While Tesla won’t be building heavy tanks, the Army Futures & Concepts Center says moving lighter, wheeled vehicles from fossil fuel to electric drive could streamline supply lines – and save lives.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.Advances in radar are key to countering the modern drone warfare and missile threat
Drones, high-speed cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles attacking together from 360° creates complexity only certain radars can handle.
While the pandemic’s halted field exercises, tabletop wargames can continue long-distance. The catch? Getting classified bandwidth so you can discuss specific military capabilities.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
Survivability in battle is priority No. 1. Transportability by aircraft? It’s been demoted to a subitem under priority No. 7. Designs are due in 2023, physical prototypes in 2025, and operational vehicles by 2028.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
The Raider-X compound helicopter not only meets the Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance needs today, Sikorsky FARA director Tim Malia told us: It has the margin for growth “to be a good investment for the taxpayer for decades to come.”
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
New Future Vertical Lift aircraft are just part of the solution. So are new tactics and technology upgrades for existing helicopters.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
20th century warfare was like football, with lines, phases, and pauses, the head of Army Futures Command told us. 21st century conflict is like hockey: unrelenting, brutal, and chaotic. So how do you coordinate your players well enough to win?
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
The SB>1 Defiant compound helicopter has only 11 hours of flight testing, versus over 160 for Bell’s V-280 Valor. But Sikorsky and Boeing say they have thousands of hours of other testing data to help the Army choose.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
Better user interface and experience create faster decision-making in multi-domain operations
Improved UX and UI can enable smarter use of AI and automation, helping warfighters manage data-rich environments and make faster, more informed decisions.
All-Domain Operations is”the biggest key to the future of the entire budget,” the Vice-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs said, “because if we figure that out, we’ll have a significant advantage over everybody in the world for a long time.”
By Colin Clark
Gen. James McConville wants to connect Army networks with the Air Force and replace some soldiers — not all — with automation.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
Dozens of generals — and one admiral — will convene at Nellis Air Force Base next week.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
A simulated infantry platoon, reinforced with drones and ground robots, repeatedly routed defending forces three times its size — without losing a single human soldier. Would this work in real life?
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
“My biggest concern is that when the budget goes down — that’s only a matter of time — that, one, we’re left with a bunch of prototypes but nothing in inventory, and a bunch of legacy systems without upgrades; and two, when the prototypes finally turn into production-ready weapons systems, how can the Army afford so many big-ticket procurement bills simultaneously?” warned Heidi Shyu.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
Lockheed’s prototype’s success is a big step towards fielding a new 300-plus-mile missile in 2023.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
Future commanders will need to know how to use artificial intelligence to make decisions—including when not to trust it. But how do you decide?
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
