Based on the PT Lundin Industry Invest’s X18 Tank Boat platform, the Antasena Tank boat made its debut this past week and was designed specially for Indonesia’s Ministry of Defense to transport troops as well as provide close- and long-range fire support using gun or missile weaponry. The Tank Boat can carry twenty soldiers, as is measures 59-feet long by 21-feet wide, powered by dual 1,200-horsepower MAN engines, paired with two waterjets. Read more for two videos and additional information.
Germany-based Rheinmetall unveiled its latest tactical truck, the HX3, which is available in 4×4, 6×6, 8×8 as well as 10×10 configurations and has the capacity for autonomous driving, while carrying advanced artillery systems. In addition to a completely redesigned cab, the HX3 offers various assistance systems to ensure enhanced safety in everyday operations, whether for soldiers deployed in the field or in civilian settings. Read more for a video and additional information.
Ever wonder what the largest helicopter that the U.S. Navy uses looks like? If so, then look no further than the Sikorsky MH-53E Sea Dragon, which currently has two missions: taking part in the Airborne Mine Counter Measure (AMCM) mission as well as the Navy Vertical Onboard Delivery (VOD) mission. It stands 28-feet tall, measures 99-feet in length, and has a max gross weight of 69,750-pounds with a top speed of 172 mph. Read more for two videos and additional information.
GM Defense has already delivered its first Infantry Squad Vehicle to the US Army, but now, it’s working on an all-electric version. Called the “All Electric Concept Vehicle,” it’s powered by GM’s eCrate electric powertrain generating 200 hp and 266 lb-ft of torque from a 60-kilowatt-hour, 400-volt battery that achieves up to 150-miles on a single charge. Its petrol counterpart is powered by a 2.8L Duramax four-cylinder turbodisel making 186 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. Read more for a video and additional information.
British inventor Richard Browning is taking his Gravity Industries jet suit to new heights with the Royal Marines. What sets this invention apart from similar manned portable flight packs is that it uses additional jets attached to the hands, which means the wearer can steer by simply moving their arms, while the powerpack is secured to the wearer with metal frames. Read more for the video and additional information.
US Army soldiers assigned to 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division tested all-new enhanced night-vision goggles-binoculars when they conducted a platoon live-fire exercise on April 19 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington. Despite looking like a computer-rendered scene, what you’re looking at is the “Outline Mode Fused + AR [Augmented Reality] / RTA [Rapid Target Acquisition]”. Read more for a short video and additional information.
Northrop Grumman and Epirus partnered to develop Leonidas, an innovative High Power Microwave (HPM) system designed to protect Forward Operating Bases, fixed sites, and maneuver forces against hostile
Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). It features novel digital beamforming, which means Leonidas’ directed energy beam can sweep through entire volumes of airspace at digital speeds, thus creating a forcefield-like effect or precisely target a single system. Read more for a short video and additional information.
A Humvee offers soldiers plenty of protection from enemy fire as well as other obstacles, but even they need training should a rollover occur. This is where the Humvee Egress Assistance Trainer (HEAT) comes in, as it’s designed to train soldiers on the effects of a vehicle rollover and enables them to conduct drills that will provide the skill as well as ability to react properly during emergency egress situations. Read more for three videos and additional information.
The U.S. Army is collaborating with researchers at University of California, Berkeley and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, to develop a truly compostable biodegradable plastic by embedding polyester-eating enzymes as it’s made. When this enzyme is exposed to heat as well as water, it sheds its polymer shroud and starts eating the plastic polymer into its building blocks. In the case of biodegradable plastics, which consist primarily of the polyester known as polylactic acid (PLA), it reduces it to lactic acid that can feed the soil microbes in compost. Read more for a video and additional information.
H/t: Gizmodo
There have been many pyramid-shaped UFOs in science fiction films, like the one you see above (right), but this is the first time that the US Navy confirmed a sighting made with a night vision camera. Filmmaker Jeremy Corbell claims that footage was captured by the USS Russell’s Nautical Or Otherwise Photographic Interpretation and Examination (SNOOPIE) team back in 2019, a specialized team that deals with all surface or airborne contacts with a vessel. Read more for the short video and additional information.