DARPA Working With Boeing To Design And Possibly Build A Potentially Game-Changing X-Plane

A scale model of Aurora’s candidate for DARPA’s Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) program has been tested in a wind tunnel (Image: Aurora Flight Sciences)  

The DeBrief: DARPA Selects Boeing’s Aurora for Potentially Game-Changing X-Plane 

The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) has selected Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences to design and possibly build a potentially game-changing X-plane. Part of the agency’s Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effecters (CRANE) program, the revolutionary X-plane would employ Active Flow Control (AFC) instead of conventional control surfaces to maneuver the craft at ultra-fast speeds. 

If successful, the new X-plane could completely change the way high-speed aircraft fly by combining the simplicity and stability of AFC to improve overall reliability and performance while offering a lower radar cross-section.  

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WNU Editor: This is fascinating stuff. For more information on the X-plane and the science behind it .... Aurora wins funding to design active flow control X-plane (Aerospace Testing).

Russian Military Design Firm Unveils New Heavily Armed Submersible Patrol Hybrid-Ship Concept

© Rubin Design Bureau  

Defense Post: Russian Firm Unveils Stealth Submarine/Patrol Vessel Hybrid 

Russia’s Rubin Design Bureau has unveiled a larger version of its Sentinel submersible patrol ship, first introduced in April. 

The 72-meter (236-foot), 1,300-ton vessel features the “largest weapons suite,” including “a small-caliber automatic gun, two missile launchers, and four 324mm torpedo tubes,” TASS quoted the state-backed submarine design center as stating. 

The vessel’s larger frame allowed a modification in its design, making it more stable and stealthy.  

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Russian Military Design Firm Unveils New Heavily Armed Submersible Patrol Hybrid-Ship Concept  

Stealth warship-submarine hybrid unveiled in Russia (PHOTOS) -- RT  

Russian tech firm unveils new submersible patrol ship with missiles, torpedoes -- TASS 

Rubin Design Bureau Unveils New Version of its Submersible Patrol Ship -- Naval News  

Rubin Unveils Bigger BOSS Vessel That Is Both Submarine and Surface Patrol Ship -- Autoevolution

US Military Weapons, Gear And Tech In 2022

 

Task & Purpose: What’s Next In War: US military weapons, gear and tech in 2022  

Autonomous drones, laser weapons, and goggles that can see through vehicles, oh my. 

Predictions about what’s going to be next in war are quite often wrong. Despite official reports often including authoritative statements that the United States and its allies face a “diverse array of threats” playing out amid global disruption, military leaders have a long track record of being “100% right 0% of the time” about where they may end up in combat next. 

“I think, as we look toward the future, I have been a horrible prophet,” said future defense secretary Jim Mattis, then a four-star general commanding U.S. Central Command in testimony to the Senate in 2011. “I have never fought anywhere I expected to in all my years.”  

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WNU Editor: I have always believed in drones and improving the technology to identify targets is the future of warfare.

Bell Reveals Its Vision For A Future High-Speed Vertical Take-Off And Landing

Bell Unveils New High-Speed Vertical Take-Off and Landing Design Concepts for Military Application. Read the full story at https://t.co/H32TbOsyo2 ⬇️

— Bell (@BellFlight) August 2, 2021

Warzone/The Drive: Bell Unveils VTOL Aircraft Concepts That All Feature Fold-Away Rotors For Jet-Speed Flight  

The Pentagon is increasingly interested in much faster and more survivable aircraft that can land and takeoff like a helicopter but fly like a jet. 

Bell has revealed part of its vision for a future High-Speed Vertical Take-Off and Landing, or HSVTOL, aircraft, a type of platform that U.S. Special Operations Command has recently been taking a particular interest in. The company’s initial HSVTOL concepts aim to combine the “hover capability of a helicopter with the speed, range and survivability features of a fighter aircraft,” according to the company. These designs could potentially lead to a replacement for the Air Force’s CV-22B Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, as well as other types. 

Three different, but similar, HSVTOL concepts were unveiled by Bell today, one of which is apparently unmanned. All of them utilize a propulsion concept in which wingtip rotors are used for vertical lift, then these rotors fold away to reduce drag while turbofans provide thrust for the high-speed, forward flight. The same concept is something that we have seen before in earlier Bell patents for a new-generation "convertiplane." 

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 More News On Bell Revealing Its Vision For A Future High-Speed Vertical Take-Off And Landing  

Bell introduces new high-speed vertical take-off, landing design concepts for military use -- (KAMR/KCIT) 

Road to the future: Bell unveils VTOL aircraft concepts -- Defence Blog  

Bell unveils new HSVTOL design concepts for military application -- Vertical  

400 Knot V-22 Osprey? Bell Has a Secret Plan for a New HSVTOL -- National Intertest

Details Emerge On The Pentagon’s ‘Voice Of God’ Weapon

A laser-generated plasma fireball demonstrated by the Joint Nonlethal Weapons Directorate in 2018 U.S. Joint Nonlethal Weapons Directorate  

Forbes: UFOs, Plasma Lasers, And The Pentagon’s ‘Voice Of God’ Weapon 

As previously reported by Forbes, the U.S Navy is looking at ultra-short laser pulses which create glowing plasma in mid-air to decoy missiles away from aircraft. This might explain some of the “UFOs” described in the recent Pentagon report on Unexplained Aerial Phenomena. It turns out that interest in this technology goes back further than you might think — and not just in the U.S. 

Back in 1966, commentators were trying to make sense of a previous report on UFOs, the Air Force’s Project Blue Book. Like the modern version, this concluded there was no evidence that UFOs were extraterrestrial craft, but was thin on explanation. Philip Klass, avionics editor at Aviation Week and notable UFO skeptic, wrote his analysis with the added perspective of a background in electrical effects. He concluded that some UFOs were “luminous plasmas of ionized air, a special form of ‘ball lightning’ generated by electric corona that occurs on high-tension power lines under certain conditions.”  

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WNU Editor: More details on this tech in layman's terms is here .... LASER-LIKE FOCUS High-powered ‘Voice of God’ laser weapon that’s described as ‘glowing ball of fire’ may have been mistaken for UFO (The SUN).

US Marines Are Testing A New Weapon That Can Electrocute Enemies From 300 Feet Away

The U.S. Sun: ZAP! US Marines’ new weapon can electrocute enemies from 300 feet away – and is so dangerous they had to make it LESS deadly

THE US Marine Corps is testing a powerful electroshock weapon that can zap enemies from 300 feet away.

Dubbed "Specter", the non-lethal projectile can be fired from a shotgun and downs targets using a taser-like electric shock.

The weapon is the brainchild of Colorado-based tech research firm Harkind Dynamics and is part-funded by the US Department of Defense, New Scientist reports.

The makers of Specter (Small arms Pulsed Electronic Tetanization at Extended Range) say it can be fired from any 12-gauge shotgun.

It's designed to incapacitate targets rather than kill them, with a range of up to 330 feet (100 metres) – roughly the length of a football pitch.

For comparison, the average range of a taser is roughly 25 feet (7.6 metres).

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Update #1: US Military Tests 330-Feet Long-Range Electrocution Weapon -- Interesting Engineering
Update #2: The US Marine Corps’ New Weapon Can Electrocute Targets from 100 Feet Away -- Futurism

WNU Editor:Useful if you want to capture someone alive.

Is This The Base Where President Trump's Quest For 'Super Duper' Missiles Will Be Tested?

The Aegis ashore missile defense test complex at the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai. Photograph: Jon Letman/The Guardian

The Guardian: The Hawaii navy base fueling Trump's quest for 'super duper' missiles

Kauai has one of the Pentagon’s most valued testing sites. It’s an economic driver, but some residents say the military shouldn’t be on the islands at all.

Hawaii’s “garden island”, Kauai, is known for its breathtaking scenery and laid-back vibe, a place of plunging waterfalls and cliffs cloaked in green tropical forests. But beyond its beauty it is one of the Pentagon’s most valued testing and training sites in the Pacific.

In Hawaii, where the military is the second-largest economic driver, after tourism, weapons testing and training enjoy widespread support, but some residents view the islands’ highly militarized state as misguided or even illegal.

In missile defense circles, Kauai is known for its outsized role in weapons testing at the navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands (PMRF), which its commanding officer, Capt Timothy Young, likens to a sports stadium that provides a venue for customers (weapons manufacturers, government agencies and military branches) to train people or test new technology.

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Update: US Military in Hawaii Working on Trump's 'Super-Duper' Missiles, to Host Space Force Soon (Sputnik)

WNU Editor: This base is definitely well located to conduct missile tests.

The US Army Has Chosen Its Top 10 Science And Technology Advances For This Year

Soldiers moving in an augmented-reality space. US Army

Business Insider: The US Army has chosen its top 10 science and technology advances for this year — here are the potential game changers that made the list

* US Army and service-funded researchers are making strides in numerous areas, including the material sciences, robotics, and artificial intelligence.
* Alexander Kott, the chief scientist at Combat Capabilities Development Command's Army Research Laboratory, recently picked the Army's top 10 science and technology advancements of 2019.
* The list of potential game changers features things like artificial muscles for robots, self-repairing materials, and 3D printed steel that's tougher than anything commercially available, among other things.

US Army researchers and engineers have been busy this year, developing new capabilities and technologies meant to help modernize the force.

Alexander Kott, the chief scientist at Combat Capabilities Development Command's Army Research Laboratory, recently picked the Army's top 10 science and technology advancements of 2019. These are potentially game-changing developments intended to help Army soldiers fight and win on future battlefields.

The list includes research and development efforts in material science, robotics, and artificial intelligence.

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WNU Editor: Robots and robot warfare are the future.

A Lot Of Activity Spotted At The Top Secret Tonopah Test Range Airport In Nevada

A September 24th, 2019 image showing two airliner derivative aircraft and what appears to be a C-21 and CN-235 on the ramp between the Blue and White hangars. One is very likely RAT 55, the other may be the 757 F-22 testbed aircraft. PHOTO © 2019 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION.

Warzone/The Drive: A Dozen Mystery Objects Suddenly Popped Out Of Hangars At Tonopah Test Range Airport

The base is known to be the shadowy home of aircraft that move from a developmental state at Area 51 and into an operational, but still secretive one.

Tonopah Test Range Airport, located along the northern edge of the sprawling Nevada Test and Training Range, may not get all the pop culture attention that nearby Area 51 gets, but in many ways, it is just as fascinating. It was born out of a program that saw American fighter pilots secretly flying captured MiGs against their fellow aviators. Not long after that program spun-up, the remote installation was greatly expanded to house the F-117 Nighthawk force during the early and deeply classified part of its career. It has since housed the semi-mothballed F-117 fleet following its official retirement more than a decade ago. It was also the original home of RQ-170 Sentinel. Today, the high-security base continues to support a number of secretive programs, as well as testing at the nearby range. Now, highly unusual activity around a dozen hangars at the shadowy installation has been caught on satellite.

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WNU Editor: There is always activity at this airport. I would be more surprised if there was none.

Why theThe U.S. Air Force Wants To Have Its Own 'Flying Cars'

Popular Mechanics: Why the U.S. Air Force Is Looking Into Its Own 'Flying Cars'

An ultra-quiet air transport vehicle has its advantages.

* The Air Force wants to cash in on the flying car craze to field a new type of transport.
* Flying cars would be quieter than other types of air transport, attracting less attention.
* A large enough electric car could someday replace the CV-22B Osprey.

The U.S. Air Force is looking into fielding so-called “flying cars” to use as quiet transport vehicles. The Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition Will Roper wants to leverage the work of aviation companies to produce aerial taxis to create a military-grade vehicle. The result could be the 21st century's equivalent of a jeep or truck, but one that quietly flies from Point A to Point B.

DefenseOne, covering the Air Force Association’s Air, Space & Cyber conference, quoted Roper as saying that the service is kicking off a new effort, named Agility Prime, to explore the possibility of acquiring a flying car or truck. An electric-powered flying car would be relatively quiet, allowing troops to travel near and across the battlefield without the loud rotor noise of conventionally powered aircraft. The sound of helicopters and tiltrotor aircraft can travel for miles, tipping off enemy forces on the ground.

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Update: The Air Force Will Start Work on Flying Cars This Fall (Defense One)

WNU Editor: We are probably closer to having these "flying cars" than what most people think .... Flying cars: how close are we? (Euronews).

The Pentagon Has Given Up On Paticle Beams Weapons

The U.S. will continue to research other directed energy weapons, as the Laser Weapon System (LaWS) deployed on the USS Ponce in 2014. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Peter D. Blair/DVIDS

Popular Mechanics: The Pentagon Is Giving Up on Particle Beam Weapons

The Department of Defense doesn’t think they could be weaponized soon enough.

* The DoD, which showed interest in neutral particle beams earlier this year, now thinks they're too hard to field anytime soon.
* Particle beams work by using atomic and subatomic particles to "melt" their target.
* The Pentagon wanted to use neutral particle beams to shoot down incoming ballistic missiles during takeoff phase.

The Department of Defense is pushing hard into directed energy technologies, particularly lasers, but there’s one weapon that won’t be deployed in the field anytime soon: neutral particle beams (NPBs). Just over a year after announcing a renewed interest into the tech the Pentagon has decided to shelve research into NPBs, stating that they were “not near term enough.” Translation: even with military funding the services wouldn’t see a particle beam weapon soon enough to make worthwhile.

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WNU Editor: The Pentagon's focus is on lasers right now, not particle weapons.

Scientists Want To Adapt A Dragonfly's Ability To Track Down Prey To A Missile System

C4ISRNet: Can a dragonfly teach a missile how to hunt?

WASHINGTON — A computational neuroscientist is studying whether a dragonfly’s excellent hunting skills can be replicated in a missile’s ability to maneuver and destroy targets midair with better precision.

Dragonflies are vicious little creatures with a hit-to-kill track record of 95 percent, meaning only 5 percent of its prey escapes.

Sandia National Laboratories’ Frances Chance is building algorithms that simulate how a dragonfly processes information when intercepting prey, and she’s testing them in a virtual environment. So far, the results are promising.

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Update: Could a Dragonfly’s Killer Instinct Be Adapted for Military Missiles? (Popular Mechanics)

WNU Editor: I love seeing these guys at work during summer. When they show up it always tells me that the mosquitoes and flies that dominate the early part of summer will soon be gone.

Here Are The U.S. Army's 5 Next Super Weapons

U.S. Army Video by Gina Palombit

Michael Peck, RCD: Meet the U.S. Army's 5 Next Super Weapons

Here are five that we will likely see in the coming years.

The U.S. Army already fields an impressive array of weapons. But as the U.S. Army prepares itself for potential conflicts against high-tech Russian and Chinese armies , the Army is working on a slew of new systems ranging from tanks to missiles.

The result will be the gradual disappearance of the familiar weapons born during the Cold War -- the Abrams tanks and Apache helicopters -- that symbolize America's arsenal. In their place will be a new generation of weapons.

Here are five that we will likely see in the coming years:

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WNU Editor:  Impressive list.

BAE Systems Has A Radical Idea For America's Next Killer Jet Fighter

Dave Majumdar, National Interest: F-35 Is Old News: BAE Systems Has a Radical Idea for America's Next Killer Jet Fighter

Next generation fighters of the future might have cockpits and flight control systems that are radically different from the cockpits of today.

Next generation fighters of the future might have cockpits and flight control systems that are radically different from the cockpits of today.

While the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the forthcoming Block III version of the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet have state-of-the-art wide screen displays and feature advanced helmet-mounted displays, a next-generation fighter might dispense with traditional cockpit displays entirely. A future fighter might feature only a virtual cockpit projected directly onto the helmet display of the pilot.

“In terms of future concepts, we are looking at what we are calling a ‘wearable cockpit,’” Jean Page, a lead technologist with BAE Systems’ Human Factors team, said. “Here, you remove many of the physical elements of the cockpit, and replace it with a virtual display, projected through the helmet. Essentially, it’s a software-only cockpit that’s upgradeable, adaptable and reconfigurable.”

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WNU Editor:  There is always something new.

Is This The Rifle Of The Future?

With four rifle bores cut into a single block of steel, new-fangled ammunition and a jam-proof electronic firing system, the creation of Colorado Springs inventor Martin Grier could revolutionize the Army's combat rifles. (Courtesy Photo)

The Gazette: Army might have found its new rifle in Colorado Springs garage

The Army adopted its battle rifle in 1963 and has spent 55 years looking for a replacement for the M-16 and its variants.

They might have found it in Martin Grier’s Colorado Springs garage. Grier, a self-described inventor who has worked at a local bed and breakfast, built the new “ribbon gun” with a hobbyist’s tools. It looks like a space-age toy drawn by a fifth-grader.

But goofy origins and cartoon-looks aside, this could be the gun of the future. The Army is studying Grier’s gun and has ordered a military-grade prototype.

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WNU Editor:  Maybe now is the time for a new rifle.

5 Futuristic Super Weapons That Could Change Warfare Forever

J.Michael Cole, National Interest: Killers: 5 Futuristic Super Weapons That Could Change Warfare Forever

Who will dominate the wars of the future?

Predicting which five weapons will have the greatest impact on the future of combat is a problematic endeavor, as the nature of warfare itself is fluid and constantly changing. A system that could be a game-changer in a major confrontation between two conventional forces—say, China and the United States—could be of little utility in an asymmetrical scenario pitting forces in an urban theater (e.g., Israeli forces confronting Palestinian guerrillas in Gaza or Lebanese Hezbollah in the suburbs of Beirut).

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WNU Editor: I agree with this list.

These Are The Future Weapons That The U.S. Army Needs

(Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell, 210th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)

We Are The Mighty: 6 exciting future weapons the Army needs next

Within a decade, if not sooner, leap-ahead technologies like lasers, hypersonic weapons, mobile and secure networks, and unmanned/autonomous air and ground vehicles will likely reside in combat formations, said the Army's secretary.

Peer threats from China and Russia — nations also developing these technologies — make fielding these systems absolutely necessary, said Secretary of the Army Mark T. Esper, who spoke May 16, 2018, at the Center for a New American Security here.

The secretary provided a glimpse into some of these new capabilities that the Army is developing, in partnership with industry, as part of its six modernization priorities.

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WNU Editor: In a nutshell .... The U.S. Army already has all of these systems in their inventory, they just want to improve and modernize it to be even better.

Why Advances In Conventional Weapons Should Concern All Of Us

Chinese artist’s conception of a PLA anti-ship ballistic missile attack on three USN CVNs.

Michael Dempsey, The Hill: From drones to the more conventional, recent weapon developments should alarm us all

Lost amid the intense international focus on North Korea’s promise to halt its nuclear and missile tests and the deteriorating security situation in Syria have been several worrisome incidents involving the development and use of advanced and conventional weapons. This has included surprising revelations about the extent of Russia’s weapons programs and ominous new applications of existing weapons technology by non-state actors.

In Russia, President Putin in early March revealed five new weapons that he claims his country already possesses. They included a nuclear-armed cruise missile, a powerful new ICBM, a hypersonic cruise missile, a nuclear-powered torpedo, and a new hypersonic glide vehicle.

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WNU Editor: Could not have said it any better.

Did The U.S. Government Try To Develop "Psycho-Electric" Weapons

Popular Mechanics: Government Accidentally Releases Documents on "Psycho-Electric" Weapons

They were mistakenly sent to a journalist.

The government has all kinds of secrets, but only a true conspiracy theorist might suspect that "psycho-electric weapons" are one of them. So it's odd that MuckRock, a news organization that specializes in filing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with state and federal government bodies, received mysterious documents about mind control, seemingly by accident.

Journalist Curtis Waltman was writing to the Washington State Fusion Center (WSFC), a joint operation between Washington State law enforcement and the federal government to request information about Antifa and white supremacist groups. He got responses to the questions he asked, but also a file titled “EM effects on human body.zip.” Inside, where documents like this:

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WNU Editor: This is creepy stuff .... and you have to wonder where this research ended up.

The U.S. Army Wants To Give Its Soldiers An Extra Arm To Handle Heavy Weapons And Equipment

Task & Purpose: The Army Is Testing A Mechanical ‘Third Arm’ Right Out Of ‘Aliens’

The Army wants to give soldiers an extra hand during their next firefight — literally.

Army Research Lab engineers are officially testing a mechanical third arm designed to help soldiers wield oversized weaponry and hump heavy loads downrange without sacrificing their performance, the service announced on Feb. 27.

While the service has been hacking away at the abdomen-mounted apparatus — creatively dubbed the “Third Arm” — since last year, the Army says the current 3.5-pound prototype can support an M249 squad automatic weapon — or a 20-pound defensive shield for added protection and cover.

Cool, sweet… but any warfighter worth their salt will recognize this solution as inspired by the asshole-perforating M56A2 Smart Gun toted by everyone’s favorite Colonial Marines from Aliens:

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WNU Editor: Another example of what was once science-fiction .... is now becoming reality.