Military Tech / Science

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 2:07 pm

US Army invests in Linux-powered, Wi-Fi capable 'smart rifles

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 12:50 pm

SOCOM working to develop a dry sub for the SEALs.

U.S. Special Operations Command and sub-maker Electric Boat have partnered up to develop a dry submersible mini-submarine designed to deliver Navy SEALs into hostile, high-threat areas beneath the surface of the ocean.
...
The pressure hull and motor of the UOES 3 have already been built and are slated for key tests this coming June, Electric Boat officials said. Engineering plans call for the inclusion of a standard suite of submersible navigation systems, gyroscopes, sonar and obstacle avoidance technology, said Franz Edson, director, mission systems and business development, General Dynamics Electric Boat.

“Right now, when we deploy SEALs they typically go in what’s called a wet boat – so they are in the ocean breathing through scuba gear. What the SEALs really want is something where they can get the guys to their objective dry, so they don’t have to endure this harsh water environment,” said Edson.

While SEALs are known for their training and long-distance swimming abilities, a dry submersible could lessen mission fatigue and reduce their exposure to harsh elements such as cold or icy water. Therefore, the UOES 3 would seem to be of particular value in cold or stormy waters given that it would protect them from the elements, one analyst said.

Bakhtosh · Post by **Bakhtosh** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 6:42 pm

Bakhtosh wrote:Plus, the LCS is designed to maneuver to fire. If the suicide boats are headed for the stern, it can turn and use the main gun.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 8:31 pm

Isgrimnur wrote:SOCOM working to develop a dry sub for the SEALs.

U.S. Special Operations Command and sub-maker Electric Boat have partnered up to develop a dry submersible mini-submarine designed to deliver Navy SEALs into hostile, high-threat areas beneath the surface of the ocean.
...
The pressure hull and motor of the UOES 3 have already been built and are slated for key tests this coming June, Electric Boat officials said. Engineering plans call for the inclusion of a standard suite of submersible navigation systems, gyroscopes, sonar and obstacle avoidance technology, said Franz Edson, director, mission systems and business development, General Dynamics Electric Boat.

“Right now, when we deploy SEALs they typically go in what’s called a wet boat – so they are in the ocean breathing through scuba gear. What the SEALs really want is something where they can get the guys to their objective dry, so they don’t have to endure this harsh water environment,” said Edson.

While SEALs are known for their training and long-distance swimming abilities, a dry submersible could lessen mission fatigue and reduce their exposure to harsh elements such as cold or icy water. Therefore, the UOES 3 would seem to be of particular value in cold or stormy waters given that it would protect them from the elements, one analyst said.

That's so 1977.

NYDN wrote:
Yes, it really does swim – Don Griffin, a retired U.S. Navy SEAL, was the man tasked with driving the submersible British sports car while filming.

RLMullen · Post by **RLMullen** » Sat Feb 01, 2014 11:36 am

“Right now, when we deploy SEALs they typically go in what’s called a wet boat – so they are in the ocean breathing through scuba gear. What the SEALs really want is something where they can get the guys to their objective dry, so they don’t have to endure this harsh water environment,” said Edson.

Wow! That sounds like the wussification of the SEALs. What's next? Development of an airplane that actually lands so they don't have to endure those HALO jumps?

OK... who's shining laser pointers in my house... *carrier lost*

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sat Feb 01, 2014 2:59 pm

"Wet" submersibles just means they can move faster in water and they don't have to paddle / swim. But they're still cold as heck.

A "dry" minisub would add hours of combat endurance to their deployment, Hell week notwithstanding.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Fri Feb 14, 2014 6:32 pm

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/ta ... 88171.html

Pizza MREs that last 3 years. So if the zombie apocalypse or any type of one comes go raid the local military place. You're good for 3 years at least. Other food most likely lasts longer.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Fri Feb 14, 2014 7:56 pm

There's a reason they're called "Meal Refusing to Exit."

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 1:17 pm

Holman wrote:There's a reason they're called "Meal Refusing to Exit."

I prefer "Meals Refused by Enemy".

Though there's a joke there. Apparently during the first gulf war, (I'm going by memory here) when we deployed to Saudi Arabia, we shipped along bazillion tons of MREs without regard, as it's as much for Saudis as it's for our buildup. Saudis didn't really have much of logistics network for their armed forces, being mostly defense oriented. And along with the MREs are tons of MREs featuring pork products, which is verboten in Muslim countries. Saudis, nonplussed, simply picked them all out and handed them over to the Americans, and they kept all the non-pork stuff. This resulted in the US forces having only ham and pork chop related MREs to eat for next X months until new stock (with a proper mix) arrived from the US. This also, of course, resulted in US forces can't feed any of the prisoners.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 1:40 pm

"It pretty much tastes just like a typical pan pizza that you would make at home and take out of the oven or the toaster oven," she said. "The only thing missing from that experience would be it's not hot when you eat it. It's room temperature."

Ok, so maybe even tepid toaster pizza beats out traditional MREs for taste but sometimes you have to trade taste for nutrition, portability, and shelf-life. Feeding troops an steady supply of humectants packed in iron filings might not be the best solution.

I guess there are two approaches, taking what tastes passable and engineering it to last forever or take what lasts forever and engineering it to taste passable.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Tue Feb 25, 2014 12:36 am

The army's hidden treasure room

Sort-of kind-of tech/science with a hefty dose of art.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Feb 28, 2014 11:39 am

Nave developing five-pound missile

f the Pentagon is going to increasingly rely on drones to carry out precision attacks, the military is going to need access to smaller munitions than one-ton JDAMs.

While most defense contractors are designing drones to accommodate the already-existing larger weapons, the Navy has taken the opposite approach with Spike, a five-pound, 25-inch mini-munition which it likes to call “the world’s smallest guided missile.”

Relying on commercial-off-the-shelf components such as cellphone camera technology, Spike can be launched from the air or the ground and is being developed so it can even be shoulder-fired.

And at sea, it can fill a particular gap against the increasing threat of small boat swarms, the fast attack craft (FAC) and fast inshore attack craft (FIAC), according to the Navy.

“With a number of targets coming at you, there’s potential for some to get through,” said Greg Wheelock, a Navy Weapons Division technical lead, in a statement. “Spike is a good option for taking out those leakers. It’s not going to blow those boats out of the water but it can take the boat out of commission.”

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Fri Feb 28, 2014 2:01 pm

Just imagine a SM-2 missile designed to pop like 5-10 of these like confetti, then they scatter to engage a boat swarm by themselves.

IR seeking so they go after the engines. One of these, even if it has no warhead, diving at couple hundred knots, will punch through most boat hulls like butter.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Fri Feb 28, 2014 2:44 pm

Isgrimnur wrote:Nave developing five-pound missile

“With a number of targets coming at you, there’s potential for some to get through,” said Greg Wheelock, a Navy Weapons Division technical lead, in a statement. “Spike is a good option for taking out those leakers. It’s not going to blow those boats out of the water but it can take the boat out of commission.”

I thought the .50 cals and 57mm Bofors were for the "leakers." Seems like Spike would be a way to ensure that there are no "leakers."

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Feb 28, 2014 2:47 pm

It's always good to have multiple options.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Fri Feb 28, 2014 2:58 pm

But what is the first line of defense that these will back up? Ship to ship missiles maybe?

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Feb 28, 2014 3:15 pm

I would imagine that this would be more catered to ships other than the LCS that are already tasked with defending against this type of attack. If the LCSes weren't deployed as part of a battlegroup, these could be used as a gap solution for the larger ships likely to be targeted. The LCS class is likely going to have the Griffin going forward, meaning that they won't need a Spike outfit.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sat Mar 01, 2014 3:16 pm

LawBeefaroni wrote: I thought the .50 cals and 57mm Bofors were for the "leakers." Seems like Spike would be a way to ensure that there are no "leakers."

Those are LOS weapons... you can only shoot at the portion that you can see. And the engine's in the back... usually.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sun Mar 02, 2014 4:20 pm

A history of battle field loiter stealth recon drones... esp. the Tacit Blue, aka the Ugly Whale.

http://aviationintel.com/rq-170-origins ... acit-blue/

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Mon Mar 03, 2014 7:13 pm

Chuck Hagel says that the Littoral Combat Ship line will stop at 32 rather than the planned 52. It will be succeeded by something with more punch.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's decision to stop building the current class of coastal warships after 32 vessels and focus on ships with more firepower and protection will result in higher costs, U.S. defense officials said on Monday.

...

Hagel told Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert to study alternative proposals for a new "capable and lethal small surface combatant, generally consistent with the capabilities of a frigate" in time to inform the fiscal 2016 budget negotiations.

The options should include a completely new design; existing ship designs, including the current coastal Littoral Combat Ships (LCS); and a modified LCS ship; factoring in cost, mission and weapons requirements, sensors and required delivery date, Hagel said in a memo, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 10:02 am

The history of Navy analog computers. (Shamelessly lifted from Dubious Quality)

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 2:17 pm

Isgrimnur wrote:The history of Navy analog computers. (Shamelessly lifted from Dubious Quality)

Oh no! They left out "torpedo data computer" on the submarines!

Well, he's a surface swabbie, that ignorance is understandable.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 2:34 pm

Depends on the workload. During the xmas season I put in 8+ hours 7 days a week. The rest of the year can be anywhere from 1 to 4 hours a day -- again, 7 days a week. I answered 2 on average but I really have no idea.

In my last conventional job I spent about half the day working and the other half talking about work ("meetings", they were called), pretending to work, or avoiding work. I would expect 4 hours to win your poll.

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 2:36 pm

Kraken wrote:Depends on the workload. During the xmas season I put in 8+ hours 7 days a week. The rest of the year can be anywhere from 1 to 4 hours a day -- again, 7 days a week. I answered 2 on average but I really have no idea.

In my last conventional job I spent about half the day working and the other half talking about work ("meetings", they were called), pretending to work, or avoiding work. I would expect 4 hours to win your poll.

mmhmm...

DD* · Post by DD* » Fri Mar 21, 2014 2:38 pm

Kraken wrote:Depends on the workload. During the xmas season I put in 8+ hours 7 days a week. The rest of the year can be anywhere from 1 to 4 hours a day -- again, 7 days a week. I answered 2 on average but I really have no idea.

In my last conventional job I spent about half the day working and the other half talking about work ("meetings", they were called), pretending to work, or avoiding work. I would expect 4 hours to win your poll.

Kraken is so overworked, he sometimes gets lost in the forum

DD* · Post by DD* » Fri Mar 21, 2014 2:40 pm

Kasey Chang wrote:Just imagine a SM-2 missile designed to pop like 5-10 of these like confetti, then they scatter to engage a boat swarm by themselves. IR seeking so they go after the engines. One of these, even if it has no warhead, diving at couple hundred knots, will punch through most boat hulls like butter.

For your consideration, the Jericho.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 2:42 pm

Isgrimnur wrote:The history of Navy analog computers. (Shamelessly lifted from Dubious Quality)

I enjoyed this. Double plus good!

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 2:46 pm

DD* wrote:
Kraken wrote:Depends on the workload. During the xmas season I put in 8+ hours 7 days a week. The rest of the year can be anywhere from 1 to 4 hours a day -- again, 7 days a week. I answered 2 on average but I really have no idea.

In my last conventional job I spent about half the day working and the other half talking about work ("meetings", they were called), pretending to work, or avoiding work. I would expect 4 hours to win your poll.
Kraken is so overworked, he sometimes gets lost in the forum

Now how the hell did that happen? Must've gotten too freaky with the Back button.

DD* · Post by DD* » Fri Mar 21, 2014 2:47 pm

Kraken wrote:
DD* wrote:
Kraken wrote:Depends on the workload. During the xmas season I put in 8+ hours 7 days a week. The rest of the year can be anywhere from 1 to 4 hours a day -- again, 7 days a week. I answered 2 on average but I really have no idea.

In my last conventional job I spent about half the day working and the other half talking about work ("meetings", they were called), pretending to work, or avoiding work. I would expect 4 hours to win your poll.
Kraken is so overworked, he sometimes gets lost in the forum
Now how the hell did that happen? Must've gotten too freaky with the Back button.

Whoa, hey now, TMI...

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 10:33 am

Google is rejecting military funding for the Robot Rescue project:

Even though the Internet search giant owns two companies that have contracts with the Pentagon, Google is choosing to forego military funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in at least one robotic competition.

Google bought the robotics firm Schaft that had developed a bipedal robot that won DARPA’s Robotics Challenge. The competition asked companies to develop a robot that could perform disaster response tasks to include navigating debris, climbing ladders and turning off a valve.

Schaft earned the highest score in DARPA’s competition. Google and Schaft are not bailing from the program all together, but the company is moving to the “self-funded Track D of the program,” DARPA officials announced last week.
...
Along with Schaft, Google also bought Boston Dynamics, a company that DARPA has come to depend on to develop multiple pieces of equipment.

Boston Dynamics has developed such projects as the Big Dog, which is a four-legged drone being built to carry supplies for combat troops over rough terrain. The research lab has also developed the Sand Flea, an 11-pound robot that can leap onto roofs and over walls while carrying sensors.

Paingod · Post by **Paingod** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 11:51 am

I always wondered what kind of company OmniCorp started out as ... I would never have thought "internet search engine"

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 11:54 am

Remember, their true revenue comes from advertising.

"You have are under arrest for vandalism. Here are ads for bail bondsmen and sign painters."

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 12:05 pm

Isgrimnur wrote:Remember, their true revenue comes from advertising.

"You have are under arrest for vandalism. Here are ads for bail bondsmen and sign painters."

Being gunned down by a robot displaying a Willa Cather themed Google Doodle won't hurt as much.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon Mar 31, 2014 12:33 pm

Night vision contact lenses

The University of Michigan has developed a prototype contact lens that enhances night vision by placing a thin strip of graphene between layers of glass. The graphene — a form of carbon — reacts to photons, which makes dark images look brighter.

The development of the lens still has quite a ways to go before soldiers can scrap those heavy goggles. Right now the graphene only absorbs 2.3 percent of the light. Those percentages have to rise before true night vision can be achieved.
...
This technology is not limited to a contact lens. The developers said the graphene could be incorporated into windshields and amplify night vision while driving.

According to reports, the U.S. Army has already shown interest in the technology.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Wed Apr 02, 2014 6:24 pm

South Korea fight with Kinect

North Korea fight back with GoPro

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon Apr 07, 2014 12:20 pm

Bionic Olympics

The Cybathlon, an international competition for athletes using advanced prosthetics, is to be held in October 2016 in Zurich, Switzerland.

“The competitions are comprised by different disciplines that apply the most modern powered knee prostheses, wearable arm prostheses, powered exoskeletons, powered wheelchairs, electrically stimulated muscles and novel brain-computer interfaces,” according to the games’ official website.
...
DARPA has a number of programs that ultimately, benefit not only the active-duty soldier, but the injured veteran who remains determined live with as few limitations as possible. DARPA has been hot at work on advanced prosthetics – legs, arms, hands – and exoskeletons.
...
When the agency went looking for people to take part in human trials that involved brain surgery to link the mind to a robotic arm they had no trouble finding volunteers.

“We had quadriplegic volunteers who agreed to … have a small array placed on the surface of their brains, to pick up these neural signals for motor control, and then to use those to control these new, very sophisticated, robotic, prosthetic arms,” DARPA Director Arati Prabhakar told National Public Radio in a recent interview.

The Cybathlon will include competitions involving brain-computer interfaces; prosthetic legs and arms; powered exoskeletons; powered wheelchairs, and more.

Two medals will be awarded for winners in each event. One will go to the “pilot” – that is, the individual in the competition – and the other will go to the producer of the technology.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Apr 09, 2014 2:07 pm

Mach 7 railgun

Its latest weapon is an electromagnetic railgun launcher. It uses a form of electromagnetic energy known as the Lorentz force to hurl a 23-pound projectile at speeds exceeding Mach 7. Engineers already have tested this futuristic weapon on land, and the Navy plans to begin sea trials aboard a Joint High Speed Vessel Millinocket in 2016.
...
The Navy likes the weapon for several reasons, not the least of which it has a range of 100 miles and doesn’t require explosive warheads. That makes it far safer for sailors, and cheaper for taxpayers. According to the Navy, each 18-inch projectile costs about $25,000, compared to $500,000 to $1.5 million for conventional missiles.

Fretmute · Post by **Fretmute** » Wed Apr 09, 2014 2:15 pm

Sure, the bullets are cheap. The question is "how many can they fire before they have to replace the rails?"

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Wed Apr 09, 2014 2:23 pm

A while back I went to buy me a military style Beretta pistol. I found out from the store owner/gunsmith what a piece of crap they are. They are rate at 2600 rounds before they need a new slide (which can slide back and do your face major harm)and neither the military brass nor Beretta seem to think this is a problem.
The civilian version is rated at 5000 rounds as they expect you to fire regular 9mm instead of the 9mm+p which the military uses.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Wed Apr 09, 2014 2:52 pm

Fretmute wrote:Sure, the bullets are cheap. The question is "how many can they fire before they have to replace the rails?"

Who cares? General Atomics makes them.

The same General Atomics owned by the Blue Brothers, one of whom is married to a former Navy Rear Admiral, NDSM, DoDSM.