Gizmodo Australia » defence

8 Inflatable Military Decoys

Sean Fallon — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:20:00 +0000

The life-size inflatable jumbo jet was impressive, but the military has been doing this sort of thing forever. As proof, check out OObject’s list of eight military-grade spy camera fake-outs. [OObject]

The Pentagon Bans USB Flash Drives: Will There Be a Floppy Disk Comeback?

Gizmodo US Edition — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 20:30:00 +0000

AP reports that the Department of Defence has, at least for the time being, banned USB flash drives and is collecting all Pentagon-owned drives from the entire department. The Pentagon hasn’t issued an official statement, but a spokesman did say that they are dealing with a “global virus” that affects such external storage. Apparently, Department of Defence lackeys are being told that they may not get their drives back, and no information has been given regarding the length of the ban. A list of items now banned from the Pentagon after the jump.

- Beer-filled USB flash drives
– Fetus USB flash drives
– Sawed-off USB flash drives
– Carabiner USB flash drives
– USB flash drives shaped like obsolete equipment
– Food-shaped USB flash drives
– Arty meta-storage USB flash drives [AP]

The Future is Coming to a Robot Near You (Or Behind, Rather)

Gizmodo US Edition — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 23:45:00 +0000

The Pentagon and the Department of Defence has recently put in a request to contractors for a multi-robot pursuit system to search and track down “non-cooperative humans.” The military is worried that controlling robots will take time away from defence officials so creating a pack-hunting AI that will do it automatically will be useful. Once the system is perfected, government officials expect it to become autonomous and armed. Maybe next time, you’ll think twice about littering or about to make a “California” stop. That’s exactly what this economy needs anyways: a good use of taxpayers’ dollars to replace more jobs. [New Scientist]

DARPA Documents Reveal Plans For Advanced Video Spying Tech

Gizmodo US Edition — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 01:45:00 +0000

Real-time videos that detect the most minute movements in enemy battle areas and advanced analytical systems that will efficiently sift through them are all in the works, according to DARPA documents. A $US6.7 million contract with software company Kitware revealed a DARPA project focused on rapidly indexing archived aerial surveillance. It also gave a taste of the technology our military already uses, and it sounds like something out of the Bourne Identity.

Full-motion video can zoom in on people and their behaviour in public, from handshakes to kisses on the cheek. Resolution ranges from a 30cm to 10cm, depending on the collection methods and environmental conditions at the time. Existing systems can also track moving targets under forest and other cover. Future collection systems are going to provide even better, more detailed footage. Yep, the government has eyes everywhere–but not enough analysts to make sense of all the info.

That’s where the contracts come in. Kitware and its partners are going to figure out an algorithm for activities that the military would be interested in looking into, such as U-turning cars that could be readying to make an attack. That’s well and good when it’s focused on the battleground, but does anyone else feel a little nervous about this kind of tech being available to be used at home? [Washington Post]

Military Arming Shadow Drones, Could Give Novice Teen Pilots the Power to Kill

Sean Fallon — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 19:50:00 +0000

Today, only seasoned, rated pilots are allowed to step behind the controls of an armed Predator or Reaper drone. However, the Defence Department is planning to change all that by fitting their low-flying Shadow counterparts with precision weapons. Currently Shadow drones function primarily as an intelligence asset—hunting down and collecting information on potential targets. They are also much lighter, smaller and cheaper than Predators or Reapers—which is why the Air Force felt comfortable allowing the most junior officers to pilot missions.

Combine that with the fact that high-end Predator pilots are severely fatigued from round-the-clock duty, and you can see why the DoD is making this move. It would expand the fleet of armed UAVs and make them cheaper to operate overall. Sure, the thought of 18 or 19 year old pilots fresh out of basic behind the controls of these machines is a bit unsettling—but it’s not like this would be the first time the US threw a teenager into battle. Plus, we are taking about unmanned vehicles looking for specific, high-value targets. There is probably less chance of major incidents involving friendly fire or civilian casualties. [Inside Defense via Danger Room]

Scientists Plan to Decimate Our Enemies With Dinosaurs

Sean Fallon — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:15:00 +0000

It is no secret that there has been a major shift towards UAVs for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. With big contracts on the line, researchers are scrambling to come up with the next big breakthrough in unmanned military technology. One group of researchers believes that the “next big thing” could be a dinosaur (or “flying reptile” if you want to be all accurate about it) that existed 115 million years ago. These scientists are attempting to create a UAV that mimics the physical and biological characteristics of the prehistoric pterodactyl. The “Pterodrone” will be capable of flying, walking and sailing just like the flesh and blood original.

“The next generation of airborne drones won’t just be small and silent,” says the multidisciplinary group, “they’ll alter their wing shapes using morphing techniques to squeeze through confined spaces, dive between buildings, zoom under overpasses, land on apartment balconies, or sail along the coastline.”

The researchers behind the project view the pterodactyl as one of the most successful flying creatures to ever soar above the Earth—so, naturally, a robotic version might prove useful in gathering information and maybe even conducting military strikes somewhere down the line. Nothing would strike fear into the hearts of terrorists like a squadron of pterodactyls swooping down and devouring their comrades one by one. [Science Daily]

Navy ‘Batman Boat’ Has Drug Runners Thinking They’re Being Chased By UFOs

Sean Fallon — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 21:40:00 +0000

The Navy’s 80-foot $US6 million “Stiletto” with its Batman-esque twin m-shaped hull has been floating around as a prototype project for several years now, but it has suffered from budget cuts in the Defence Department. However, it appears that the Stiletto is starting to see some action in the war against drugs. Recently a group of drug runners in Florida tried to elude one by sailing near reefs and sandbars at 42 knots and skimming over water less than 1.5m deep. But the Stiletto kept on coming. After a two-hour chase, the drug boat finally ran out of gas and the passengers were apprehended. They told authorities that it was like being chased by a UFO. A UFO boat, huh? These guys were so f’ing high.

[Danger Room via Dvice and M Ship Co]

The Pentagon Preps for World of Warcraft Invasion (No, Seriously)

Mark Wilson — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:20:00 +0000

Terrorism. It could be all around you. It could be in the air you breathe, the food you eat, the loved one you kiss goodnight and even the MMO you play. Yes, friends, according to a recent presentation by Dr. Dwight Toavs, professor at the Pentagon’s National Defence University, virtual worlds could easily hide a real terrorist plot. And to illustrate his point, Toavs supplied this example screen from World of Warcraft. It looks innocent enough, just documenting a good old dragon fire spell on the south gates of the Keep. Unless…wait…what could they really be referring to?

Holy crap! It’s The White House! Never mind that the “dragon fire” is a spell from Everquest. Mount the griffins and arm the bunker busters! And somebody ask Mummy for $14 because my WoW subscription just ran out!! [Danger Room]

Northrop Grumman Death Star Lasers Are Weapons-Grade, Could Be Out in 2008

Adrian Covert — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:40:00 +0000

Wired’s Danger Room blog is spot on in comparing Northrop Grumman’s upcoming solid state laser system to the Death Star. Promised to arrive before the end of 2008, and far earlier than Boeing’s 25kW laser, it’s supposed to have 100 kilowatts of power (SERIOUS pew pew action) and make use of multiple, less powerful lasers to form one giant one (see also: Voltron).

Northrop Grumman calls the individual components “laser chains,” and say they’ve managed to successfully link two of them together (out of eight). Moreover, they have them running at peak power (30kW) for 5 minutes continuously and 40 minutes non continuously. Wired writes that a laser of this calibre should be able to knock mortars and rockets out of the sky.

Once thought to be significantly less powerful, electric lasers have progressed to the point that they’re close to being a suitable chemical laser alternative. Not only that, they’re also much safer in real world scenarios, evil villains notwithstanding. With Northrop Grumman assuring the Pentagon these will be ready by the end of the year, I’m getting kinda excited. [Danger Room]

DARPA Developing Scopes That Use Heat Haze to Achieve Super Resolution

Sean Fallon — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:10:00 +0000

Yes, DARPA does have a reputation for coming up with some seriously far-fetched gadgets, but their Super-Resolution Vision System (SRVS) is not one of them. This project challenges designers to come up with an optics system that utilises heat haze to see further and clearer than ever before. Basically, it takes advantage of an atmospheric phenomenon that occurs whereby images can be magnified for fleeting moments behind the haze.

DARPA hopes that the SRVS technology “will provide 90% accurate facial recognition of a moving individual from 1 km away using a 6 cm lens.” That represents a 3-fold improvement over current technology under more favourable conditions. However, the technique does not currently operate in real time, so the goal for researchers is to achieve a refresh rate of one frame per second. A finished product should weigh in at no more than 2 kg with a length of around 35cm and be available to Special Ops units by 2011. For once, I actually believe that might happen. [SRVS via New Scientist]