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4 New High-Tech Weapons Pack Small Shells, Big Boom

From an Iron Man-style guided missile to a Humvee-mounted pulverizer, this smarter and more deadly crop of tiny military systems brings some finesse to force.


By Joe Pappalardo
Published in the June 2008 issue

1. Spike

A demonstration of the Spike guided missile.
I
t’s the smallest guided missile in the world, but Spike (shown above)—which weighs just 5.3 pounds and measures 25 in. long—packs a big punch. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division has pulled off four successful demonstrations of the weapon, including one hit through the passenger window of a remote-control truck (below). The weapon could soon be carried by unmanned aerial vehicles or infantry. Like several other small, high-tech armaments made possible by recent advances in microelectronics and materials science, Spike is easy to deploy. It’s also versatile: A gunner at a mobile control station can switch targets or abort an attack while the missile is in flight.


2. Small Diameter Bomb


The SDB is a 285-pound bomb used when the Air Force’s second-lightest 500-pound precision bombs would endanger civilians or allied forces. The Pentagon wants to adapt the SDB’s warhead to produce less shrapnel, further limiting collateral damage, by using a casing made of carbon composites instead of steel. In February, Boeing delivered the first 50 of these “Focused Lethality” variants to the Air Force for testing.


3. Miniature Air Launched Decoy


It doesn’t shoot, but the 112-in. MALD may prove deadly to enemy air defenses. Launched from an aircraft, this turbojet-powered decoy mimics combat aircraft, tricking antiaircraft batteries into turning on their radars—thereby revealing their positions and becoming targets themselves. Raytheon finished flight tests in January and is preparing for commercial production.


4. Lightweight 25


Chain guns that can pulverize a target with 25 mm rounds are found mainly on Air Force gunships, heavy armor vehicles and Navy vessels. Alliant TechSystems’ new, lightweight version can be mounted on smaller vehicles, such as Humvees, and remotely operated from inside. The system weighs 63 pounds—less than half as much as similar chain guns. An airburst round explodes at a preset distance, striking targets hiding beyond the shooter’s line of sight.

Top 5 Bomb-Packing, Gun-Toting War Bots the U.S. Doesn’t Have

For the most part, armed robots are a Western phenomenon, with massive defense budgets and multi-national contractors. So even though Hezbollah has flown at least three possibly bomb-laden drones into Israeli airspace, unmanned killing machines remain largely the purview of more well-heeled military forces. While the United States remains the definitive leader in unmanned military vehicles (pick up the March issue of PM for our special report), here are some of the most promising ones being developed elsewhere.

By Erik Sofge


Europe's nEUROn unmanned combat aerial vehicle. (Illustration by Dassault Aviation - M. Alleaume)

nEUROn

A team of European firms is developing this unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) demonstrator, with the end goal of operating several semi-autonomous UCAVs at once to perform bombing missions while remaining invisible to radar and infrared sensors. The project will only produce a single aircraft, but the advances in swarming and stealth technologies that come from the prototype could spin off related European defense contracts. A successful nEUROn demonstrator could lead to a fully developed UCAV that's perfectly suited to disabling anti-air weapons ahead of human-piloted missions.

| Operator: European Union
| Developer: Dassault (lead), EADS, Saab
| Armament: Laser-guided air-to-ground munitions
| Performance: The 5.5 to 7-ton nEUROn will have a 12.5-meter wingspan, and fly at up to 0.8 Mach. Potentially, an individual operator will be able to control an entire squad of networked UCAVs at once.
| Progress: Dassault plans to fly the initial tech demonstrator by 2011.

For the most part, armed robots are a Western phenomenon, with massive defense budgets and multi-national contractors. So even though Hezbollah has flown at least three possibly bomb-laden drones into Israeli airspace, unmanned killing machines remain largely the purview of more well-heeled military forces. While the United States remains the definitive leader in unmanned military vehicles (pick up the March issue of PM for our special report), here are some of the most promising ones being developed elsewhere.

By Erik Sofge

(Diagram by Samsung Techwin)


SGR-A1

Although some early reports envisioned South Korea’s new sentry robot patrolling the disputed border with North Korea, the SGR-A1 actually won’t go anywhere. The system is a smart, unmanned gun tower, intended to partially relieve humans of guard duty at government installations or on the border between North and South Korea. Developers have given it the capability to fire on its own, so if deployed this system would be the first to autonomously shoot at a target. However, that would likely be a mode of last resort, with humans normally making the decision to engage. There’s a familiar logo emblazoned on the front of the CGI render above: -Samsung. The Samsung that the Western world knows is a scrappy consumer electronics powerhouse and high-profile manufacturer of high-def TVs. And then there’s Samsung in South Korea, building an arsenal of tanks and armed robots.


| Operator: South Korea
| Developer: Samsung Techwin
| Armament: Variety of small arms, including light machine gun or launcher to dispense tear gas canisters or rubber rounds
| Performance: A trio of cameras can detect targets at up to 4 km, and a laser rangefinder helps track them at up to 2 km (distances are halved at night). Its pattern recognition algorithms theoretically allow it to pick out humans, and presumably prevent it from opening fire on animals.
| Progress: The developer did not respond to calls and e-mails, but the system has missed its announced deadline—it was originally slated for deployment by the end of last year.

For the most part, armed robots are a Western phenomenon, with massive defense budgets and multi-national contractors. So even though Hezbollah has flown at least three possibly bomb-laden drones into Israeli airspace, unmanned killing machines remain largely the purview of more well-heeled military forces. While the United States remains the definitive leader in unmanned military vehicles (pick up the March issue of PM for our special report), here are some of the most promising ones being developed elsewhere.

By Erik Sofge

(Photograph by IDF)


Heron TP ("Eitan")

The Heron Turboprop (or TP) is Israel's largest UAV, and one of the largest in the world, with a wingspan of 26 meters. Along with the standard drone assignments of reconnaissance and targeting, experts have speculated that this giant aircraft will play a more active combat role, possibly knocking out ballistic missile sites before they can launch against Israel.


| Operator: Israel
| Developer: Malat
| Armament: None specified
| Performance: With more sophisticated avionics than Israel's previous UAVs, more endurance (up to 36 hours), and a higher altitude ceiling (at least 45,000 feet), this 1200-hp aircraft will not only fly above civilian air traffic, but it should require less operator intervention. It can also take off and land autonomously, although that has become a standard feature for many current UAV models. The real question is payload-the TP can carry at least one ton, fueling suspicions that some sort of weapon system could be installed. Israel, however, is famously tight-lipped about its UAVs, refusing to confirm that it has ever engaged targets with its existing fleet. In other words, we may never know for certain whether the Heron TP can, or will, be used offensively.
| Progress: This UAV was unveiled last June; production is expected to begin early next year.

For the most part, armed robots are a Western phenomenon, with massive defense budgets and multi-national contractors. So even though Hezbollah has flown at least three possibly bomb-laden drones into Israeli airspace, unmanned killing machines remain largely the purview of more well-heeled military forces. While the United States remains the definitive leader in unmanned military vehicles (pick up the March issue of PM for our special report), here are some of the most promising ones being developed elsewhere.

By Erik Sofge

(Photograph by BAE Systems)


Protector

This unmanned surface vehicle (USV) was built to provide a measure of defense against a very specific kind of asymmetric warfare-suicide boats, like the one that punctured the hull of the U.S.S. Cole in Yemen. By investigating a suspicious boat, either an approaching vessel or an apparent derelict, the Protector can trigger a suicide attack, or provide a warning to larger vessels. In a less sacrificial role, the USV can also respond directly to threats, with a hail of bullets.


| Operator: Singapore
| Developer: BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, RAFAEL
| Armament: 7.62mm machine gun
| Performance: Capable of speeds of up to 30 knots, this 30-ft-long robot has a 10-mile range, and is equipped with microphones and speakers, for remote communication between operators and potential hostiles. Its stabilized weapon mount hasn't been tested in combat, but since the vessel itself consists of a rigid-hulled inflatable boat, the Protector isn't necessarily designed to survive a firefight. Once the guns or bombs go off, its job is essentially done.
| Progress: Although the United States Navy and Coast Guard continue to investigate the Protector, this USV has been an active part of Singapore's Navy since 2005.

For the most part, armed robots are a Western phenomenon, with massive defense budgets and multi-national contractors. So even though Hezbollah has flown at least three possibly bomb-laden drones into Israeli airspace, unmanned killing machines remain largely the purview of more well-heeled military forces. While the United States remains the definitive leader in unmanned military vehicles (pick up the March issue of PM for our special report), here are some of the most promising ones being developed elsewhere.

By Erik Sofge


BLADE (Battlefield Loitering Artillery Direct Effect)

"Loitering munitions" is military speak for a brutally simple concept: kamikaze drones, UAVs that are loaded with explosives and ordered to nosedive into enemy targets. Loitering systems have been deployed, such as Israel's Harpy UAV, but Britain's current initiative to develop its own fleet of self-destructive robots has led to multiple UAV programs. One of them, the BLADE system, is based around the unmanned Sparrow-N aircraft. It would allow multiple drones to circle an area, searching and destroying as a team.


| Operator: United Kingdom
| Developer: Ultra Electronics (lead), BAE Systems, EMIT, Qinetiq, RAFAEL, Raytheon
| Armament: Onboard munitions
| Performance: Like the Sparrow-N it's based on, each BLADE UAV has a maximum endurance of 6 hours. It also has the ability to navigate to a destination autonomously, and guide its own final descent towards a target. In theory, drones could perform a range of supportive roles, some searching for targets, others ramming into them, and still others assessing battle damage (to determine whether more kamikaze runs are necessary).
| Progress: The BLADE team is scheduled to produce a demonstration by the end of this year.

Lol.....those are all stuff from Future Weapons series on discovery channel....But they are quite nice though. XD

I am curious if anybody has any comments on the double sacking of both Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley and Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne by Defence Secretary Robert Gates, following an investigation into Nuclear Weapons handling cock ups, principally, the shipping of Nuke Nose cones to Taiwan and the loading of Nuclear tipped Cruise missiles into a B52 by accident?

when you are in charge and others around you mess up, you pay the price for there screw ups. simple as that.

though screwing up nuclear material is not considered a light matter.

carrying six nuke tipped crusie missiles with out knowing it is a serious matter calling for a serious response from the top. this was so done as other events also contributed to there FUBAR behaviour.

related news though covering D- DAY during WW2 - the appalling statics for that day from all sides of this event. i could not fnd a historu spot for this item - that why i posted here -- poster note
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D- Day Statistics

D-day and World War II Context -

June 6, 1944, H-Hour was 6:30 am. It was D-day

The assault was conducted in two phases: an air assault landing of American and British airborne divisions shortly after midnight, and an amphibious landing of Allied infantry and armoured divisions on the coast of France commencing at 06:30 British Double Summer Time.

The operation was the largest single-day invasion of all time, with over 130,000 troops landed on June 6, 1944. 195,700 Allied naval and merchant navy personnel were involved. The landings took place along a stretch of the Normandy coast divided into five sections: Gold, Juno, Omaha, Sword and Utah.

D-Day/normandy Invasion Casualties

United States: 1,465 dead, 5,138 wounded, missing or captured;

United Kingdom: 2,700 dead, wounded or captured;

Canada: 500 dead; 621 wounded or captured;

Total:10,264

The combined deaths of this one battle are more than the fatal losses of America and its allies after five years of the Iraq war.

Nazi Germany: Between 4,000 and 9,000 dead, wounded or captured

By D-Day 157 German divisions were stationed in the Soviet Union, 6 in Finland, 12 in Norway, 6 in Denmark, 9 in Germany, 21 in the Balkans, 26 in Italy and 59 in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. However, these statistics are somewhat misleading since a significant number of the divisions in the east were depleted; German records indicate that the average personnel complement was at about 50% in the spring of 1944.

the Importance of the Soviet Union in winning World War 2

Not to diminish the great effort of the USA in WW2 and the great sacrifice of D-day, but it is important to know the historical contribution of the Soviet Union in WW2.

A great deal of importance for the success of D-day has been placed on tricking Hitler into placing more of his troops at Calais. It was also important that the 12the Panzer division did not move quickly into the conflict. Without the eastern front drain and commitment of divisions there would have been more armor and divisions all over France and everywhere else.

At the beginning of June 1944 the 12th Panzer division was declared ready for combat operations. The Division's tank strength at this time was 81 Panther ausf A / G and 104 Panzer IV ausf H / J tanks. The division was also equipped with Jagdpanzer IV tank destroyers, three prototype Wirbelwind flakpanzer vehicles, along with a number of 20 mm, 37 mm and 88 mm flak guns, Hummel, Wespe and sIG 33 self-propelled guns and regular towed artillery pieces.

Tanks on the east front peaked at 5,202 in November 1944.

So a huge credit for a successful invasion is that Soviets had regrouped from losses in 1941 and turned things around in 1942.

The Soviets lost 26 million people in the war. About 11 million of those were military losses. The Red Army lost 3 million men in the summer of 1941 (killed or missing). They lost about 4.5 million in the last 6 months of 1941.

Stalins Keys to Victory by William Dunn details the amazing recruitment effort to rebuild and replace the Red Army three times over 18 months.

The United States lost 418,500 people over the course of World War 2.

The Eastern front was the largest theater of war in history and was notorious for its unprecedented ferocity, destruction, and immense loss of life. More people fought and died on the Eastern Front than in all other theaters of World War II combined. With over 30 million dead, many of them civilians, the Eastern Front has been called a war of extermination.

Over the course of WW2, the US mobilized an army of 100 divisions.

The Germans had mobilized 400 divisions.

The Soviets had mobilized 700 divisions.

The Soviet losses in 1941-1943 would not have been so severe if Stalin had not purged his experienced military officers in 1938.

The Soviets might not have been able to motivate and recruit so successfully for the defence of Mother Russia if not for the brutality and harsh treatment of the nazis against the one third of Russia that they conquered in 1941.

The Soviet wars preceding WW2 left a larger reserve of military veterans to rebuild the Red Army after the devastating initial losses.

The Americans helped supply gear with the lend lease program for trucks etc.. but the Soviets made their own guns and tanks. Factories the American engineers helped build in the 1930s. The soviets had learned the lessons of mass production to only build as good as you need. Tanks only lasted about 6 months before being destroyed. So it did not matter if engine was poorly made and would breakdown in 2-5 years. The Tank would not last that long.

The recruitment and production effort to get the people and weapons put together while fighting the most fierce battles in history is an interesting and informative study.

The USA probably could still have won WW2 if the Soviets had been defeated and not been able to regroup after 1941 or lost Moscow and Stalingrad, but it would have been far more costly and the USA would have to have an army 4-6 times larger than the one they did. Or the US would have had to wait until 1945 when they developed the nuclear bomb.

FURTHER READING

Operation Barbarossa, the initial German invasion of the Soviet Union. Germany had 4.5 million men.

In 1941, the Soviet armed forces in the western districts were outnumbered by their German counterparts, 4.3 million Axis soldiers vs. 2.6 million Soviet soldiers. The overall size of the Soviet armed forces in early July 1941, though, amounted to a little more than 5 million men, 2.6 million in the west, 1.8 million in the far east, with the rest being deployed or training elsewhere

Soviets: At least 802,191 killed, unknown wounded, and some 3,300,000 captured.

Battle of Stalingrad

Germans: 750,000 killed or wounded, 250,000 captured

Soviets: 700,000 killed, wounded or captured, 40,000+ civilian dead

The Battle of Moscow

Germans: 248,000–400,000 casualties

Soviets: 650,000–1,280,000 casualties

Battle of Kursk

Germans: 50,000 dead, wounded, or captured

Soviets: 500,000 dead, wounded, or captured

Autumn and winter 1943 on the eastern front

Battle of Crimea 8 April 1944 - 12 May 1944

Soviet: 85,000 all causes

German/Romanian: 97,000 all causes

The Germans were already getting pushed back quite a ways by D-Day. On the US side, by June 4th 1944 all of Italy had been captured (campaign started with invasion of Sicily July 1943) and before that North Africa.

Belorussian Offensive. June 22, 1944 Two weeks after D-day.

Germans: 300,000-400,000 killed, wounded and taken prisoner.

Soviets: 60,000 KIA/MIA, 110,000 WIA/sick