Future Weapon Technology

Mfg: Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT]

The MLRS provides massive amounts of firepower on the battlefield. Designed to have a longer range and greater lethality than enemy artillery systems, the possession of the MLRS creates a tremendous advantage for the allied forces. Traditional artillery, essentially a large cannon, is still employed by every modern army. However, on a wide open battlefield, the MLRS can wreak incomparable amounts of damage and fear upon enemy forces by firing guided rockets from a previously unimaginable distance. With a range of up to 300 kilometers using the most modern

During Iran’s recent “Holy Prophet War Games”, which commenced last year on March 31, 2006, Iran revealed the Fajr-3, a ballistic missile that has MIRV capabilities. MIRV is short for Multiple-Launched Independently Targeted Reentry Vehicle, which basically means that the ballistic missile carries several warheads that can each attack a different target upon reentry into the atmosphere. This news represents the potential of an extreme scenario, assuming that Iran does acquire nuclear weapons, it actually could render a close neighbor, close because the Fajr-3 is only a medium range missile, “wiped off the map”. This picture…

The Lockheed Martin-developed Aegis Weapon System is the world’s premier naval air defense system and the sea-based element of the United States’ Ballistic Missile Defense System. Let’s just hope it actually works when it counts and not just in tests like the one in the video below.Several navies around the world are joining the growing Aegis family as they consider alternatives for new ship classes. Today’s Aegis Weapon System is the only operational radar and weapon system capable of simultaneous warfare against air, surface, subsurface and land targets. The Aegis System is an extremely complex weapon system.

I…

The Javelin Anti-tank Missile
Manufacturers: Raytheon [NYSE:RTN] , Lockheed Martin [NYSE:LMT]

The Javelin anti-armor missile system appears to be a weapon right out of the future, but it is on the battlefield today. The missile can be targeted using a combination of either FLIR or thermal vision along with a laser designator. Once the missile is launched, the soldier need not wait around until it hits the target, because the missile locks onto the target and autonomously flies to it on its own. Perhaps the most impressive feat of the Javelin is its parabolic flight…

The Hellfire Missile

Mfg: Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT]

The Hellfire missile is the main armament of the American AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. The apache is not the only war machine to utilize the Hellfire, and the history of the Hellfire’s development attests to the business acumen of the US defence industry. After WWII, the DOD began to research with employing laser technology for military applications. Once laser technology and missile design had been perfected, large defense contractors incorporated textbook marketing principles such as modular design to increase versatility and ease of manufacturing. For example, the warhead of…

The technology of the shape charge is a modern development in the evolution of armor piercing weapons. In a digression from the classic battle between thicker armor and larger guns, the shape charge defines itself during the explosive exchange that takes place when armor meets anti-armor technology. A shape charge gets its name because of its design and the impact it has on armor. The warhead contains high explosives like any other, however, the tip of the warhead is a conical shaped piece of magnesium or copper. Upon impact, the explosion of the warhead melts the shaped metal cone in…

This shoulder-launched multi purpose weapon system is an oldie but goodie. The SMAW or ESMAW-NE has been used in the US Military for over 20 years. Weather you are trying to breach a bunker or engage light armor, the SMAW is the right weapon system. The SMAW has night vision and rail grabbing capabilities. These technologies make acquiring targets much easier than systems such as the RPG. The SMAW employs a rocket which can penetrate triple layered brick and thick concrete to explode on the backside of the fortification.

The SMAW has exhibited 90%…