National Defense
Technology Rush Hits
All Time High
Jacob Pruckner
National Defense Technology Rush Hits All Time High
Abstract
As we begin to fight smaller regimes and continue our war on terrorism, the U.S. defense focus
has been mainly on staying technologically ahead of our foes. The U.S. is planning on spending 496
billion dollars next year on defense (Korb) so you can expect a lot of new and improved weaponry and
defense systems. Much of this spending is going to be used for new technology such as more advanced
drones, exoskeletons for special operations, and smart bomb technology. Though most of these
concepts require a vast knowledge on technology to fully understand, the purpose of this paper is to
break them down in a way that is understandable to the normal U.S Population
Drones
We are now entering the very controversial world of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or drones.
While drones such as the MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1 predator have dominated the defense department’s
fixed wing drone landscape, the MQ-8C is the first purchase of a rotary wing UAV by the Department of
Defense (DOD) (Barrie). The latest installment of these helicopters is considered to be a massive
upgrade capable of flying for double the length of the original MQ-8 and carrying three time ISR
(Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) information. The drone will be utilized by the navy and
is capable of landing on any warship, regardless of whether or not the ship has a proper landing zone.
Northrop Grumman, the main producer of this aircraft says, that the aircraft is capable of carrying 2,650
pounds at up to 17,000 feet of altitude and has a range of 14 hours, allowing it to be utilized in some of
the longer missions. The Rolls Royce 250-C47B engine is capable of reaching around 160 miles per hour.
This past winter the MQ-8 was used aboard the USS Jason Dunham to test for operational use (Barrie).
The benefits of these UAVs is quite obvious, they can mitigate the human error of flying as well
as the loss of an aircraft going down. We are now able to have helicopters that are capable of flying
themselves on autonomous landings and takeoffs (56% of all aircraft accidents) . Now these machines
are translating to the civilian world such as Amazon’s plan to use drones to deliver packages from their
warehouses.
Another thing to consider when talking about UAVs is how to transport them in and out of
warzones. Currently the DOD is researching an idea that would solve that problem. The Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is currently seeking help from defense contractors on a
system that would allow drones to be launched from inside large aircraft such as the C-130 or C -17 and
then recovered on the same aircraft. Though this technology is still under researched it could change the
way we see ISR platforms, and the U.S. government is offering a significant amount of money for bids for
the project (Howell).
Exoskeletons
If you played the newest Call of Duty you would know that the concept of exoskeletons for
military members is considered “Advanced Warfare.” This actually isn’t the case as the Navy is currently
testing exoskeletons for their sailors from the ship yard to the battlefield. The Fortis exoskeleton
designed by Lockheed Martin has been said to be the newest technology changing the game for home
front efforts. The Fortis is capable of helping military personnel carry up to 36 pounds with little to no
effort. From the tests, it was also determined that the suits reduce muscle fatigue of the user by 300
percent, allowing our troops to stay in the fight or at work longer, leading to an overall increase in
production by up to 27 times(Szondy). The Navy plans on using the Fortis for their day-to-day employees
in shipyards, domestic and abroad.
To increase battlefront efforts, the military is researching into using either the HULC by
Lockheed or XOS by Raytheon. The Raytheon XOS 2 is capable of helping its user lift 200 pounds
hundreds of times with no strain (Hanlon). This also translates to being capable of punching through a 3
inch thick board (Hanlon). The major problem with the XOS 2 is its power usage which needs to be
reduced heavily (60%) to be a solid option for our troops who might be on movements for days at a
time. The suit is powered by an internal combustion engine and uses hydraulics to power the limbs to
conserve energy and avoid using lithium ion batteries. According to the Vice President of Operations for
Raytheon, “We believe [lithium ion batteries] are extremely dangerous. If one gets breached, it can
explode and cause a fireball that's similar to a magnesium flare” (Hanlon). On the other end of the
spectrum is the HULC (Human Universal Load Carrier) which is being researched and developed by
Lockheed Martin. The HULC runs on rechargeable batteries which is highly revered due the stringent
conditions of military deployments. The lifting capabilities of this exoskeleton are very similar to the
XOS, but the HULC boasts a constant run speed of 7 mph and can cause the user to reach speeds of 10
mph in small bursts with ease (Hanlon).
All of these exoskeletons will make their users much more effective at their respective jobs. If
we are able to use these on our conventional forces, I am very interested to see how U.S Special
Operations command will utilize these suits to fight our aggressors.
Aircraft
The newest aircraft to enter the military spectrum is the F-35 Lightning. This strike fighter
(meaning mainly intended for air-to-air combat) is the newest in aircraft technology. The F-35 program
has been in place since 2001 and is finally coming to a spearhead in the 2014- 2015 fiscal year. Every
branch in the military except for the Army is planning on purchasing these strike fighters to add to their
inventories. One of the larger technological advances in these aircraft is its use of stealth technology.
The panels on the planes exterior are meant to deflect radar signals so that the plane cannot be
detected by enemy radar. The aircrafts programming is supposed to detect optimal ways to cool the
exhaust fumes, remove jet noise, and change the heating of the aircraft so even enemy thermal
detectors will not be able to see that our planes are in their airspace. One of the coolest new
technologies in the F-35 is the cockpit design. The design is completely digital, meaning that in the
helmets of the pilots, as well as on the glass of the cockpit, will be the different instruments and
switches. This allows the pilot to keep his hands on the sticks without having to be distracted with
analog instruments while cruising at over 1,000 mph. Every branch looks to be trying to order their own
distinct version of the aircraft. The Air Force is looking for the most intense anti-detection software,
while the Navy is more concerned with the ability for their fighters to be landed on aircraft carriers and
collapsed so they can put a large amount of planes in a small space. The navy also is beginning the first
steps of what is called “beyond the horizon” technology which is meant to detect ships well beyond
their current horizon both above and below the surface. The Marine Corps are requesting the biggest
variation, a jet that is capable of taking off vertically. They have had similar fighters in the past, but none
that were capable of landing and taking off 90 degrees vertically. The major problem with the new F-35
is its cost. The Conventional aircraft will cost around 111.6 million dollars while surprisingly the marine
version will only cost 109 million per aircraft. The Navy’s carrier capable aircraft comes in at the highest
price tag of 142.9 million dollars. Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman have been competing for the
DOD contract, but it appears that Lockheed Martin will most likely receive it with their aircraft planning
on being operational late this year (Military).
Recently Jan Scheurmann, who is a quadriplegic, has been working with scientists to use
electrodes attached to implants in the brain to use mechanical devices such as robotic arms. Recently
she used the implants to fly an F-35 simulator (Mcgarry). Using this technology, the U.S. plans to assist
pilots by picking up on their frequent reactions to different maneuvers and then adjust the plane’s
movement during certain actions to reduce stress on the pilot (Mcgarry). It is not very uncommon for
pilots to be close to, if not actually passing out when performing high stress maneuvers that require the
body to take on multiple G forces. This technology should be able to limit such stress on our pilots and
allow them to even fly the plane with their minds if need be.
Now the U.S is researching into a new Stealth Bomber to operate alongside the B-2, the Air
Force’s newest stealth bomber which was put in action in the early 1990s. The pentagon is said have
been looking into a “Next Generation, Super-Classified, High Priority” Bomber and is currently accepting
bids for the contract that should have these bombers operational by the mid-2020s (Cohen). The biggest
competitors for the bid are Northrop Grumman(Creator of the B-2) along with Boeing and Lockheed
Martin. One of the top priorities of the new bombers is the ability for it to be very long range, meaning
that it doesn’t need refueled on long range missions. The DOD has also pondered upon the idea of
having the plane be operated without a pilot on routine missions and still able to be piloted manually in
the event that the pilot is necessary, such as missions that require eyes on identification of a high
priority target (Cohen). Though the technology is important, it does not come at a small price tag. The
Air Force is requesting 1.2 Billion just in research for the new aircraft and estimates that each plane will
cost around 550 million dollars (Cohen). This is not nearly as expensive as the B-2 which comes in at
around 2 billion a plane. Overall the future of our nation’s aircraft is looking bright, but also very
expensive.
Munitions
Though not brand new technology, I think the incorporation of precision guided munitions in
our modern fights in Iraq and Afghanistan is a very important addition to the U.S. war effort. The EGBU27 is a set of parts and systems that turn conventional bombs into precision guided pieces of explosive
technology. The bombs are capable of being dropped from aircraft from over 10,000 feet and be guided
to a target by a JTAC (Joint Terminal Air Controller). The bombs are also programmed to be able to be
guided by GPS signals by the pilot or JTAC. According to ABC the precision guided weapons can be
placed within 3 feet of a target after being dropped from over 20,000 feet. From speaking with military
personnel myself, precision guided missiles have one of the single biggest advances we have had in the
past 10 years of warfare. The kits for these projectiles are also relatively cheap at only $20,000 a kit
(enhanced).
Computer Intelligence Collection
In the modern age of warfare, conventional battle is much less effective as quick and effective
tactical strikes. This is why our defense budget had recently become very heavily dependent on special
operations personnel to gather their intelligence from enemy computers. To help in these endeavors
U.S. SOCOM (Special Operations Command) is currently researching ways to drain computers of all of
their files quickly and efficiently so operators are not forced to carry hard drives or entire computer
systems back from the fight. SOCOM is asking for a program that is capable of stripping all of the hash
code, phone numbers, names, email addresses, usernames, etc. in a hard drive in under 15 minutes,
even in cases where hard drives are damaged or incomplete. According to DefenseTech.org, the DOD
has received multiple offers to complete this project and testing of these programs will begin March 17th
through the 27th (cox). Such a system would be very beneficial as current collection techniques are very
antique and the sometimes damaged information on taken hard drives could be the difference between
life and death overseas for our troops.
Space Technology
A lot of people don’t realize that our battle with other countries doesn’t just stop with aircraft.
The space race is still an ever present threat to U.S. National Security. Elon Musk, known as the CEO and
product architect of Tesla, is also CEO of Space Exploration Technologies Corporation or better known as
SpaceX. The company is currently working on creating rockets that are capable of performing
intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance (ISR) on our enemies and then land in such a controlled
fashion that they are reusable by military personnel. To further the technology, the company plans on
making the rocket GPS guided on reentry so that is capable of landing safely in any location we want
including moving targets such as aircraft carriers. This technology would allow our space ISR platforms
to be reusable and therefore save the DOD and the U.S government millions if not billions of dollars on
space based ISR (SpaceX).
Conclusion
As you can see we have so many different projects going on within our defense department that
are sure to give us the competitive edge on the battlefield and at home. While a lot of these systems are
still in development or being researched, the DOD is known for putting stringent time schedules on
defense contractors so expect to see many of these projects out in the next few years. The safety of our
troops and even our private military contractors overseas is very dependent on our technological
advantage over enemy such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS. Therefore we must continue to develop and work on
defense platforms that are going to lead the next generation to success.
Works Cited
-
Korb, L. (2014, April 24). A User's Guide to the Fiscal Year 2015 Defense Budget.
Retrieved April 2, 2015, from
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/security/report/2014/04/24/88516/a-usersguide-to-the-fiscal-year-2015-defense-budget/
-
Barrie, A. (2014, December 4). Navy taps new Fire Scout helicopter drone. Retrieved
April 2, 2015, from http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2014/12/04/navy-taps-new-fire-scouthelicopter-drone/"Statistic Analysis of Airplane Accidents." 1001 Crash. Web. 19 Feb.
2015.
-
Howell, E. (2014, December 9). Military Seeks Flying Aircraft Carriers to Launch Drones.
Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://www.livescience.com/49057-military-flying-aircraftcarriers-drones.html
-
Szondy, D. (2014, August 24). US Navy to test Fortis exoskeletons. Retrieved April 2,
2015, from http://www.gizmag.com/fortis-exoskeleton-us-navy/33403
-
Hanlon, M. (2010, September 28). Raytheon XOS 2: Second generation exoskeleton.
Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://www.gizmag.com/raytheon-significantly-progressesexoskeleton-design/16479/"Military."
-
'Enhanced' Smart Bomb Used in Iraq Strikes. (2015, March 20). Retrieved from
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=97687Harris, Tom.
-
Harris, T. (n.d.). How Smart Bombs Work. Retrieved April 2, 2015, from
http://science.howstuffworks.com/smart-bomb2.htmHowell. "Military Seeks Flying Aircraft
Carriers to Launch Drones." LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 9 Dec. 2014. Web. 19
Feb. 2015.
-
Cox, M. (2014, November 19). USSOCOM Wants Computer-Draining Tech. Retrieved
April 2, 2015, from http://defensetech.org/2014/11/19/ussocom-wants-computer-drainingtech/
-
Cohen, Z. (2015, March 15). New U.S. stealth bomber shrouded in mystery - CNN.com.
Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/14/politics/u-s-air-forcestealth-bomber/