Articles

DSIAC collects and publishes articles related to our technical focus areas on the web to share with the DoD community.

Filter by Technical Focus Areas

By default, only content within your selected technical focus areas is displayed throughout the site. You can update your technical focus areas in your profile or temporarily filter the content here.


Filter by Article Types

Interceptor Test May Push Missile Defense Forward

The Missile Defense Agency in its long-time quest to shoot down intercontinental ballistic missiles scored a success May 30 when the ground-based mid-course defense system’s kill vehicle directly collided with its intended target. As the first major demonstration of the system in more than three years, and the first to be declared a success since

General Atomics Continues Testing of Railgun System

An advanced electromagnetic railgun (EMRG) cannon prototype developed by General Atomics for the Navy is preparing for testing, according to the company. The 10-megajoule medium-range multi-mission railgun system, one of two prototypes in development for the service, has completed final assembly and factory acceptance test, General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) recently announced. The system was

A More Sustainable Way to Refine Metals

A team of chemists in Canada has developed a way to process metals without using toxic solvents and reagents. The system, which also consumes far less energy than conventional techniques, could greatly shrink the environmental impact of producing metals from raw materials or from post-consumer electronics. “At a time when natural deposits of metals are

Building Readiness: Romanian Base Gets an Overhaul to Strengthen NATO Forces

CINCU, Romania — Some major improvements are underway at the Joint National Training Center in Romania that are designed to ultimately strengthen capability across NATO forces, and it”s being made possible largely by U.S. funding through the European Reassurance Initiative. Roughly $23 million in funding — provided through the account designed to bolster initiatives to

Scientists Develop Molecular Code for Melanin-Like Materials

Scientists have long known that melanin—the pigments that give color to skin, hair and eyes—has numerous useful qualities, including providing protection from cancer-causing UV radiation and free radicals, but also electronic conductance, adhesiveness and the capacity to store energy. To take advantage of these qualities, scientists across the City University of New York (CUNY) have

Army Discovery May Offer New Hydrogen Energy Source

Army scientists and engineers recently made a discovery. An aluminum nanomaterial of their design produces high amounts of energy when it comes in contact with water, or any liquid containing water. During routine materials experimentation at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, a team of researchers observed a bubbling reaction when adding water to a nano-galvanic

Flexible Ultrathin Graphene–Protein Supercapacitor Draws Energy from Human Body

Researchers from UCLA and the University of Connecticut have designed a new biofriendly energy storage system called a biological supercapacitor, which operates using charged particles, or ions, from fluids in the human body. The device is harmless to the body’s biological systems, and it could lead to longer-lasting cardiac pacemakers and other implantable medical devices.

NASA’s Longshot Bet on Revolutionary Plasma-Based Rockets May Pay Off

Franklin Chang-Díaz bounds up a handful of stairs and peers through a porthole cut into the side of a silver, tanker-truck-sized vacuum chamber. Inside, a blueish-purple light shines, unchanging and constant, like a bright flashlight. “It looks kind of boring,” Chang-Díaz admits. “But that plume is 3.5 million degrees. If you stuck your hand in

Ford’s SmartLink OBD Accessory Adds Connected Features to Older Cars

Connectivity features are increasingly included as standard on new vehicles, with cellular modems in particular becoming a popular feature included even in base level trim. Now, connectivity is so important to Ford, that the automaker is actually offering an easy retrofit option to add connected features to Ford and Lincoln vehicles from model years between

Army Researchers Focus on Readiness at Global Force Symposium

Delivering Capabilities for Multi-Domain Battle was the focus at the 2017 Association of the United States Army Institute of Land Warfare Global Force Symposium and Exposition held Mar. 13-15 in Huntsville, Alabama. This year, the U.S. Army Materiel Command hosted the Army”s participation in the symposium. The supporting theme throughout the three-day conference –Science and

FN America FN 303 Non-Lethal Weapon System

Many law enforcement and military threat encounter situations are handled best using an escalation of force (EoF) protocol.  EoF protocols…

Saving Air Superiority

Forget about a family of systems. Next-generation air dominance will require an aircraft with a family of advanced technologies. The Air Force is racing the clock to preserve its ability to control the air. As new adversary fighters and air defenses develop—and are already challenging USAF’s ability to go anywhere and strike any target—the service