Rattus Norvegicus and Rattus Rattus may have bad reputations, but they also have a sophisticated olfactory acuity and learn quickly. This makes rats ideal candidates for an automated training course in land-mine detection, says Kevin Myers, associate professor of psychology at Bucknell University, who specializes in learning and motivation relating to appetite and behavior in the oft-maligned muroids.
Russia has claimed the successful test of a prototype of new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The new missile was fired from a mobile launcher at the Plesetsk spaceport in May and its warhead reached a designated area in the Kura test range on the Kamchatka Peninsula. The military also said the missile will have improved capabilities to overcome anti-ballistic missile defenses being deployed by the U.S.—an important new priority for Moscow after years of trying to forestall U.S. missile-defense developments.
Boot-centric warfare (BCW) is a resilient idea. It holds that the war is not truly engaged in, let alone won, until a rifleman's boots are on the ground. But BCW doctrine does not withstand historical analysis. While believers remind you that World War II was not won from the air, they forget how close it came to being lost in the North Atlantic. And the Cold War was decided without a single steel-capped toe crossing the East-West divide in anger.
Composite aircraft design challenges traditional operations in a number of areas. One is maintenance and repair, where new techniques are often necessary to spot impact damage in structures where cracks and other flaws are not as apparent as in metal. GKN Aerospace of the U.K. says it might have a solution: a “smart” coating that reveals damage under ultraviolet light. The company has partnered with the University of Bristol in the U.K. to solve the problem, and the solution seems promising.
Since some military operations could take place with no access to GPS, work is underway to develop an onboard sensor that guides missiles and other projectiles independently of the navigation system. The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) is seeking to develop a Chip-Scale Combinatorial Atomic Navigator (C-Scan), integrating solid-state and atomic inertial sensors in one inertial measurement unit (IMU). The sensor, no bigger than 20 cu. cm. (1.2 cu.
Patents have been filed in recent years for improvements in hand grenades, which have remained largely unchanged since 1915. One recent patent application addresses an old concern: how a left-handed soldier can efficiently wield a grenade. Designed for right-handed use, grenades such as the M67, in use by the U.S., have the safety pin on the left. A soldier grips the grenade and fuze lever in his right hand, pulls the pin with his left and throws the weapon. A southpaw must invert the grenade to neatly pull the pin with his right hand and throw with his left.
China is marketing a lightweight 155-mm howitzer remarkably similar in description to BAE's M777, regarded as one of the most advanced lightweight artillery systems in its class since its debut in 2000. In service with the U.S. Marine Corps since 2005 and the U.S. Army since 2006, the M777 weighs 3.7-4 tons, has a crew of five to seven, and fires up to five rounds per minute of extended-range shells that reach 40 km (25 mi.). This lightweight, high-performance capability is due to extensive use of high-strength, low-weight titanium.
Rafael's Trophy Light active protection system (APS) made its debut at Eurosatory in Paris last month, demonstrated on a Rheinmetall Gavial light armored vehicle. The vehicle also carries a Samson Junior weapon station adapted for the 14.5-mm KVPT machine gun. Trophy Light was developed to protect light armored vehicles. As with other Trophy family systems, Trophy Light uses two sensors operating in unison—a network of four sensors covering 360 deg. and distributed electro-optical sensors that trigger the relevant countermeasure unit at close range.
The successful intercept of a cruise missile target on April 26 by a Lockheed Martin PAC-3 missile at the Utah Test and Training Range adds momentum to the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor (Jlens) integrated missile-defense program. Jlens, from Raytheon, deploys two aerostats, one with surveillance radar and the other with a fire-control radar, to detect and track multiple cruise missiles, as well as low-flying aircraft, ground vehicles and ballistic missiles.
With a new president in power, Yemen is once again receiving military assistance from the Pentagon, including training and equipment. “We are gradually resuming our suspended military assistance on a case-by-case basis to assist components of the Yemeni military that are actively engaged in the fight against Al Qaeda,” says USAF Lt. Col. Wesley P. Miller, 4th. While the U.S. military has provided training and equipment for several years, security assistance was suspended last year amid political turmoil that led to the departure of the previous president.
Rafael, Israel's leading missile development center, has quietly been working on an air-to-air derivative of the Stunner interceptor, to be designated Python 6 or the Future Advanced Air-to-Air Missile (FAAM). The Stunner is a surface-to-air missile already being developed in partnership with Raytheon for Israel's David's Sling air and missile-defense system.
Battlefield medicine often leads to major medical breakthroughs and the war in Afghanistan is no exception. The Mobile Oxygen Ventilation and External Suction system, or Moves, was developed and designed by Canada's Thornhill Research for $7 million for the U.S. Marine Corps. The life-support system comprises a ventilator, oxygen concentrator, suction system, patient monitoring, and display module and mounts for up to three infusion pumps or a defibrillator, and is contained in a box that weighs just 24 kg (53 lb.).
