DSIAC collects and publishes articles related to our technical focus areas on the web to share with the DoD community.
Directed energy has been a fetching technological idea for decades, but as Sandra Irwin wrote in National Defense in July 2015, the technology seemingly “has perennially been on the cusp of a major breakthrough.” Last summer, though, Jason Ellis of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory wrote a report for the Center for a New American
With terrorists, militant groups, and other potential opponents increasingly employing weaponized drones, the U.S. Army is becoming more and more concerned about the dangers unmanned aircraft pose to its soldiers. In one recent exercise, the service showed off one potential solution, a specially modified Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV) with a laser. The Army rolled
A Soldier heads back to camp, grabs a power bar and unloads his gear. The power bar, which was “printed” minutes earlier, contains all the nutrients his body currently needs, according to sensors that are embedded in his uniform. While this may sound like a scene from a sci-fi movie, engineers and scientists at the
The Army this week took another step in articulating what types of investments it deems necessary to support operational ideas about future ground warfare. The service earlier this year presented its “Big 8” initiatives, a list of modernization priorities designed to stay ahead of global threats and maintain overmatch against present and future adversaries. However,
Late last August, just 50 miles south of Washington, D.C., a series of explosions rocked the normally placid Potomac River. The blasts came from artillery belonging to the USS Dahlgren, which was testing a new targeting system. Using a drone to observe its marks, the targeting system automatically recalculated its aim and retrained the Dahlgren’s
U.S. Senator Gary Peters of Michigan visited BAE Systems, a military contractor, to see a demonstration of the Bradley A3 Fighting Vehicle – an armored combat vehicle manufactured by BAE – and discuss innovation in the defense industry on the morning on Feb. 23. Peters held a discussion with local defense suppliers to hear how
Air Force scientists are working to arm the B-52 with defensive laser weapons able to incinerate attacking air-to-air or air-to-ground missile attack. Offensive and defensive laser weapons for Air Force fighter jets and large cargo aircraft have been in development for several years now. However, the Air Force Research Lab has recently embarked upon a
The State Department in January authorized the SM-6 for foreign military sales, a move that could be a financial boon for Raytheon’s overseas market. The SM-6 provides ships with extended-range protection against fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles in the terminal phase of flight, according to Raytheon.
How effective would you be without your electronics? The US Air Force currently has the technology to win many battles without harming a soul. Mary Lou Robinson, Chief of the High Power Electromagnetics Division of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base, takes us into the world of high-tech electromagnetic warfare– and
INDIAN HEAD, Md. – U.S. military explosives-disposal experts are ordering additional electronic warfare (EW) jammers for deployed infantry warfighters to counter improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in dangerous parts of the world. Officials of the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) in Indian Head, Md., announced a $31 million order last Wednesday to Sierra Nevada Corp. in
The United States Navy is absolutely confident in the ability of its aircraft carriers and carrier air wings to fly and fight within zones defended by so-called anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) weapons. Both Russia and China—and to a lesser extent Iran—have been developing layered anti-ship and anti-aircraft defenses that would make it more difficult for the
The U.S. Navy conducted its first test of a short-range missile system designed to protect a Littoral Combat Ship against swarming threats. The test marked the first launch of a missile from the Surface to Surface Missile Module (SSMM) from a Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) as well as the first vertical missile launched from an