DSIAC collects and publishes articles related to our technical focus areas on the web to share with the DoD community.
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has developed a Maritime version of its Harop Loitering Munitions (LM) family. The company is displaying the weapon at the DSEI 2017 defense expo in London this week. The new marine capabilities of the HAROP extends the operational capability of surface ships, from offshore patrol vessels to naval frigates. The technological
The more assertive stance of the U.S. military, which has emerged from the accession of Donald Trump to the Presidency, has manifest itself in a raid on Yemen by the Special Forces, the shelling of the Shayrat air base in Syria with 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles following the Assad government’s use of Sarin gas, and
As virtual reality technology becomes less expensive and delivers a more realistic, immersive experience, some national security experts warn that it is only a matter of time before terrorists use it for recruiting, training and plotting attacks. The virtual reality (VR) marketplace is exploding. Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Sony PlayStation VR, Google Cardboard, Microsoft HoloLens,
Researchers from North Carolina State University and Nanjing University have developed an “ultra-thin” sound diffuser that is 10 times thinner than the widely used diffusers found in recording studios, concert venues and movie theaters to reduce echoes and improve the quality of sound. The new design uses less material, which would reduce cost, as well
Researchers are looking to insects – specifically cicadas – for insight into the design of artificial surfaces with de-icing, self-cleaning and anti-fogging abilities. Their wings allow cicadas to fly, of course, but they also are good at repelling water – a condition that humans can appreciate, too. “Our work with cicadas is letting us explore
Pioneers from the worlds of artificial intelligence and robotics – including Elon Musk and Deepmind”s Mustafa Suleyman – have asked the United Nations to ban autonomous weapon systems. A letter from the experts says the weapons currently under development risk opening a “Pandora”s box” that if left open could create a dangerous “third revolution in
The National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) on Tuesday proposed a new national policy that, among other things, would mandate that connected vehicle technology (V2V) be included in all new light-weight vehicles that are manufactured, establish standards for vehicle-to-vehicle messages and transmissions, and mandate that data be made available to the federal government. The agency
A high energy laser mounted on an Apache AH-64 attack helicopter acquired and hit an unmanned target. The test was conducted by Raytheon and the U.S. Army Apache Program Management Office in collaboration with U.S. Special Operations Command at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. It was the first time a fully integrated laser system
In the United States, the US Navy is the cutting edge service with regard to developing and deploying directed energy weapons technology. In part this is because ships have enough power to generate the energy necessary to operate current and next generation DE technologies. A laser has been deployed for some time onboard the USS
As NASA pursues innovative, cost-effective alternatives to conventional propulsion technologies to forge new paths into the solar system, researchers at NASA”s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, say nuclear thermal propulsion technologies are more promising than ever, and have contracted with BWXT Nuclear Energy, Inc. of Lynchburg, Virginia, to further advance and refine those
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed a new way to track dynamic molecular features in soft materials, including the high-frequency molecular vibrations that transmit waves of heat, sound, and other forms of energy. Controlling these vibrational waves in soft materials such as polymers or liquid crystal compounds could
Researchers have now managed to pinpoint what happens when light is absorbed by extremely small nanoclusters of silver atoms. The results may have useful application in the development of biosensors and in imaging. By combining chemistry and nanotechnology, the research community in recent years has developed a kind of extremely small nanoclusters consisting of only