Armed with Science | Tag Archive

Female Body Armor

Filed under Featured, Videos by jtozer on July 26, 2012 at 7:31 am {no comments}

Body armor wasn’t originally made for women.

That’s the short and long of it (ah…measurement puns). But, before we start getting all up in arms (ha!) about this, think about the reason for that. Initially women didn’t serve in a military capacity that required them to wear body armor, but now all that’s changed.

Now that women are actively engaged in combat zones within their military roles (and have been for a while), the need to have correctly fitting and appropriate protection is a necessity. This isn’t a one-shield-fits-all thing. Well, not anymore. Female soldiers will soon see a big advancement in their protective equipment.

PEO Soldier‘s LTC Frank Lozano says that the new emphasis is on form, fit and function.

Video provided by The US Army YouTube Channel, SRTV

Here are some of the new improvements to the body armor for women:

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Laser Weapons for Navy Ships

Filed under Physical Sciences, STEM, Technology, Videos by jtozer on May 14, 2012 at 7:50 am {no comments}

We are getting closer and closer to the laser beam, I can feel it. A military scientist operates a laser in a test environment. The United states Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Directed Energy Directorate conducts research on a variety of solid-state and chemical lasers. (U.S. Air Force)

I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.

The Navy…is getting LASER WEAPONS.

Eventually.

Okay, so it’s not right this second, but ONR is working to make it a reality. To help sailors defeat small boat threats and aerial targets without using bullets, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) wants to develop a solid-state laser weapon prototype that will demonstrate multi-mission capabilities aboard a Navy ship.

“We believe it’s time to move forward with solid-state lasers and shift the focus from limited demonstrations to weapon prototype development and related technology advancement,” said Peter Morrison, program officer of the Solid-State Laser Technology Maturation (SSL-TM) program.

ONR will host an industry day May 16 to provide the research and development community with information about the program. A Broad Agency Announcement is expected to be released thereafter to solicit proposals and bids.

The Navy’s long history of advancing directed-energy technology has yielded kilowatt-scale lasers capable of being employed as weapons. Among the programs, the Maritime Laser Demonstration developed a proof-of-concept technology that was tested at sea aboard a decommissioned Navy ship.

The demonstrator was able to disable a small boat target: (more…)

Lethal Technology

Filed under Technology by jtozer on May 1, 2012 at 7:36 am {no comments}

Engineer Chris Haines holds a cylinder composed of reactive materials.

Imagine a warhead with fragments that flare and burn when the warhead detonates.

Now imagine the potential destruction of an artillery shell made almost entirely of that stuff.

Such a theoretical weapon is one of the goals behind the research being conducted by Picatinny Arsenal engineers working at the Advanced Materials Lab.

In conventional artillery shells, the explosive force generated upon detonation causes the warhead to break apart. The resulting fragments flung out in all directions are great speed explains how these weapons cause their damage.

But the potential destructive force is increased dramatically with capabilities of reactive materials that can be formed and strengthened to replace the inert materials that make up the rest of the warhead.

The reactive materials form the structure of the warhead rather than simply being loaded into the warhead.

“Structured reactive materials, or SRM, will enhance the lethality of current and future weapons while maintaining or reducing the payload,” said Paul Redner, a materials engineer with the Advanced Materials Lab.

“Unlike with more traditional (reactive materials), SRM will be a direct one-to-one replacement of inert components.”

The engineers have already made progress in the research, yet challenges remain.

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Soldiers Benefit From Lighter Mortar Systems

Filed under STEM, Technology by Julie Weckerlein on August 2, 2011 at 10:00 am {no comments}

With a deafening blast, Rakkasan mortarmen from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division fire a 120 mm mortar system during the brigade level training, Sept. 29, 2007 at Camp Buehring, Kuwait. The rounds' targets were far behind the hills in the distance. U.S. Army Photo by Pvt. Mary Gurnee

Troops out in the field, wearing heavy battle rattle and carrying their weapons, will soon have lighter mortar systems in their arsenal.

Mortar crews have started receiving new lightweight 60mm mortar systems that are approximately 20 percent lighter than previous versions. The Program Executive Office for Ammunition fielded the Army’s first M224A1 60mm Lightweight Company Mortar Systems to 1st Special Forces Group in Fort Lewis, Wash., last month.

Eventually all former legacy M224 systems will be replaced with the new lightweight systems.

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