Photo credit: Hi Consumption
FLIR Systems, Inc. has unveiled the latest Black Hornet, a nano-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for use by global militaries, government agencies, and first responders. The Black Hornet Personal Reconnaissance System (PRS) is currently the world’s smallest combat-proven nano-Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), and this next-generation Black Hornet 3 nano-UAV adds the ability to navigate in GPS-denied environments, enabling soldiers to maintain situational awareness, threat detection, and surveillance no matter where the mission takes them. Weighing in at just 32 grams, the Black Hornet 3 offers the lowest SWAP (size, weight, and performance) for UAS available. Offering improved speed and distance compared to previous versions, the Black Hornet 3 flies 2 kilometers at speeds of over 21 kilometers an hour. Read more for an in-depth video, additional pictures and information.
Russia’s Defense Ministry announced today that the new “Peresvet” laser weapons systems has been put on combat duty. It’s capable of “concealing the areas of deployment of intercontinental ballistic missiles” and will be used in air defense and military defense,” said Viktor Murakhovsky, an expert at Russia’s Military Industrial Commission. “Starting from last year laser systems have been entering service that allow disarming a potential adversary and hitting those facilities, which are the targets,’ he added, saying such a device could take out targets ‘within fractions of a second,'” according to Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov. Read more for another video and additional information.
There’s night vision cameras, and then SPi Infrared’s X27 ColorVision, which is so sensitive to light that it can pick up light beams from laser pointers. Unlike standard cameras, this one utilizes special algorithms that enable the sensor to see in extreme low-light environments. The camera itself is a 10 megapixel fully-digital, solid-state system, with a 5 million-equivalent ISO rating – Canon’s ME20F-SH clocks in at 4 million ISO – and its low noise and high sensitivity is accompanied by 1920 x 1080 HD resolution at up to 60 FPS (optional 120 FPS). Read more for another video shot in extreme low-light conditions, and additional information.
The US Air Force conducted its first “elephant walk” drill using a host of F-35 fighter jets on Monday. This batch of high-tech aircraft from the active-duty 388th Fighter Wing and 419th Reserve unit were launched to conduct a “combat power exercise” at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. They were intended to demonstrate the Air Force’s ability to “launch any number of aircraft to support the national defense mission at a moment’s notice.” Read more for the full video and additional information.
Designed for business and enterprise use, Kyocera’s DuraForce PRO 2 features a 5-inch Sapphire Shield Display, which is virtually scratch proof, and boasts an IP68 rating (to 2m/6.5ft deep water submersion for up to 30 minutes) as well as militaryg-grade 810G for protection against shock, vibration, temperature extremes, blowing rain, low pressure, solar radiation, salt fog, humidity, immersion, temperature shock and icing/freezing rain. It also sports three cameras: a wide-angle 4K rear action camera, 13MP rear-facing camera, and a 5MP front-facing camera, along with a 3,240mAh battery. Read more for a video and additional information.
Photo credit: Staff Sgt. Michael B. Keller, U.S. Air Force
Aerial refueling is just as crazy as it sounds, and to be more specific, refers to the process of transferring aviation fuel from one military aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) mid-flight. The two main refueling systems are probe-and-drogue, and the flying boom, the latter which offers faster fuel transfer, but requires a dedicated boom operator station. This procedure enables receiving aircraft to remain airborne longer, extending its range or loiter time on station. Read more for another video, more pictures and information.
The Chevrolet Silverado ZH2, developed in conjunction with the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, is a hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle that sits on a stretched midsize pickup chassis, and stands over 6.5-feet-tall, riding on 37-inch tires capable of tackling any terrain. The fuel cell enables the vehicle to be near silent, reducing both the acoustic and thermal signatures and making it ideal for stealth operations. An Exportable Power Take-Off unit lets it power equipment away from the vehicle, and the water by-product can come in handy in dry conditions. Continue reading for another video and more information.
The new Mil-Spec Baja Hummer H1 “Launch Edition” #004 is literally a military Humvee that you can actually drive on the road. Powered by a Duramax diesel engine generating 500-horsepower and 1,000 foot-pounds of torque, mated to an Allison six-speed transmission, its monstrous 40″ all-terrain tires are designed to go anywhere. Continue reading for more pictures information.
The US Air Force’s X-37B unmanned spacecraft has just eclipse 400 days in orbit as part of its fifth highly classified mission, which began on September 7th 2017. It was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Nasa’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, and some say is conducting surveillance to push the US Space Force initiative forward. Continue reading for another video and more information.
Photo credit: Bar Croft Cars / The Daily Mail
This started out as a GPV Colonel truck, but a group of friends in Michigan decided to transform it into “The Unstoppable Force,” or the world’s only privately-owned amphibious combat vehicle. Ted Yadlowsky and his friends now own the vehicle. The build started way back in 2000, and that year, GPV made around 11 vehicles that were designed or intended for the military. “A lot of thought was put into these vehicles that made them decades ahead of similar class vehicles in the US military. I think it took them close to three years in construction and that’s because this GPV Colonel that I have is a final production vehicle. It has the basic specs, around 26ft long and 101.8 inches wide, which makes it street legal. It has a simple Caterpillar C7 engine that produces 350hp with a ZF6 transmission,” said Yadlowsky. Continue reading for more pictures and information.