Tomorrow’s Military Technology, Today

The Economist is out with its latest Technology Quarterly this week and as always it’s chock full of some really incredible stuff that would surprise even the most die-hard robotics club nerds. One article that caught my eye concerns the future of military technology, but be forewarned, if you’re expecting to read about missile launchers on the moon or the U.S. army using the latest model of batmobile, you’ll be disappointed. That’s not to say such things aren’t also in the works, because they very well may be...

This article focuses on the steps governments and private companies are taking to prepare armies for the wars of the future. The nature of warfare has changed greatly since WWII when war zones and enemy armies were clearly defined and easily recognizable. Today, war is often waged by non-state actors and the locus of fighting has moved off the battlefield and into the jungle or onto neighborhood streets. Today’s enemies, like the Taliban, are perhaps even more dangerous than past enemies because they have acquired advanced military technology through networks of illegal weapons trade and wield them with reckless abandon. Accordingly, Western governments are adapting in order to stay one step ahead to protect their soldiers.
These are just a few of the projects scientists and engineers are working on:

• Software that compiles meteorological and topographical data from a certain area to create new patterns for camouflage. This software in combination with advances in temporary camouflage technology may allow soldiers to paint trucks and other hardware for a single mission and then wash it off afterwards.

• Once reserved for only the richest armies in the world, infrared technology is now ubiquitous. To combat this, scientists and defense contractors are designing fabrics that block human heat-signatures (click here for a helpful tutorial video) and allow soldiers to move undetected. Others are working on similar products for military hardware.

• Engineers at Lockheed Martin have developed a radar system, Foliage Penetration Synthetic Aperture Radar (FOPEN for short), that allows pilots to see military hardware covered by foliage or netting. Another radar-detection system is in the works to spot stealth aircraft.

While these technological advances will no doubt help soldiers on the ground, expanding military capacity will not ensure a resolution to military conflicts around the world. Without a global commitment to crack down on illicit arms trade, the technological game of cat-and-mouse will continue and perhaps expand to one of nuclear proportions.