Defense technology has always propelled mainstream science forward. The most original and incredible military innovations of the outgoing year make up the final ranking.
Flying "Mace"
The long-awaited breakthrough in Russian military technology - the strategic missile Bulava - took off successfully in 2010, and twice in a row. The development of the R30 3M30 Bulava-30 sea-based intercontinental ballistic missile began back in 1998. The missile can carry up to ten hypersonic maneuvering nuclear units of individual guidance, capable of changing the flight trajectory in altitude and heading. Has a low-altitude flight profile. The maximum flight range is 8 thousand km, the control system is inertial, the throw weight (payload) is 1.15 tons, the length in the launch container is 12.1 m, the length without the head is 11.5 meters.
In early December, it became known that the nuclear charge for the rocket was ready. Russian Defense Ministry officials claim that Bulava will defend the country for at least 30 to 40 years. Four to five ballistic missile launches are scheduled for next year. This was announced by the main developer of the Bulava missile, Yuri Solomonov. "We plan to carry out four to five launches within the next year to generate statistics," he said. To date, 14 rocket launches have already been made, of which half were unsuccessful.
Stupefying ray
The Pentagon is spending huge sums on the development of weapons of the future. It is not surprising that the most unusual, sometimes even discouraging projects emerge from the inventors' pen. More than $ 50 million has been invested in the creation of biological weapons, the goal of which is stated as "reducing the effectiveness of the enemy by influencing the brain." In fact, we are talking about a weapon "stupefying" the enemy, and without the use of special chemicals. The effect must be achieved using directional radiation.
Iron Man 2
The exoskeleton of the new generation XOS 2, developed by Raytheon, will make any soldier several times stronger. It is worn over an outfit almost like a comic Iron Man suit. As conceived by the developers, soldiers in exoskeletons will significantly speed up and facilitate the loading and unloading of water, fuel and ammunition. After all, XOS 2 allows you to single-handedly carry shells and even aircraft missiles that weigh hundreds of kilograms. The iron suit itself weighs only 88.5 kg, which is 10% less than the first generation XOS, which was introduced two years ago. At the same time, the new product is 30% more efficient and consumes 50% less energy.
The most powerful cannon on Earth
Two weeks before Christmas, the US military successfully tested an electromagnetic rail gun that sends projectiles 200 km at speeds over 2.5 km / s without the use of explosives. "Railgun" (the unofficial name for an electromagnetic rail gun, borrowed from video games) has already been called the most powerful weapon on Earth, with the exception of nuclear. The weapon of the future is intended for installation on large warships of the US Navy. Its kinetic energy will be enough to hit any target. When hit, no explosion occurs, but any, even the most durable object is simply destroyed. The US Army has already invested over $ 210 million in the project, which was launched five years ago. Experts say that with the help of this technology by 2025you can achieve doubling the energy of the shot.
Pain mobile phones
British scientists have developed a working prototype of the PSiAN (Plasma Silicon Antenna) plasma antenna, which will operate in the widest range of 1-100 GHz. For such frequencies, ordinary antennas are no longer suitable, since the signal quickly fades. The advantage of the novelty is the absence of moving parts in the solid-state antenna. It will be easy to install into a mobile phone, which will turn into a cutting-edge energy weapon. The thing is that the antenna can potentially emit the so-called rays of pain. This 64 GHz radiation is absorbed by the victim's skin, causing unbearable pain, although it does not cause serious damage. A similar weapon already exists at the present time. However, so far these are very cumbersome installations, which are fixed on a special truck.
Armored wallpaper
If you paste over a room with rolls of X-Flex wallpaper, then it will immediately turn into a perfectly protected dugout, where it is quite possible to hold the most secret military meetings. The invention will be serialized next year. In the meantime, it is known that the wallpaper is based on a substance similar in properties to Kevlar (synthetic fiber, the strength of which is several times higher than that of steel). X-Flex can be used in areas of high seismic activity, airports, chemical plants. In addition, the US military intends to cover all its military bases in the Middle East with high-tech wallpaper.
Laser race
What are the wars of the future without lasers? In the summer, a prototype laser beam gun was successfully tested in the United States - four unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down using laser beams. During the tests, for the first time with a directed beam of a 32-megawatt laser, it was possible to destroy a remotely controlled aircraft flying at a distance of about three kilometers. According to a spokesman for the weapons company, they are already on track to create the first combat laser integrated into weapons systems. It is expected that the development of a new type of weapon will be completed by 2016.
At the same time, at the beginning of autumn, representatives of the General Staff assured President Dmitry Medvedev that it was the Russian army that would be the first in the world to put into service a combat laser. But in October, Boeing announced that it had successfully installed a high-energy HEL TD laser on the HEMTT heavy tactical truck. It will replace the CRAM anti-aircraft artillery system, which is designed to intercept shells, mines and other small-sized ammunition.
