The Air Force and Boeing achieved a directed-energy breakthrough with these tests. MATRIX—Mobile Active Targeting Resource for Integrated eXperiments—performance is especially noteworthy because it demonstrated unprecedented, ultra-precise and lethal acquisition, pointing and tracking at long ranges using relatively low laser power.

I’m sure that description would get Governor Tarkin wet. Boeing — along with the Air Force and the Army — also tested the Laser Avenger, a kinetic-laser hybrid weapon that fires a high power death ray coupled with a 25mm machine gun.

Obviously, the kids in the funny uniforms are happy with their new toys, but I would like to see if they can do the same with a small thermal exhaust port only two metres wide. [Boeing via PopSci]

See, the US Army is right. ICBMs are the fastest way to deploy ISR-Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance-spy bots. They only take minutes to launch and reach a target anywhere in the world. Loading them with spy bots will provide with access to real-time data about any conflict area, in virtually no time:

ISR platforms delivered from missiles can potentially provide battlefield information that is only seconds old when transmitted from long ranges. This information is particularly valuable since it is so current. It provides the potential for striking a very mobile enemy before he has time to alter his position.

But then, ICBMs usually carry a much dangerous load: nuclear warheads. You can be sure that the the Russians — or the Chinese or the North Koreans — won’t be happy about detecting an ICBM launch off Alaska. That’s exactly the reason why other similar efforts pioneered by Darpa were scrapped. The US Army boffins, however, say they have a plan to avoid the confusion: Use a different kind of ICBM.

How different that missile could be? A ballistic missile is a ballistic missile. They follow a trajectory across oceans and continents to open and drop whatever load they have, being that nukes, spy bots or cotton candy. Then, the Army also says that they want the spy bots to be fully armed, just in case they want to strike seconds after they find the enemy.

See, that still doesn’t sound like a good idea to me. Like the old Russian proverb says: “If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, it’s a nuclear missile.” [Wired]

The X-Flex wallpaper is really a layer of Kevlar-type material, in between sheets of “elastic polymer wrap”, which provides both flex and strength so that the projectile doesn’t knock the wall down. It seems really effective — check out Pop Sci’s video here for evidence — and the US Army is considering using it for bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s also incredibly easy to attach, being basically a rollable sheet, although I’m not sure if it can be unattached and reused. Still, its effectiveness is really impressive. [Pop Sci]

Blitzer will continue testing through 2010, until they fire “tactically relevant aerodynamic rounds”. That means shells designed to obliterate enemy tanks, bunkers and anything that moves on the ground. Looking at it, I can’t help but to think on Cowboy Bebop and Spike’s Swordfish II fighter. Just imagine General Atomics mounting an optimised model in an oversized version of their Reapers. [General Atomics via Popsci]

Supposedly, the radar will be able to see through fog and dust — even walls. It’s also compact enough to be practical — no more than 1kg with less than 0.5kg of hardware actually mounted to the helmet. Sounds like an awesome tool to keep our soldiers safe, but there are a few problems that would need to be addressed. Outside of possible health issues, the radar helmet would need to be able to distinguish enemies from friends and woodland creatures. Plus, the power supply feeding the device would need to be compact and powerful. That’s easier said than done of course, so I wouldn’t expect this technology to see action anytime soon. [Danger Room Image via Flickr]

The HUD replaces technical manuals on a bulky laptop with floating instructions, labels and oh yes, 3D models of tools right in front of the mechanic. The wrist-mounted interface is run off an Android-powered G1 (which looks much cooler as gauntlet). Apparently Android’s seeing a lot of use as a tool of war. You can check out a video of it here. [Technology Review via PopSci]

I’m sure you are all well acquainted with the crazy quadrupled BigDog robot, but if it had a master to walk with, it would probably look something like the Petman.

Actually, the similarity is not surprising considering that the walking robot was designed by Boston Dynamics — the same company behind BigDog. Petman has been in development for some time now, but this is the first chance we have had to view his human-like stride. The military plans on using it to test out protective clothing for soliders, but I’m sure Terminators are not far behind. [Danger Room]

Raytheon’s new Android application, appropriately named the Raytheon Android Tactical System, lets soldiers set up buddy lists that can track the location of other soldiers or unmanned vehicles. For example, a soldier can set a UAV as a buddy, find its location on a map, and watch video from the UAV’s camera on his handheld.

Update: It sounds a lot like the iPod Touch Apps that soldiers have been using for a while, now available on Android. (Thanks, Dante!)

It all sounds like pretty cool stuff that could be a huge help on the battlefield. The app should be deployed in the next month or two.

We asked Android’s mother, Geoorgia, for comment on how she feels about her son joining the armed forces. A bittersweet look of remembrance spread across her face. “It seems like only yesterday that I put him on the G1,” she replied. “Everyone said he’d never beat that iFellow, but look at him now.”

As she showed us pictures of the Android’s young, slightly acned green dome head, a tear fell onto the photos. For a moment, silence. Then words break through: “Good thing the Hero has a teflon coating.” [Forbes]

Image via The U.S. Army

Existing plans for a new online defence strategy don’t seem particularly bad, except for that first part: defence plans. The professor’s idea is to deploy a much more proactive attack strategy:

[Arquilla would] like the US military’s coders to team up with network specialists abroad to form a global geek squad. Together, they could launch preemptive online strikes to head off real-world battles.

Armies (even guerrilla armies) are so dependent on digital communications these days that a well-placed network hit could hobble their forces. Do these cyberattacks right-and openly-and the belligerents will think twice before starting trouble. Arquilla calls his plan “a nonlethal way to deter lethal conflict.”

The strategy makes the assumption that digital communications are completely vital to enemies big and small, which is generally true, and putting cyberwar directly before more traditional measures like sanctions could have a huge effect: If guerrilla groups can’t organise, they won’t be too effective; if governments can’t use their vital defence networks, they’re basically toothless. Wired’s posted a few scenarios of how this could actually out, and even if they sound a little naive—they do—they’re satisfying cinematic, for whatever that’s worth. [Wired]

Funded by the Army, the BEAR locates victims, removes hazardous materials, and can even carry 225kg loads over long distances. It’s another ‘bot in a long line of battlefield helpers that have pretty much transformed the way soldiers deal with disarming certain deadly encounters in the field. Except this one, you know, looks like a bear. [CNET]