4 New High-Tech Weapons
Popular Mechanics
From an Iron Man-style guided missile to a Humvee-mounted pulverizer, this smarter and more deadly crop of tiny military systems brings some finesse to force.
1. Spike
It’s the smallest guided missile in the world, but Spike (shown above)—which weighs just 5.3 pounds and measures 25 in. long—packs a big punch. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division has pulled off four successful demonstrations of the weapon, including one hit through the passenger window of a remote-control truck (below). The weapon could soon be carried by unmanned aerial vehicles or infantry. Like several other small, high-tech armaments made possible by recent advances in microelectronics and materials science, Spike is easy to deploy. It’s also versatile: A gunner at a mobile control station can switch targets or abort an attack while the missile is in flight.
2. Small Diameter Bomb
The SDB is a 285-pound bomb used when the Air Force’s second-lightest 500-pound precision bombs would endanger civilians or allied forces. The Pentagon wants to adapt the SDB’s warhead to produce less shrapnel, further limiting collateral damage, by using a casing made of carbon composites instead of steel. In February, Boeing delivered the first 50 of these “Focused Lethality” variants to the Air Force for testing.
3. Miniature Air Launched Decoy
It doesn’t shoot, but the 112-in. MALD may prove deadly to enemy air defenses. Launched from an aircraft, this turbojet-powered decoy mimics combat aircraft, tricking antiaircraft batteries into turning on their radars—thereby revealing their positions and becoming targets themselves. Raytheon finished flight tests in January and is preparing for commercial production.
4. Lightweight 25
<
Chain guns that can pulverize a target with 25 mm rounds are found mainly on Air Force gunships, heavy armor vehicles and Navy vessels. Alliant TechSystems’ new, lightweight version can be mounted on smaller vehicles, such as Humvees, and remotely operated from inside. The system weighs 63 pounds—less than half as much as similar chain guns. An airburst round explodes at a preset distance, striking targets hiding beyond the shooter’s line of sight.
Be respectful of others and their opinions. Inflammatory remarks and inane leftist drivel will be deleted. It ain’t about free speech, remember you’re in a private domain. My website, my prerogative.
If you can't handle using your real email address, don't bother posting a comment.
Uncle Sam always has the best toy list…
As for #3 - so goes the Wild Weasel?
May 16th, 2008 at 9:24 amMALD; kinda like Tacit Rainbow. I was wondering if we were going to bring that one up again after the Russians picked up the F-117 we lost in Serbia. TR would have solved the problem of hyper-mobile AA missile batteries that downed that Nighthawk, and will keep anyone from repeating that particular tactic successfully.
I’m thinking the 63 lb chaingun would simplify the ol’ morning commute…
May 16th, 2008 at 9:28 amHAHA!!! Damn chaingun on a Hummer.
I think we’ll run out of bacon in a week. 
May 16th, 2008 at 9:33 amCan’t wait till vulcan and gauss rifles are the new toys.
that or fusion rifles
May 16th, 2008 at 9:49 amCan someone arrange for a test with little hitler as the guest of honor. Maybe invite Chavez too. Just a thought…
May 16th, 2008 at 9:59 amMMmmmm. B-2 has a payload around 70,000 pounds.
That’s a potential for over 245 SDBs. They’d just need a fancy ejector rack that can hold them all. 1 B-2, attacking 245 targets with a freakishly low CEP, simultaneously, in essentially an 80 mile diameter around the aircraft.
Who the hell needs nukes anymore? You can destroy every bit of soft infrastructure in a major city, within a few seconds of each other, and little to no collateral damage. No power, no water, no communications, hundreds of thousands of civilians to now take care of and feed, and you’ll never see or hear it coming.
We’re so lucky to have such viciously smart people on our side.
May 16th, 2008 at 10:00 amI posted elsewhere about another in prototype stage: the 34lb. 50cal, with ¼ the recoil. Imagine …
May 17th, 2008 at 10:04 pm