M16A1, M16A2, M4, M16A4
There are a lot of myths and misconceptions surrounding the current M16A1, M16A2, M4, M16A4NATO 5.56 round and its effectiveness on the battlefield. Now before you make a judgment as a soldier or as a firearm enthusiast (a more euphemistic way of saying “gun nut”), consider your sources. Who is it that is telling you the 5.56mm, or .223 if you prefer, is an ineffective round? Is this source an armchair general who has watched Blackhawk Down one too…
The omnipresent adjudicator hovering over the skies of Iraq can deliver heinous death at any waking instant. You are taking a stroll down the street, plotting some terrorist attacks in your imagination, and suddenly, without ever feeling a thing, you are reduced to a full sized human splatter pattern. The reality is, only you know for sure what you were really wanting, thinking, taking, doing…better shape up for the eyes in the sky.
These dealings in death, the fine line between reality and the ability to play god with the lives of lesser men, are made possible by the ubiquitous ATK M230 Chain…
The LCAC, short for Landing Craft Air-Cushioned, is the beastly hovercraft used by the United States Marine Corps. This ship is designed to transport supplies, vehicles, and troops to the shore from a Wasp class assault ship or other dock-landing/amphibious cargo ships participating in an amphibious assault. These huge hovercraft can travel at up to 40 knots (46 mph), and have 2 machine gun emplacements and additional weapon mounting stations that can support additional machine guns or 40 mm grenade launchers. There really isn’t a huge demand for armaments on this ship, as it will
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Northrop Grumman’s integrated collaboration environment featuring TouchTable technology, creates a high-definition interactive display to facilitate viewing and manipulation of complex geo-spatial data for a wide range of applications including national security. TouchTable responds to intuitive gestures made by the user, sensing the location of points that are touched. Moving a hand across the surface of the screen pans the display, moving hands apart or together zooms the image.
Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle
Manufacturer: Boeing [NYSE: BA]
In support of the Marine Corps’ beyond the horizon approach for amphibious assaults of the future, many different assets must come together to get the job done. First up was the Wasp Class Amphibious Assualt Ship, which is the launch-platform for many different crafts to get troops, supplies, and firepower to the shores of the enemy. Emerging from the belly of the Wasp: I will introduce the Marine Corps’ Expiditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV), a burly upgrade to the dated Amphibious Assualt Vessel (AAV) of times past. The EFV has…
One thing is for sure, there is only 1 thing worse than having a US Navy aircraft carrier show up on your coast, and that is having a US Navy Wasp class amphibious attack ship show up instead. Of course, we would also send an aircraft carrier, but sometimes aircraft carriers travel alone for mere psychological projection. When one of these guys shows up…this vessel is designed for nothing else but to invade an conquer enemy territory from their coastline. Carrying up to 2,000 marines along with attack crafts of various designs, this ship is one of the…
For all those military buffs out there, wink wink, I would like to take a moment to commend one of the greatest programming achievements in the history of television. The Discovery Communications company, the parent of the Military Channel, converted the older Discovery Wings channel into the Military Channel in July of 1998, and has rapidly increased it’s program listing since then. If you like what you see here on Future Firepower, definitely take the time to check out some of the awesome shows they have on the Military Channel. Just to name a few of the…
SWORDS
Manufacturer: Foster-Miller
The SWORDS military robot is basically the first evolution of robotic weapons. What used to be mere science fiction in the 80’s has now become a reality, and 10 years from now, the SWORDS robot will be in the scrap pile. That’s because this tiny guy represents a proof-of-concept project to show the world, and the US leaders, that robotic tanks and such can and should be built. It goes to show that we can create offroad robots that can tote many different types of guns (the SWORDS can be outfitted with a rocket launcher,…
The Bush administration has been increasingly on the look out for nuclear proliferation in so called “rogue states”, such as Iran and North Korea. The current president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadenijad, has declared that he wishes for Israel to be “wiped off the map”. This undoubtedly refers to an Iranian yearning for a nuclear solution for the nation of Israel, an American ally. With the current intelligence on Iranian nuclear activity, and the political posture of Ahmadenijad recently, the Iranians may well be pursuing a weapons development program of a grand scope, albeit; in secret. If the US,…
Today’s battlefield little resembles those that your grandpa could tell you about from either WWII or Vietnam. Lasers, satellites, encrypted channels, infrared radar, and myriad other advanced technology permeates the battlespace. Bascically, we have finished weaponizing the electromagnetic spectrum. Next must come the weaponization of the combination of this electro-optic technology with both computers and the current hardware in service, i.e. tanks, aircraft, and sea vessels. Basically, we have begun to build an army, navy and airforce of robots. Check out the lists and diagrams below to see what is in the works, and also check back for more in…
