May Help Stop Catastropic Blood Loss
It has posed a problem for soldiers, adventurers, and the accident-prone since time immemorial: how can one quickly and effectively staunch a life-threatening bleeding wound? Several students at Johns Hopkins University have tackled this problem, and may soon be saving lives thanks to an innovative injector for biologically-safe polyurethane foam.
Hemorrhaging is the #1 cause of battlefield deaths, exacerbated in situations where a neck or limbs meeting the torso cannot be easily bandaged or tied with a tourniquet. Now, according to baltimoresun.com, the eight students who set out to solve this problem for a biomedical engineering class may have stumbled onto a brilliant solution. Their creation is the size of a whiteboard marker and blends separate chemicals that, when combined, create a foam that could staunch blood flow long enough for a soldier or other afflicted party to survive long enough to get more comprehensive secondary care.
"There is some bleeding we can't see and can't get a tourniquet around it," said Colonel Walter Franz, an Army surgeon who has commanded forward units in battlefields overseas. "We need a product we can pull out of a bag, which is self-contained and simple."
The idea has developed to the point of testing at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla., a training facility where medics in the Green Berets, Navy SEALS, Army Rangers and Marine Special Forces could subject the idea to various difficult battlefield conditions and scenarios. To be effective for the military, the foam would need to be nontoxic to all kinds of human organs, able to withstand heat and cold, and maintain its effectiveness in flight or in water. While some of these experiments had undergone rudimentary testing with the students, now chemical engineers are using the idea to craft a more comprehensive foam that can sufficiently harden inside ten seconds (a major amount of time when catastrophic blood loss is concerned.)
A previous type of clotting agent called Factor VII had fallen short of full capability, thus the importance of the new poly foam. Reportedly entering testing on live animals within the year, this foam could hopefully help bring more warriors home.
Hemorrhaging is the #1 cause of battlefield deaths, exacerbated in situations where a neck or limbs meeting the torso cannot be easily bandaged or tied with a tourniquet. Now, according to baltimoresun.com, the eight students who set out to solve this problem for a biomedical engineering class may have stumbled onto a brilliant solution. Their creation is the size of a whiteboard marker and blends separate chemicals that, when combined, create a foam that could staunch blood flow long enough for a soldier or other afflicted party to survive long enough to get more comprehensive secondary care.
"There is some bleeding we can't see and can't get a tourniquet around it," said Colonel Walter Franz, an Army surgeon who has commanded forward units in battlefields overseas. "We need a product we can pull out of a bag, which is self-contained and simple."
The idea has developed to the point of testing at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla., a training facility where medics in the Green Berets, Navy SEALS, Army Rangers and Marine Special Forces could subject the idea to various difficult battlefield conditions and scenarios. To be effective for the military, the foam would need to be nontoxic to all kinds of human organs, able to withstand heat and cold, and maintain its effectiveness in flight or in water. While some of these experiments had undergone rudimentary testing with the students, now chemical engineers are using the idea to craft a more comprehensive foam that can sufficiently harden inside ten seconds (a major amount of time when catastrophic blood loss is concerned.)
A previous type of clotting agent called Factor VII had fallen short of full capability, thus the importance of the new poly foam. Reportedly entering testing on live animals within the year, this foam could hopefully help bring more warriors home.
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| Home repairs for homo sapiens. |
3-D Bombs Away! U.S. Army Eyes "Printable" Explosives
The science of detonation physics is one that requires accuracy. The science of 3-D printing allows layers of material to be carefully plotted and strategically placed. The confluence of these two disciplines may soon literally be the bomb.
The U.S. Army is currently investigating how to create a new type of warhead using the technology of 3-D printing. This would theoretically allow them to have more control over precise design elements required to achieve a desired blast radius or to hit an extremely specific target, all in the same size as a conventional warhead. In a report from Army Technology magazine reprinted by popsci.com, U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center materials engineer James Zunino explained, “The real value you get is you can get more safety, lethality or operational capability from the same space."
Forward-placed 3-D printers could also expedite the testing processes for warheads in the field, a critical component of the design process. Soldiers could possibly print and test the weapons to discover the most desirable traits for a specialized mission within just a few days.
The U.S. Army is currently investigating how to create a new type of warhead using the technology of 3-D printing. This would theoretically allow them to have more control over precise design elements required to achieve a desired blast radius or to hit an extremely specific target, all in the same size as a conventional warhead. In a report from Army Technology magazine reprinted by popsci.com, U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center materials engineer James Zunino explained, “The real value you get is you can get more safety, lethality or operational capability from the same space."
Forward-placed 3-D printers could also expedite the testing processes for warheads in the field, a critical component of the design process. Soldiers could possibly print and test the weapons to discover the most desirable traits for a specialized mission within just a few days.
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| Peace remains unfit for print. |
Navy Experimenting with Virtual Reality
From the Daily Mail (yes, the Daily Mail, so try to avoid retching if possible):
The US Navy has given a glimpse into the future of war - and it has gone virtual. In this stunning image researchers show off the first attempt at a virtual ship's command centre. Using the Oculus rift headset, it shows a soldier on a virtual ship.
However, the Navy has remained tight-lipped about its plans for virtual training. The project, codenamed Blueshark, it testing how technology can be used by the Navy in 2015. It's official description is: 'a mix of near-term and further out technologies. It is an ongoing conversation about what the future of collaboration will be like, and how technology can assist in that endeavor.'
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