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retromodo
Totally Psycho 1960s Military Prototypes That Should Never Have Left the Drawing Board

If the music's anything to go by, pretty much everyone was on something in the '60s -- and that includes the engineers. BAE Systems has recently dug up some totally batshit-insane ideas that were seriously being kicked around by its 'crack' team of engineers, and they're both totally ridiculous and dangerously awesome. Read More >>

1-Terrier armoured vehicle
military
The Army’s Latest Tank Is 32 Tonnes of Remote-Control Badassery

The Royal Engineers, a.k.a. the people who never got over their 4-year-old fascination with JCBs, have just got a new toy to play with. Named Terrier, it's a heavily armed tank/bulldozer combo that can be remotely commanded to smash through things at 45 mph. Lucky gits. Read More >>

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military
How the Navy of the Future Will Find—And Destroy—Underwater Mines

You don't joke about mining important maritime trade routes—Iran did and nearly started WWIII. And while America's fleet of MH-53E Sea Dragons and Avenger-class mine countermeasures ships are still quite effective, they're getting really, really old. Both platforms entered service in the mid-1980s and are quickly nearing their retirement dates. Here's what the US Navy has in store for its future countermining operations. Read More >>

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cloud
The Pentagon’s Putting Its Big Brother Data Collection in the Cloud

News emerged this week that the U.S. Army, which has been collecting biometric data of locals in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, is going to start storing that data in the cloud. Put simply, biometrics is the collection of personal, physical data using devices like retina scanners, and no matter what way you spin the situation, it's a potentially pretty creepy practice. (Do you want the government to take pictures of the inside of your eyeball?) But in a warzone, it seems downright dangerous. Doubly so in the cloud. Read More >>

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military
DARPA’s Using Smartphone Guts to Build Cheaper, Smarter Drones Faster

Just a few weeks after President Obama announced plans to scale back the country's drone program, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration (DARPA) announced plans to roll out a program for the rapid development and manufacture of sensors to help power unmanned aerial, land and underwater vehicles. Read More >>

Q-Sight helmet
military
Hands-On With the Military’s Answer to Google Glass

Google Glass might be new on the scene, but wearable displays aren't unseen technology. Head-mounted displays have been projecting information into fighter pilot's eyeballs for years now, and we recently had the chance to get up close and personal with the latest and greatest systems out there. Read More >>

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monster machines
The US Navy’s Largest Chopper Is an Aerial Mine Hunter

Submerged mines were once the scourge of sea warfare, silently lurking in bays and channels to blow a hole in your hull. That's why the US military has developed a trident countermeasure, hunting for the underwater bombs from below the waves, along the surface, and from the air using the biggest bird in the Navy's arsenal, the MH-53E Sea Dragon. Read More >>

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hacking
Report: Chinese Hackers Have Stolen Sensitive US Weapon Design Files

According to a confidential report that's been prepared for the US Pentagon, Chinese hackers have stolen blueprints for some of the country's most sensitive advanced weapons systems. Read More >>

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monster machines
How the US Army Fit a Suitcase-Sized Battery Charger into a Shoebox

Nothing's worse than a dead battery—except maybe if you run out of juice while on patrol in the backwoods of Afghanistan. But until now, US and British forces have had to lug around a huge and heavy charger. Not any more.A US Army research division has just shrunk a mobile charging station small enough for any soldier to carry on assignment. Read More >>

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image cache
When Is Call of Duty Going to Look This Good?

If you told me this image was a frame capture from the next Call of Duty game for Xbox One, I could almost believe you. Ish. Thanks to the digital camera and postprocessing work, its unrealistic perfection, dramatic illumination and striking mix of colours make the photo look like a computer render. But still, real-time graphic engines need more firepower to get to this level of perfection. Maybe this will happen in the next next generation. Read More >>

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robots
DARPA’s Web Warrior Support System Helps Soldiers Hoist Heavy Loads

It's not as exciting as seeing Big Dog or Petman in action, but infantry in the US Army should be happy now that DARPA's begun testing its Warrior Web support system. One day robotic exoskeletons will allow humans to easily lift and carry hundreds of pounds, but for the immediate future DARPA has set its sights on a more immediately achievable goal with what could be described as the future of supportive undergarments. Read More >>

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military
China Has Its Own Stealth Drone

This is China's stealth combat drone, an airplane that seems very similar to the American Northrop Grumman X-47B. The unmanned combat air vehicle was photographed while performing taxiing tests. Given the development speed of China's other military aeroplanes, it wouldn't be surprising to see this in flight in the next few weeks. Read More >>

F-35B
military
First Footage of an F-35B Taking Off Straight Into the Air

Finding a suitable runway to launch your multibillion pound fighter jet from isn't always as easy as it sounds. That's why the F-35B Lightning II is designed to with the ability to both take off and land without ever needing to taxi. Here's the first look at its vertical launch. Read More >>

Drones
watch this
Watch the First Ever Carrier Drone Jet Launch

You are about to witness an historical event: the first drone jet ever launched from an aircraft carrier. In a few decades, when autonomous drone planes battle each other in the skies, fire missiles at drone troops and battleships, humanity will look back at this day as the true beginning of total drone warfare. Read More >>

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weapons
The US Military’s Disastrous Plan to Use Napalm-Strapped Bats in WWII

In 1942, after having finally entered WWII, the United States Marine Corp spent two million dollars on an insane new initiative. The mission? Strap napalm bombs to bats, and send them flying on deadly kamikaze runs. Seriously. Read More >>