DSIAC collects and publishes articles related to our technical focus areas on the web to share with the DoD community.
Researchers are making progress in developing rechargeable batteries based on potassium, a potential alternative to lithium that”s less expensive and far more plentiful, and also have shown how to derive carbon for battery electrodes from old tires. “With the growth of rechargeable batteries for electronic devices, electric vehicles and power grid applications, there has been
A new way to grow narrow ribbons of graphene, a lightweight and strong structure of single-atom-thick carbon atoms linked into hexagons, may address a shortcoming that has prevented the material from achieving its full potential in electronic applications. Graphene nanoribbons, mere billionths of a meter wide, exhibit different electronic properties than two-dimensional sheets of the
Pacific Science EMC announces the release of its new Modular Architecture Propulsion System (MAPS™) for the small satellite market. The compact design of MAPS is a breakthrough in reducing time and cost of integrating the propulsion system with the satellite and launch vehicle. MAPS reduces the time from fabrication and testing to integration on the
Applications include electric vehicles, consumer electronics, UAVs, and wind and solar energy storage. A novel 3D Li-S battery was developed that is based on a tri-layer solid-state electrolyte structure. The battery consists of three components: a tri-layer solid-state electrolyte, cathode, and lithium metal anode. The tri-layer solid-state electrolytes have a supported thin-film dense layer in
Four companies will compete for task orders under a U.S. Navy contract to provide research and development support for nonlethal weapons systems across a range of capability functional and technology areas. The Naval Surface Warfare Center’s Indian Head explosive ordnance disposal technology division in Maryland received 11 offers for the cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, the Defense
After years of combat in the Middle East, the U.S. Army still clings to its desert-colored M1 Abrams tanks and combat vehicles. This became a challenge for Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, commander of U.S. Army Europe, when hundreds of M1s began flowing into Europe”s woodland landscape to deter Russian aggression. Hodges recalled watching video with
The strike was made by a US ally, Gen David Perkins told a military symposium. “That quadcopter that cost 200 bucks from Amazon.com did not stand a chance against a Patriot,” he said. Patriots are radar-targeted weapons more commonly used to shoot down enemy aircraft and ballistic missiles. “Now, that worked, they got it, OK,
Strategic Plan ARL”s Open Campus business model is building the framework for a global science and technology ecosystem that will foster an agile, efficient, and effective research environment supporting the continuous flow of people and ideas to ensure transformative scientific discovery, innovation, and technology transition beneficial to national security. Research Areas The United States Army
Air defense was focused on the Russians. Then it was terrorists. Now it is both. NORAD’s mission fundamentally shifted after Sept. 11, 2001, to address the threat of asymmetric terrorist attacks aimed at North America. But now North American Aerospace Defense Command is changing its focus once again, re-emphasizing advanced threats from outside the homeland.
The Sharp Sword UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), China”s stealthy attack drone, just won second place in the National Science and Technology Advancement Prizes. Considering the secrecy surrounding stealth drones to come out of China—there are relatively few photos of the Sharp Sword available, particularly as opposed to, say, the J-20 fighter—the Sharp Sword”s victory is
The U.S. Army is taking delivery of a 60 kilowatt-class laser from Lockheed Martin as the company wraps up demonstrations of the capability. “In testing earlier this month, the Lockheed Martin laser produced a single beam of 58kW, representing a world record for a laser of this type,” the company said in a statement Thursday.
Directed energy weapons are fast shaping up to be the ‘must-have’ arms for the mid-21st century, and while developments in the US may have stolen much of the limelight in recent years, every military worth its salt is working towards bringing DEW capability into service. Of all the potential approaches to energy weaponry, arguably none