Technology Is Now Enabling Military Pilots To See Through Smoke, Dust, Mist & Smog

In recent wars, poor visibility has claimed more U.S. helicopters than enemy gunfire. DVIDS Images

Forbes: Fog Of War: How Clever Technology Enables Military Pilots To See Through Smoke, Dust, Mist & Smog

Across time and cultures, the one great constant of warfare is confusion. Since the dawn of man, warriors on all sides have often lacked the situational awareness they needed to survive and succeed in battle.

In recent years, this metaphorical “fog of war” has begun to lift as new technologies became available to maintain communications and coordinate force movements even in the harshest circumstances.

However, fog isn’t just a metaphor for warfighters. It is a real problem on any battlefield where smoke, mist, clouds, dust, snow and other obscurants are present.

The Pentagon figures that 58% of the rotorcraft it lost during the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq were traceable to mishaps caused by what professionals call “degraded visual environments” or DVE.

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WNU Editor: This is going to avoid a lot of accidents, and save a lot of lives.