Ten Best Never-Used Weapon Systems

Ten Best Never-Used Weapon Systems, From the USSR Ekranoplane to the Puckle Gun

1. Ekranoplan
Dubbed the Caspian Sea Monster, the USSR's top-secret ekranoplan skimmed on a pocket of air just above the water's surface and well below radar. Only a handful were built, and the behemoth never made it out of trials.

2. Marine Corps Space Plane
A few years ago, the Marine Corps proposed Sustain — the Small Unit Space Transport and Insertion project — which would put boots on the ground anywhere in the world within two hours. It made a great PowerPoint presentation.

3. Atomic Airplane
In the 1950s, a rumor spread that the Soviets were working on a nuclear-powered aircraft. Alarmed, the US rushed to finish its own. The hitch: The crew would be exposed to dangerous levels of radiation. One solution offered was to use older pilots.

4. Psychedelics
For years, the US military experimented on its own soldiers with LSD, pot, and 3-quinuclidinyl benzilate, hoping to learn how to give foreign armies a bad trip.

5. Sun Gun
The Nazis developed plans to build a space-based reflector that would redirect sunlight into a devastating heat beam. Allied engineers doubted the Germans could do it. They were right.

To read about the next five at Wired Magazine, click here.

Future of Military Technology is the Size of a Molecule

Nanoscale materials and components, including some of the tiniest products ever manufactured, have already found their way into communications systems and weapons being used in the war in Iraq. But the role of nanotechnology is still so limited that the Iraq war will more likely be remembered as the last to be fought without its benefits than the first that fully deployed it.

''Most of the materials that would really make a difference are still in the research stage,'' said James Ellenbogen, a nanotechnology analyst for the MITRE Corporation, a leading consultant company for the Defense Department.

To read more of this content at the New York Times, click here.

Sea Life Being Investigated as Potential Source of New Armour Material

Marine snails, sea urchins, and other animals from the sea are teaching researchers in UC Riverside's Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering how to make the world a better place. Consider, for example, the possibilities of designing a lightweight armor that would protect U.S. soldiers in Iraq from Improvised Explosive Devices. Or, what flexible ceramics might offer industry. Or, how everyone could benefit from new ways of producing and storing energy.

Nature holds these secrets and the answers to the questions that Prof. David Kisailus's research group is learning how to ask. "My hope," Kisailus said, "is that we can truly learn from these organisms how to design, optimize, and synthesize engineering materials that display properties that we as engineers can only dream of."

To read more of this content at Space War's MilTech site, click here.

Dude, Never Mind Flying Cars, Where's My Flying Humvee?

Editor's Note: The following pair of articles appeared recently on the Social News site Newsvine, prompting Threat Centre personnel to wonder, if we can make a prototype flying car, why can't we make a flying humvee? That would be a novel way of dealing with the IED threat in Iraq.

Is Your Flying Car Just Around the Corner? Part 1: Back to the Retro Future.

Is Your Flying Car Just Around the Corner? Part 2: Gernsback's Revenge.

Successful Test Flight for India's Lakshya Microlight UAV

BALASORE: DEFENCE scientists test-flown an advanced version of pilotless target aircraft (PTA) - Lakshya- from the Chandipur defence base, 15 km from here, on Wednesday.

The indigenously developed microlight unmanned air vehicle (UAV) was flown from the integrated test range (ITR) at about 12 noon.

Defence sources said Lakshya’s trial was undertaken with an improved engine and other sub-systems to check the viability of the improved version of the engine and its duration enhancement. The engine and sub-systems have been developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bangalore, a wing of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the sources informed.

To read more of this content at NewIndPress.Com, click here.

Anjani to Supply Lightweight Dyneema Panels for Mine Protection Vehicles

Anjani Technoplast Press Release

New Delhi – Anjani Technoplast of Noida, India, recently won a keenly contested $4.6 million global tender from Ordnance Factory Medak, India, for the supply of lightweight dyneema panels for mine protection vehicles. The dyneema panels have to be supplied before the end of September this year.

With a large number of high-capacity presses and water-jet cutting machines for accurate profile cutting, Anjani is one of the few companies in the world which can execute a project of this size within the timeframe given by Ordnance Factory Medak. Anjani is proud to be a part of this prestigious development project.

Anjani is a leading manufacturer of ballistic protection products and has been actively engaged with various defence organisations in India in developing personal and vehicle armouring solutions for Indian paramilitary, police and defence forces.



For more information on this company:
Anjani Technoplast - Bulletproof Vests, Bulletproof Helmets, Composite Panels, Hard Armour Panels and Bomb Blankets

Raytheon Brings 'Iron Man' Suit to Life

"Raytheon is bringing 'Iron Man' to life, according to EETimes. 'The movie opens in theaters worldwide today, but the real "iron man" has already been under construction at Raytheon Company (Salt Lake City, Utah) since 2000. Raytheon's Exoskeleton project is the brainchild of project leader Stephen Jacobsen and is being funded by the U.S. Army. The project, according to the company, permits soldiers to don an Exoskeleton suit that amplifies their strength — enabling them to lift 200-pound payloads without tiring.'"

To read similar content at Slashdot, click here.

Editor's Note: for additional reading, check out Wired's Danger Room article, "How to: Build Your Own Iron Man Armor"