Military
The military has been a key driver of technology throughout history and the 21st century is no exception. Drones, GPS and the internet itself are just some of the transformative technologies originally developed for the military that have found commercial applications, and the list continues to grow.
Latest News
-
Video: Hypersonic rotating detonation engine in sustained test burn
March 11, 2024A revolutionary alternative to conventional rockets that uses controlled explosions has completed its first long-duration engine test as part of Venus Aerospace's partnership with DARPA to develop a Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine. -
Declassified video shows DragonFire laser weapon in action
March 11, 2024In a newly declassified video, the $127 million DragonFire high-power laser weapon can be seen spectacularly blasting through mortar rounds and shooting down drones. It's the best look we've had yet of the top-secret battlefield game-changer. -
Maiden flight for the XQ-67A Loyal Wingman – the drone built like a car
March 03, 2024The US Air Force's XQ-67A Loyal Wingman combat drone has taken to the air for the first time. Built by General Atomics using automotive design techniques, it promises to be a cheaper, more flexible alternative to other UAVs. -
New thermal scope lets snipers see bullets in flight without tracers
February 15, 2024Defense contractor Teledyne FLIR has unveiled its new thermal sniper scope that can see its own bullets fly by day or night at ranges up to 2,200 m (1.3 miles), allowing them to engage targets at long range while remaining unseen. -
Bell ground tests high-speed tiltrotor technology for SPRINT X-plane
February 11, 2024Bell has released a video showing off its High-Speed Vertical Takeoff and Landing (HSVTOL) technology in action. The two-minute video shows a ground test of the nacelle system used to lift and land a VTOL X-plane before converting to jet flight. -
BAE Systems shows off mystery drone at defense show
February 07, 2024In a teaser of things to come, BAE Systems has displayed a model of its future drone at the World Defense Show in Riyadh. Steeped in more mystery than a Raymond Chandler novel, it gives us a hint of what future military drones might look like. -
US Space Force wants orbital filling stations for its satellites
February 06, 2024Northrop Grumman's Passive Refueling Module (PRM) has been tapped by the US Space Force as the preferred model to set the standard for Space Force's Space Systems Command (SSC) to refuel satellites in orbit to extend their mission life. -
DARPA's ground-effect X-plane will haul 100 tons of cargo
February 01, 2024Aurora Flight Sciences has updated the design of its Liberty Lifter seaborne military heavy-lift transport – a highly efficient X-plane the company is developing for DARPA that achieves bulk lift by using wing-in-ground effect. -
US Army's AMPV armored fighting vehicle takes on drones
January 24, 2024In a recent live-fire field test, BAE Systems' Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) prototype took out a small fleet of quadcopter drones in spectacular fashion using a Moog modular weapons system. -
Britain's Dragonfire laser weapon engages first aerial targets
January 21, 2024Britain has fired its Dragonfire high-powered laser weapon at aerial targets for the first time. The test of the Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) on the Ministry of Defence's Hebrides Range was designed to demonstrate its power and accuracy. -
US Army's latest reconnaissance aircraft is a Bombardier business jet
January 10, 2024The US Army is swapping out its Cold War fleet of prop-driven recon planes with ones based on a business jet. Under a new contract, the Army is buying a Global 6500 jet aircraft from Bombardier with options for two more for development prototypes. -
US Space Force's not-so-secret X-37B spaceplane roars into orbit
December 28, 2023The US Space Force's X-37B spaceplane has launched successfully on its multi-year orbital mission. At 8:07 pm EST, the unmanned vehicle set atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy booster lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. -
Raytheon to build microwave weapon antennas for US Air Force and Navy
December 28, 2023The US Navy and US Air Force have tapped Raytheon to design, build and test two high-power microwave antenna systems. These will be used in field-grade directed energy weapons to counter aerial drones and similar threats. -
Silent Arrow to develop motorized, disposable, heavy transport drone
December 27, 2023Aerospace company Silent Arrow has been awarded a contract by the Air Force Research Laboratory's innovation arm AFWERX to develop a heavy payload, long-range motorized version of its GD-2000 glider drone capable of flying 300 nm (350 mi, 560 km). -
US Air Force refuels a tanker plane backwards
December 27, 2023In a topsy-turvy bit of military aviation, the US Air Force used a C-5M Super Galaxy heavy transport to refuel a KC-10 Extender refueling tanker aircraft, pumping fuel backwards up the boom from transport to tanker instead of the other way around.
Load More