INNOVATION IN MILITARY TECHNOLOGY

Teknologi dan Inovasi dalam Pendidikan – Dr. Jamaludin BadusahChristopher Chong Wei Jin A 127334

Innovation in Military Technology - Lasers

• Not the lasers you see on TV, real-life lasers are now used by soldiers to destroy mines from a safe distance. Assisted by computer targeting, lasers are highly accurate.

• The picture below is of the ZEUS laser system deployed by the US Army, while there are many other types of lasers including laser target designators for bombs and missiles, blinding enemy troops and shooting down incoming missiles.

Innovation in Military Technology - Armed Robotic Vehicle

• A robotic vehicle with armor, sensors, guns and missiles. With these, tanks operated by human crews will no longer be needed, with humans remotely-controlling these robotic vehicles miles away in a safe location.

• The XM1219 in the picture below is an early prototype of such vehicles. The US Army is still conducting research & development into this new area, aiming to produce a vehicle sufficiently-mobile and tough to perform in modern battlefield conditions.

Innovation in Military Technology - Powered Armor

• Normal soldiers wear full-body armor into battle, allowing them to improve their senses (see and hear better with built-in sensors), protect them from bullets and other dangers, carry their own oxygen supply in case the environment becomes toxic, and help them carry heavy items such as guns and backpacks without using the soldier's own muscles. All of these powered by an internal generator.

• The US Army has conducted extensive research in this field, as are (presumably) other militaries, but scientists find it challenging to produce a working version with current technology without sufficiently miniaturizing many components such as the power generator, improved armor materials and all-weather sensor/targeting aids.

Innovation in Military Technology - Stealth Destroyers

• The future of naval combat, stealth destroyers are much harder to detect by radar. They can sneak into any sea and launch surprise attacks against land, sea or air targets with their multiple types of weapons.

• Currently, the US Navy are constructing a pair of such destroyers, the Zumwalt-class. Featuring advanced sensors, 4 guns and 20 multipurpose missile launchers, these destroyers are powerful additions to any navy, though their cost (6.6 billion USD) is prohibitive.

Innovation in Military Technology - MQ-9 Reaper Attack Drone

• The Reaper is the US military's second attack UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), a larger development from the first model, the MQ-1 Predator. It can carry 15 times the payload and fly 3 times faster than the Predator because of its powerful 950-hp engine, but has shorter standby time in the air. As a bonus, it uses the same operating system as earlier drones, saving on costs, but an entire package (4 drones+ground control station+operating system) is still 154.4 million USD.

• The main advantage of remote-controlled drones is that they do not risk the lives of their pilots, unlike current jet fighters.

• The company behind the Reaper, General Atomics, is currently developing its successor, the Avenger. Currently, the US operates the most Predators (NASA uses unarmed versions for science experiments), while Australia, the UK, Germany and Italy are buying or have bought Reapers for their own militaries.

Innovation in Military Technology - Railgun

• The future of guns, much lighter than current guns and capable of shooting a bullet at targets kilometers away with a guaranteed kill. The bullet flies so fast that the fire you see in the picture is not the gas from normal bullets, but the ignited air around it.

• Railguns have existed for a long time as experiments, even during WWII, but the main obstacle has been supplying enough electricity to power and fire the gun. It operates on the principle of sliding contact rails beside the projectile that pass an electrical current through, allowing the projectile to be accelerated to very high velocities and penetrate any armour currently known. However, because it is electrically powered by motors, scientists calculate that a typical railgun would need power equivalent to the electricity supply of half a city. Electric motors that are small, compact but powerful enough for the gun to be portable are currently under development.

Innovation in Military Technology - Trophy Active Protection System

• See the small blue-colored devices on both sides of the tank? They can auto-aim incoming missiles and rockets and shoot them down with a shotgun-like blast. Now tanks can be upgraded to protect themselves against RPGs and missiles.

• The Trophy was developed by the RAFAEL company and is still being installed on modern tanks. It was successfully tested recently in counter-guerrilla operations when it shot down a missile fired by guerrillas against the tank.

Innovation in Military Technology - CornerShot

• Now soldiers can ambush their ambushers by firing around corners without getting exposed.

• The CornerShot was developed for use by SWAT and special forces during situations like hostage rescue, where it was important to protect soldiers from incoming fire while able to return fire.

• It is actually an accessory, not a new gun, capable of being mounted mostly on semi-automatic pistols (effective range 100-200m), anti-tank rockets, 40mm grenade launchers (pictured below), and future versions mounted on rifles like the M-16.

• So far, 15 countries have bought the CornerShot, while the UK has finished evaluating it.

Innovation in Military Technology - FGM-148 Javelin, The Latest Missile Launcher

• Able to destroy most tanks in one hit, just aim it through a digital screen and then run away after firing it. It's that simple and easy to use.

• The Javelin has two warheads, meaning that it is designed to penetrate tanks with two layers of armor, a common feature of modern tanks, which come equipped with reactive armor over their normal steel armor to defeat older missiles.

• Its first major combat deployment occurred during the Iraq War, where it easily penetrated the armor used by Iraqi tanks.

Innovation in Military Technology – B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber

• The B-2 Spirit bomber is able to fly 11000 kilometres into any country undetected and is very hard to spot, then drop 16 nukes on any target.

• Built in 1989 by the United States, there are only 20 Spirits in the world.

• It first saw service during the Kosovo War, then Afghanistan and Iraq. The US Air Force deploys them sparingly, as their firepower (max. 80 bombs) is considered overkill during smaller conflicts. During missions, the bomber can be refueled to extend its already extreme range to cover intercontinental distances.