Military tech

There's a silver lining in the war on terror. The need for beefy, bulletproof buggies to patrol the Afghan and Iraqi outback has translated into factory jobs on the home front for at least one NATO ally.

Described as "a Land Rover on steroids," the new MWMIK (Mobility Weapon Mounted Installation Kit) 4x4 looks more like an armored forklift chassis. But with a top speed of 80 mph and wide range of armaments, it won't be pulling pallet duty anytime soon.

The U.K. Ministry of Defence has ordered 130 of the new vehicles from Plymouth-based … Read more

Microsoft made a splash earlier this year with a tabletop PC called Milan. Designers and developers there might have been spared building their 85 early prototypes, however, if they'd just gone shopping at defense contractor Northrop Grumman instead of Ikea.

As it turns out, Northrop Grumman--best known for missile systems and other military gear--for several years has been hawking the similar TouchTable as part of what it calls an "integrated collaboration environment." It'll be showing off the technologies next week at a defense conference in London, and last month delivered a TouchTable to the Federal Aviation … Read more

Iran has kicked off production of its new GBU-78/A Qassed (Messenger), a 2,000-pound "smart" bomb, that will be used "against our enemies at the adequate time," Iranian Minister of Defense and Logistics Mostafa Mohammad Najjar announced on state television.

Najjar pointed out that research and design for the Qassed were carried out exclusively by his ministry, which had also provided 75 percent of the material for the bomb's production, as reported by Jane's Defense Weekly.

The minister said that this proves U.S.-led economic sanctions on Iran have been ineffective and … Read more

The chances of your flight being hit by a shoulder-fired, laser-guided missile are good enough that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has spent more than $100 million looking into ways to prevent it.

Defense contractor Northrop Grumman just completed 6,000 hours of in-flight testing on its Guardian directed infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) system, all part of the DHS initiative to adapt existing military technology to protect commercial aircraft from attack by surface-to-air-missiles (SAM) similar to the U.S.-made Stinger.

The DIRCM system works by first detecting the attack, then directing an invisible, eye-safe laser to the homing/seeker … Read more

From Bavaria here's a new, "ruggedized" military-spec notebook PC with a keyboard that converts to a touch-screen, tablet PC in seconds by flipping the display 180 degrees and pressing down.

The magnesium alloy housing (4.85 pounds with battery) is completely sealed making it splash-proof, according to Acturion Datasys. (Even the integrated speaker is waterproof.) Since there are no fans, processor heat is distributed directly to the housing, which doubles as radiator.

Two models are available--the Victum-Note V10 (10.4-inch XGA display) and the Victum-Note V12 (WXGA 12.1-inch). Both come with sunlight-readable displays and work … Read more

It may seem surprising, but it's not often that Crave gets to write about an item with this kind of description in its product literature: "Great for use in interrogation rooms for law enforcement agencies."

We'll have to take StarTech Outlet's word for it, as that's how the site describes its "2.4GHz Coffee Mug Wireless Camera." In fact, with a name like that, there's really not a whole lot more that needs to be said.

The mug is outfitted with a minuscule camera and video transmitter that sends images in … Read more

When it comes to hardware with a flair for the dramatic, there's little to compare with military aircraft. After all, just imagine Tom Cruise's career without Top Gun.

The place to be this week for aerospace shoppers is an airfield just outside Moscow, for the MAKS 2007 International Aviation & Space Salon. There awaits a cornucopia of flying weaponry, much of it Russian-made, from MiGs to helicopters to a mock-up of a work-in-progress unmanned stealth craft, the Skat. If you can get there by this weekend, you might still have a chance to admire the craftsmanship, mingle with … Read more

Scientists at Vanderbilt University have adapted a miniaturized rocket motor from space to power a stronger, faster prosthetic arm here on Earth.

Actually, the power is generated by what amounts to an advanced steam engine. It contains hydrogen peroxide and a catalyst that causes it to burn at 450 fahrenheit, producing steam. NASA uses the same principle to scoot the space shuttle around in orbit.

It's "roughly the size of a pencil" and provides enough energy to operate the prosthetic for up to 18 hours. The prototype arm also weighs less because the motor eliminates the need … Read more

In autumn when the trees are brown The little leaves come tumbling down They do not make the slightest sound But lie so quietly on the ground.

Great, it's almost time to do something about that.

This year we turn to the Front Runner MTL 257B, a specially converted 3024 Caterpillar 2.2 liter, turbocharged diesel; perfect for scooping up leaves, spreading mulch or clearing IEDs from the back 40. This compact, multi-terrain, rubber-tracked Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) is well adapted to work on slopes and "soft underfoots" like your lawn (or the odd body).

The MTL … Read more