The Future of Warfare: A Look at Military Technology
In the 1960s, the U.S. Department of Defense funded ARPANET, the agency responsible for the research and development of what would later become the internet. Without U.S. military spending, the world may not have had this wonderful invention we all now benefit from.
The development of military technology usually ends up giving humanity something that’s remarkable and useful (like the internet, GPS, and nuclear power stations). Most of the time, however, these benefits are just byproducts of the primary goal of blowing the other guy up more effectively. Changes in warfare often lead to humanity moving forward as a whole, which is why today we’re going to be looking at emerging technologies.
Robotic Military Technology
We’ve been able to build usable drones for decades at this point, and they normally go by air or on land. Today, RC cars and planes are cheap enough to be made as toys for children. Because we’ve come so far, the robots coming out now are truly spectacular!
Raytheon is attempting to make unmanned submarines. Boston Dynamics is selling the latest versions of their cyber dogs to militaries and police forces. We’re about to see more advanced drones on the battlefield.
In most cases, it’s likely that these robots will supplement deployed personnel in the area. For instance, a robot dog could inconspicuously approach and paint a target that an artillery unit can then aim and fire at.
New Training Technologies
Modern folk would be shocked to find out how World War One pilot’s training worked. Because there were no simulators, dangerous maneuvers were taught in the air itself, which meant the students had to get things right the first time.
Today, we have advanced technology to simulate almost everything, including vast satellite constellations. As it turns out, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) is subject to thousands of variables. It takes a powerful computer to simulate these systems.
State-of-the-art GNSS simulators can help comms personnel train with nav tech and prepare for operations or doomsday scenarios. This is important in the age where owning space for navigation constellations is becoming more important. You can find more info about GNSS simulators here.
Laser Guns
Ever since the release of Star Wars in 1977, people have been wondering and dreaming about lightsabers and laser guns. Though lightsabers aren’t possible, other laser weapons are being tested today!
Directed energy weapons are one of the emerging technologies to keep an eye on. They’re officially only being tested as missile defense for the defense industry. That’s because the use of these weapons turned on people could cause permanent blindness, an effect that makes laser weapons illegal for use in ground warfare.
Still, the fact that we have to consider these things tells us how far we’ve come. Many modern military technology innovations sound like they come straight out of science fiction.
Learn More About Technology Today
Military technology is a big driver of technological advancement. Many innovations first see use on the battlefield and then in civil life.
Mechatronics for war is creating new robots that could make ground warfare safer than before. Advanced simulation is also helping units of all kinds get better at what they do. Miltech is even taking inspiration from science fiction now that we’re advanced enough. Do you want to keep learning about exciting new tech? Keep reading out tech blog articles to find out what other technologies are changing the world.
