Teknologi dan Inovasi dalam Pendidikan – Dr.

Jamaludin Badusah
Christopher Chong Wei Jin A 127334

INNOVATION IN
MILITARY
TECHNOLOGY
Innovation in Military Technology - Lasers

• Not the lasers you see on TV,

real-life lasers are now used by
soldiers to destroy mines from
a safe distance. Assisted by
computer targeting, lasers are
highly accurate.
• The picture below is of the
ZEUS laser system deployed by
the US Army, while there are
many other types of lasers
including laser target
designators for bombs and
missiles, blinding enemy troops
and shooting down incoming
missiles.
Innovation in Military Technology - Armed
Robotic Vehicle
• A robotic vehicle with armor,
sensors, guns and missiles. With
these, tanks operated by human
crews will no longer be needed,
with humans remotely-controlling
these robotic vehicles miles away
in a safe location.
• The XM1219 in the picture below
is an early prototype of such
vehicles. The US Army is still
conducting research &
development into this new area,
aiming to produce a vehicle
sufficiently-mobile and tough to
perform in modern battlefield
conditions.
Innovation in Military Technology - Powered
Armor
• Normal soldiers wear full-body armor
into battle, allowing them to improve
their senses (see and hear better with
built-in sensors), protect them from
bullets and other dangers, carry their
own oxygen supply in case the
environment becomes toxic, and help
them carry heavy items such as guns and
backpacks without using the soldier's
own muscles. All of these powered by an
internal generator.

• The US Army has conducted extensive

research in this field, as are
(presumably) other militaries, but
scientists find it challenging to produce a
working version with current technology
without sufficiently miniaturizing many
components such as the power generator,
improved armor materials and all-
weather sensor/targeting aids.
Innovation in Military Technology - Stealth
Destroyers
• The future of naval combat,
stealth destroyers are much
harder to detect by radar. They
can sneak into any sea and launch
surprise attacks against land, sea
or air targets with their multiple
types of weapons.
• Currently, the US Navy are
constructing a pair of such
destroyers, the Zumwalt-class.
Featuring advanced sensors, 4
guns and 20 multipurpose missile
launchers, these destroyers are
powerful additions to any navy,
though their cost (6.6 billion
USD) is prohibitive.
Innovation in Military Technology - MQ-9
Reaper Attack Drone
• The Reaper is the US military's second attack
UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), a larger
development from the first model, the MQ-1
Predator. It can carry 15 times the payload and
fly 3 times faster than the Predator because of
its powerful 950-hp engine, but has shorter
standby time in the air. As a bonus, it uses the
same operating system as earlier drones, saving
on costs, but an entire package (4
drones+ground control station+operating
system) is still 154.4 million USD.

• The main advantage of remote-controlled

drones is that they do not risk the lives of their
pilots, unlike current jet fighters.

• The company behind the Reaper, General

Atomics, is currently developing its successor,
the Avenger. Currently, the US operates the
most Predators (NASA uses unarmed versions
for science experiments), while Australia, the
UK, Germany and Italy are buying or have
bought Reapers for their own militaries.
Innovation in Military Technology - Railgun

• The future of guns, much lighter than current

guns and capable of shooting a bullet at targets
kilometers away with a guaranteed kill. The
bullet flies so fast that the fire you see in the
picture is not the gas from normal bullets, but
the ignited air around it.

• Railguns have existed for a long time as

experiments, even during WWII, but the main
obstacle has been supplying enough electricity
to power and fire the gun. It operates on the
principle of sliding contact rails beside the
projectile that pass an electrical current
through, allowing the projectile to be
accelerated to very high velocities and
penetrate any armour currently known.
However, because it is electrically powered by
motors, scientists calculate that a typical
railgun would need power equivalent to the
electricity supply of half a city. Electric motors
that are small, compact but powerful enough for
the gun to be portable are currently under
development.
Innovation in Military Technology - Trophy
Active Protection System
• See the small blue-colored
devices on both sides of the
tank? They can auto-aim incoming
missiles and rockets and shoot
them down with a shotgun-like
blast. Now tanks can be upgraded
to protect themselves against
RPGs and missiles.
• The Trophy was developed by the
RAFAEL company and is still being
installed on modern tanks. It was
successfully tested recently in
counter-guerrilla operations when
it shot down a missile fired by
guerrillas against the tank.
Innovation in Military Technology -
CornerShot
• Now soldiers can ambush their
ambushers by firing around corners
without getting exposed.

• The CornerShot was developed for use

by SWAT and special forces during
situations like hostage rescue, where it
was important to protect soldiers from
incoming fire while able to return fire.

• It is actually an accessory, not a new gun,

capable of being mounted mostly on
semi-automatic pistols (effective range
100-200m), anti-tank rockets, 40mm
grenade launchers (pictured below), and
future versions mounted on rifles like
the M-16.

• So far, 15 countries have bought the

CornerShot, while the UK has finished
evaluating it.
Innovation in Military Technology - FGM-148
Javelin, The Latest Missile Launcher

• Able to destroy most tanks in one hit,

just aim it through a digital screen and
then run away after firing it. It's that
simple and easy to use.

• The Javelin has two warheads, meaning

that it is designed to penetrate tanks
with two layers of armor, a common
feature of modern tanks, which come
equipped with reactive armor over their
normal steel armor to defeat older
missiles.

• Its first major combat deployment

occurred during the Iraq War, where it
easily penetrated the armor used by
Iraqi tanks.
Innovation in Military Technology –
B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber
• The B-2 Spirit bomber is able to fly
11000 kilometres into any country
undetected and is very hard to spot,
then drop 16 nukes on any target.

• Built in 1989 by the United States, there

are only 20 Spirits in the world.

• It first saw service during the Kosovo

War, then Afghanistan and Iraq. The US
Air Force deploys them sparingly, as
their firepower (max. 80 bombs) is
considered overkill during smaller
conflicts. During missions, the bomber
can be refueled to extend its already
extreme range to cover intercontinental
distances.