Technological progress allows the military to develop new forms of warfare, to incorporate artificial intelligence to create new weapons, equipment and means of communication, to optimize operations and to improve the physical abilities of military personnel, to improve the efficiency of military logistics and medical services, etc.
After a lull in the United States have intensified work in these areas, especially when it became clear that the armed forces of Russia and China is rapidly moderniziriruyutsya and the gap in military and technological superiority of the US is declining.
Is not practical and day to news of military technological developments in the United States.
Research laboratory of the US army has launched the project Human Variability Project. The aim of the project is collecting biophysical information to assess human behavior and understanding what happens to the human body in extreme conditions. Sensors give light weight soldier, the environment and mimic a variety of situations. All information collected and analyzed in real time and for a longer continuous time periods.
Ideally, the Pentagon needs to model the behavior of every soldier in a given situation — how each soldier will react on contact with the enemy, as will appear his stress, as he will take off in dismissal. In recent years, the laboratory has purchased commercial fitness trackers and biomedical sensors for two million dollars, but they were not suitable for military programs.
The military is trying to turn the gear and clothes in “the skin of the sensors”. Is the idea to turn the helmets of soldiers to the system of electroencephalography (EEG) for removing signals of brain activity. In theory, Americans say that even from space they’ll ever be able to estimate the oxygen saturation of the blood vessels of the human brain and understand what happens to a man and what is his psychological state. Today it comes even military epigenetics and RNA analysis.
All collected and analyzed information should help to assess the propensity of soldiers to risk and heroism, to optimize the use of the military in various tasks, his training, his work with the cyber-physical systems, exoskeletons, personal weapons, allowing, for example, to customize the helmet for each pilot under his mental and psychophysical abilities.
Edition Scout Warrior talks about the projects of DARPA and other agencies on the use of artificial blood, telepathy (control of robotic systems with the power of thought or through implants in the brain), modification of soldiers that they felt no pain and never needed to sleep for a long time.
This spring, the special forces of the United States wanted to see what they can offer the commercial world in the use of pharmaceuticals to enhance the effectiveness of the military.
Special forces were interested in improvement of metabolism, oxygen delivery to the muscles, improving mental abilities, reducing the need of prolonged sleep, increased tolerance to pain, genomics, epigenetics, etc. along With this, customers have noted that they are not interested in software or wearable devices, namely the specific physical capabilities of the soldier enhancement.
Even in 2016, DARPA was launched NESD (Neural Engineering System Design) to develop an implantable wireless neural interfaces of new generation, which could work with signals one million neurons. This unique interface not. Recently, DARPA selected six research teams that will share a grant of $ 65 million. Testing neurointerface should begin in 2021, the dimensions of the device must not exceed one cubic centimeter. Although DARPA to declare that such interfaces are created for therapeutic purposes and for deeper understanding of the brain, in practice the Pentagon is interested in the possibility of control of military robotic systems by signals in the brain.
If, however, descend from the heavens of the future on today’s earth, in addition to biophysical changes of people’s armed forces are primarily interested in technical and more realistic applications of the technology.
This year during naval exercises in 2017 Trident Warrior combat firing has been tested augmented reality glasses designed especially for gunners naval guns. The ships left the guns, which are operated manually and the aiming is visually. Accuracy of fire is not very effective and there are problems with the communication of orders or the arrow voice on the radio. Glasses provide use high speed wired or wireless communication channel on which the points are passed to the command of an artillery officer, data order and data about the weapon, including the rest of the ammunition. It became known that in September these sunglasses will be an additional test after a year to arrive in the Navy and possibly the army of the United States.
In July, the naval forces of the United States held in the Persian Gulf another test of the laser weapon system (LaWS) posted on the ship “Ponce”. In July the company BAE Systems on the ground in Virginia has tested a railgun. The railgun fired two shots in a row: recharge only took 24 seconds. In theory, such weapons can be mounted on US Navy ships.
The marine corps of the United States is eager to see swarms of drones that could be used in logistics for delivery of goods. This will save soldiers ‘ lives, not to risk expensive planes and helicopters and, most importantly, do not just dump loads to lose some of them due to the inaccuracy of discharge and deliver the cargo drones exactly as directed. Even if 100 cheap drones only 20 or 30 will split to the destination is already satisfied with the Marines. Next year the Marines will have to get their hands on a drone that carries up to 20 kg of useful load — testing to go today. On the approach and the drone, carrying up to 130 kg of cargo.
Company BAE Systems recently received a contract for 4.6 million dollars from DARPA to develop a new system of detection of submarines. The program is called Mobile an offboard Clandestine Communications and Approach (MOCCA) and involves the use of underwater drones that are equipped with active sonar and aggressive looking for the boats of the enemy.
However it is not complete without fantastic incline. Recently remembered an old idea even in 1966, the year of the creation of a huge underwater bases on thousands of people. Modern drilling technology and energy saving systems in theory allow the construction of something similar that can be used as points of basing and repair of military submarines and drones.
