Video: U.S. military future tech showcase
posted at 6:04 pm on January 5, 2007 by Allahpundit
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Last night’s post about the awesome materiel being cooked up by the Pentagon dream factory drew an e-mail pointing me to this website, thereby unleashing heretofore inconceivable levels of awesomeness.
Click through a few of the items in the left sidebar. Are you prepared for the Intelligent Munitions System? Or the Armed Robotic Vehicle? No, my friends, you are not. Nor are you prepared for the demonstration video I’m about to show you, which is so awesomely awesome that I’m actually going to give you a content warning on it. Proceed no further if you’re pregnant, have a heart condition, or feel uncertain about your tolerance for extreme levels of awesomeness.
The only thing that doesn’t appear to be in the pipeline is the lightsaber, which is too bad. When the end comes for Osama, I want the last thing he sees to be a SEAL doing a “Star Wars kid” move with one of those Darth Maul double-ended jammies.
As it is, we’ll have to settle for this. Awesome.
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Hmmmm….Matrix meets the young Darth Vader.
.
GT on January 5, 2007 at 6:10 PM
What’s the word I’m looking for?
Oh yeah…..AWESOME!!!!
Jack M. on January 5, 2007 at 6:10 PM
Add the fact that our soldiers will not have to change their underwear…who is going to stop us now?
Ropera on January 5, 2007 at 6:18 PM
It occurred to me that was the EU’s “Rapid Reaction Force” dying in droves. Dunno why.
MostlyHarmless on January 5, 2007 at 6:28 PM
Them change their underwear?
All that military might is making my thighs all moist…..hush your mouth,…their underwear…mine’s about to spontaneously combust!
seejanemom on January 5, 2007 at 6:35 PM
I see a certain ad is missing from the right hand column.
Thank You!
R D on January 5, 2007 at 6:41 PM
Quite possibly the greatest thing you’ve ever written AP.
Number 2 on January 5, 2007 at 6:43 PM
While all of this stuff is, for lack of a better word… awesome … I’m having trouble imagining that it will ever come to production fruition in the vast numbers necessary to make it available to all our troops. I just can’t see the folks sitting on high in the Senate & Congress actually letting this stuff be used. They can barely tolerate what we have now.
Not to mention, how will they pay for it? We’re about to give Illegal Immigrants amnesty AND Social Security RETROACTIVE to the time they spent working in the U.S. illegally. When the baby boomers start sucking up all that Social Security that is rightfully theirs, and when everyone afterwards who is rightfully entitled to Social Security starts collecting, we’ll not be able to afford it as it is. The money for this sort of weaponry and troop protection just won’t be available once an additional 20,000,000 Illegal Immigrants start collecting their Social Security as well.
I just don’t see it being possible down the road.
SilverStar830 on January 5, 2007 at 6:44 PM
It’s awesome, in a perfect scenario like this. But, in reality, I think this is a problem. Casualty aversion has been our problem in Iraq. You cannot go into something with minimal troops and expect technology to win it for you. You are gonna have to go door to door, kicking heads in to win.
This is a nice military situation; but in the future, more and more combat is going to have a civilian element. Kids, women, people who aren’t involved and people who are involved (women, children) who are not in uniform.
If you don’t have the will to fight; have all the cool gadgets you want, but you can’t win. This is our problem.
lorien1973 on January 5, 2007 at 6:48 PM
Hmmmm. Yeah. It had a lot of awesomeness to it.
So it looks like we have one squad of infantry doing this raid on the HVT with all the attendent support. UAVs. Tanks. Helicopter gunships. Air assault insertion. And one heck of a lot of real time imagery and intel updates.
It almost makes you think that this is a tier 1 unit, like Delta Force or Seal Team 6.
So…
If we assume that one squad gets all of this support, will all the other squads get the same level of support? I don’t think so.
I just can’t see that. Let’s just assume that we have 250 squads in Iraq right now. Do we really think all 250 squads will get this level of support?
Anyway. It was a cool ass video. I enjoyed it. But this isn’t going to happen anytime in the foreseeable future.
Some of it, like man-portable UAVs and little man-portable tread-mounted recon robots is possible. If a squad can carry it, yeah, they can use it. Just like NVGs and thermals and PEQ-2s are now in the hands of almost every trigger puller.
But all that external support? Nah. Delta force gets that level of support. Not your typical rifle squad.
EFG on January 5, 2007 at 6:58 PM
Hmmm…subliminal message alert:
Normandy, 2014…the bad guys look, well, very jihadi-like.
Are we gonna have to liberate France again in seven years?
flipflop on January 5, 2007 at 7:02 PM
These are levels of awesomeness hitherto unknown.
flipflop on January 5, 2007 at 7:08 PM
Oh geez…
What I wouldn’t give to be 17 and getting ready to do it all over again(and with new toys!!!) It doesn’t seem like it, but basic, AIT, Airborne and Ranger school were almost 30 years ago…..
Pardon me, I’ll just sit in the quiet corner and age for a bit…:0(
Lonevoice on January 5, 2007 at 7:21 PM
nice … very nice.
One Angry Christian on January 5, 2007 at 7:32 PM
That’s the best war porn I’ve seen to date! Excitement doesn’t even come close to describing what I felt watching that first video…
Awwwoooooooooo!!!!!!
MsUnderestimated on January 5, 2007 at 7:46 PM
Gorgeous. But are they allowed to use it? With actual bullets, I mean?
kate q on January 5, 2007 at 7:51 PM
Yeah, all nice and wonderful, and as usual all those nifty gadgets don’t tackle the underlying problem the US forces have, the one that will decide the War on Terror and America’s position in the world: political restraints and the political will to win.
You can give a well-spirited and trained soldier like the American one every self-cleaning underwear and super-tank the US taxpayer can pay for - that’s not going to make him win a war unless the people in power come to terms with reality and let him off the leash.
I just watched “Rules of Engagement” with Samuel L. Jackson on DVD tonight, and the whole treatment Jackson’s character receives is exemplary and applicable to the real and very basic lack of understanding of this conflict we are in.
Wired German on January 5, 2007 at 7:54 PM
And my “High-Tech” in Nam was a “Starlight Scope”. Oh, how I feel cheated.
Helloyawl on January 5, 2007 at 7:58 PM
So what your telling me is that the future looks like an episode of 24?
DaveS on January 5, 2007 at 8:03 PM
Now, this is what the army should be using for an infomercial. I am sure this will help recruiting. Any kid who plays video games all day, would love to live it.
StuLongIsland on January 5, 2007 at 8:06 PM
Awesome indeed!
Our enemies technology is to throw people at us.
Kini on January 5, 2007 at 8:31 PM
EFG, I’m thinkin’ only the Spec. Ops. guys will get this stuff at first, and then it’ll work it’s way down as more of it comes on line and becomes lower in price.
A lot of this kinda stuff comes from the movies, just imagine what we’d have by now if Hollywood were on OUR side!
Can’t wait to put a “Mr. Fusion” on my car.
Tony737 on January 5, 2007 at 8:34 PM
Is this the preview for “Ghost Recon: The Movie.” When we get this stuff, we need to make certain we use it on the enemy and not have it sit on the shelf.
marianpaul on January 5, 2007 at 8:44 PM
Yeah, I think I agree with you. While the technology demonstrated in the videos is cool, we should assume that maybe, just maybe our future enemies will evolve themselves and carry more than AK-47s and RPGs.
Also, IF we ever go against China, it’s my understanding that their computer hacking capabilities is extensive to say the least. We’re talking abouta large computer network it seems here. Who’s to say they can’t just flip a switch in a way and shut us down like the Cylons on Battlestar Galactica did to the military forces of humanity?
Yakko77 on January 5, 2007 at 9:40 PM
I like how they threw in Command and Conqueresque music.
- The Cat
P.S. For all your Fan Film and Saber Fight needs. Clicky
MirCat on January 5, 2007 at 9:42 PM
Hey AP, have you seen these new guns? They do not need triggers, they can NOT fail, they are electronic ballistic rounds(if one bullet fails, the one behind it pushes it out) and the rate of fire is…..
drum roll …………..
ONE MILLION ROUNDS PER MINUTE
shooter on January 5, 2007 at 9:56 PM
I love being the only national superpower! SWEET
danarchy on January 5, 2007 at 10:17 PM
BTW, I hope the soldier networking isn’t based on Microsoft or we’re screwed. Give that technology to France.
danarchy on January 5, 2007 at 10:17 PM
And according to Jon Cary, every one of those soldiers were too dumb to finish skool, and had to join the Army because it was their last resort.
/sarcasm
rmgraha on January 5, 2007 at 10:38 PM
Speaking as an Ordnance Officer - that’s good stuff. But I worry about who has to fix it… Heh.
major john on January 5, 2007 at 10:47 PM
Re video #1: I want that for PSP, and if I can’t get it, I’m going to enlist so I can get it for real.
Re, video #2: nice production values, but someone clearly has way too much time on their hands.
Squid Vicious on January 5, 2007 at 11:22 PM
Yes, that’s a hot FCS video. Unfortunately, that’s a long way off. Consider the F-22a, which began development in the 80’s and was originally scheduled to enter the force in 1994, yet we got the first squadron last year. FCS is just as, if not more, complex and so we won’t see it for some time if at all. Consider this paragraph from a recent GAO report:
So they should remake the video and show us fighting the Chinese in 2028, which is probably when we’ll have the FCS.
NPP on January 5, 2007 at 11:34 PM
Ah yes, metal storm. The Aussie guy who put this together was derided by reps of the US Military who said something along the lines of ‘isn’t it amazing what they can do with special effects these days’ during the presentation
5 odd years later and they’re actually taking him seriously now, it would seem. Only took China offering $100million for him to work for them..
Reaps on January 5, 2007 at 11:41 PM
The new high tech stuff is all real sweet but the fact does remain that our guys in Iraq could end the fighting there with what they have already if they were only allowed to. The left was right to compare Iraq to Vietnam, we’re winning every battle but the damn politicians are losing the war. Since the left is only happy dropping smart bombs and firing off a few cruise missiles at aspirin factories now and then maybe we should invest our money in white flags instead. (bitter sarcasm / off)
Buzzy on January 6, 2007 at 12:04 AM
Tony737, I think you are right that the some of the technology will slowly work its way down to the rifle squad.
But I don’t think that the level of personel support that you see in this video will ever make it down to the squad level.
Anyway, it was a cool video.
EFG on January 6, 2007 at 1:31 AM
Conceptually, with tech like this the number of ground bodies goes down, and more people are trained as the network ops/tech support folks. There’s so much more to say, that can’t be said. Some of the robotics has already been in use in various forms with SWAT teams.
As for hacking ala the Chinese, our military has placed a serious focus on what is called “network-centric warfare”, and everything that implies.
As has already been commented, we can win everything we engage in with the toys we own NOW, if our only enemy were the foes in the field.
About METAL STORM, the original Aussie developers were shunned by the U.S. for good cause. There were a pile of flaws in the production components, in spite of the concept being very slick. The million rounds per minute 36-barrel video has been around since mid-2001, and in that time they haven’t produced a newer bullet-firing video, just a variety of 40mm grenade, flare, and miscellaneous large-bore stuff. Oh, the grenade pods make terrific fireworks launching sequencers, too…
I’ll trust DARPA to create functional war-tech long before anyone off-shore.
Freelancer on January 6, 2007 at 1:48 AM
My understanding is that there is a shortage of bandwidth that prevents more than a very few UAVs with video feeds in the same theater, but that in a few years software defined radios will be deployed that will alleviate that and also support easier communication between units. So calling in precision artillery strikes and dropping in additional equipment should be easier. What I don’t understand is that all of that is going to generate a lot of radio signals that will be easy pickings for anti-radiation missiles. Training will be even more important than it is now if we have to go up against a serious enemy (like an Islam-ified France), but that has been our advantage for a long time.
Every parent I know who has a son has trouble getting the boys away from video games. There will be no shortage of troops who will have years of experience operating the types of interfaces needed to control these weapons. Funny how that works out.
pedestrian on January 6, 2007 at 2:08 AM
Bingo! The only way to defeat an enemy is to defeat him. He can’t be reasoned with, he can’t be occupied. He has to be beat so bad he knows he lost.
A great example is after WWII both Germany and Japan knew they got their asses kicked and lost. Also refer to the Jews and the Diaspora in AD 70. Rome kicked their asses so hard they didn’t make a come back for just under 1900 years.
Tim Burton on January 6, 2007 at 2:26 AM
Pedestrian, yeah, kinda like “The Last Star Fighter”, huh?
Tony737 on January 6, 2007 at 2:38 AM
I loved the music in that lightsaber video. Talk about creating the mood…that’s what they should have been playing during the big fight during attack of the clones between yogurt..er yoda and Speaker Pelosi..umm Senator Palpatine. Just the fact that they trashed the floor of the imperial senate made the whole movie for me. I kept imagining it was the UN and Don Rumsfeld was putting the wood to Kofi Annan..but..Rumsfeld got the mace windu treatment..betrayed and thrown out a window by President Bush. Wow..abject depression and sci fi…kinda like coffee and cough syrup…eat your heart out Starbucks.
austinnelly on January 6, 2007 at 2:58 AM
Damn..that new tech video was pretty sweet too. Loved that mule at the end. Just think of the lawsuits the prisoners at gitmo could file on the little remote controlled car with the heavy machine gun attached…it ran over my copy of the Koran…it kept bumping me in the legs…my prison panties got caught in the wheels and were pulled off much to my humiliation. Of course..from the looks of that thing..there weren’t any prisoners to take. Some dem representative will see this and hold hearings…how can we charge people with war crimes if we’re using robotic weapons systems? More importantly..how can John Kerry award himself medals if automated weapons systems are doing the actual fighting? From the sloughs of despair..signing off. Good night.
austinnelly on January 6, 2007 at 3:11 AM
Uh huh, this is how all starts! Oooohhh aahhhhh isn’t that cooool? Next thing ya know, SkyNet becomes self-aware and fires our nukes at every major city on the planet!
Tony737 on January 6, 2007 at 9:09 AM
Whatever, can’t even run a border post.
Cant arrest a terrorist cleric when we knew he was threat then
Cant communicate any leadership to the people
Allow the Media to completely control the message
Who cares about this crap… we’re wont be here to use it.
VinceP1974 on January 6, 2007 at 9:38 AM
Maybe they should start with building a border post that some Mexicans can’t defeat.
Every day is yet more and more horrible news.
VinceP1974 on January 6, 2007 at 9:39 AM
Hmmmmm…..
A rifleman stands on a ridge….overlooking the Peach Orchard…..He has what…a long steel tube, a 1/2 wide ball of lead…..a pinch of black powder…and a long sharp bayonet..why, he is well equipped and ready!
Wonder if he even thought of a MaximMG, a PZVI, a walkie talkie, air support, cruise missles, or MRV’s…..let alone MP3 players and Tivo….
I agree it will be awhile before it all works. But it will….someday. Technology will only stop when we do.
Limerick on January 6, 2007 at 11:09 AM
Tony737,,,,
That’s why SkyNet is on my Xmas card list. You just never know who you might need in your back pocket.
Limerick on January 6, 2007 at 11:16 AM
What, that’s all there is? Where is the beef?
What, no Battlemechs, lasers, shields (although the anti-missle defense was cool), phasers, tri-corders, transporter beams, or orbital insertion marines?
We want better value for our tax dollars!
omegaram on January 6, 2007 at 11:32 AM
If there was a weekly TV series about FCS with the same level of production value we saw in that 7 minute long video, you couldn’t keep the male 18-34 demographic from watching it.
ScottMcC on January 7, 2007 at 11:52 AM