Defense Technology Monitor: No. 26
Stargazing makes a comeback;
What drones can learn from...bats?;
Drone swarms are coming;
China proposes dual use space laser;
Iron Man en route
Stargazing makes a comeback;
What drones can learn from...bats?;
Drone swarms are coming;
China proposes dual use space laser;
Iron Man en route
Back to airborne laser basing;
Can EMP help confront North Korea? America's electric grid: Still vulnerable;
Navy jets get drone wingman;
Enhancing Russia soldiers...soon
Hypersonic weapons enable global strike capability;
Dreaming of invisibility;
The brewing debate over BCI;
Naval iron dome reaches IOC;
Russia's push for an independent internet directory
China's cyberforce set to surge;
The Marines embrace additive manufacturing;
How coal may fuel a defense tech boom;
A facelift for the U.S. EW technology;
Those other directed energy weapons
Science fiction is always fascinating to follow, because at least some of the ideas presented in the genre do become reality over time. The concept of "super soldiers" is a case in point. Although the protagonists in Marvel's iconic Avengers comic books (and now movies) are still a long way from being realistic, we are unquestionably trending in that direction. Thus, the character of Captain America is a soldier enhanced by the government using a special serum to make him stronger, faster and more resilient, while Iron Man is an operator encased in full body armor that affords him super human strength, advanced weapons, and extrasensory systems. Even though such enhancements are still a stretch, performance drugs, exoskeletons, and other new technologies are increasingly augmenting - and expanding - the capabilities of today's warfighters.