Apart from strengthening conventional prowess, the Army was focusing on dynamic response – that would mean actions below the threshold of an all-out war, as shown during the Balakot air strikes in February 2019 – and plans and capacities were being refined along the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan and Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

“For years we were told that if air power is used across the international border, it would escalate to a full-fledged war. Balakot demonstrated if you play the escalatory game with skill, military ascendancy can be established in short cycles of conflict that do not necessarily lead to war,” Naravane said.

“If the target country does too little, it faces the prospect of a series of small but cumulatively significant defeats. If it does too much, it risks being held responsible for reckless escalation,” Naravane said.

A few days earlier the Indian Air Force (IAF) chief, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, had asserted that the Balakot air strikes showed there was scope for taking out targets in Pakistan below the threshold of conventional war.

Information Warfare

“The Houthi rebels’ attack on Riyadh airport and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia and closer home, the Balakot air strike, saw these short, intense, escalatory cycles of military activity, in full media glare, where sophisticated information narratives played an equally important role,” said Gen Naravane.

Terming it a “technological irony”, he said the so-called Islamic State had shown it was far more adept in leveraging social media and digital technologies than the 21st-century militaries of the US and the UK.

“The rise of non-state actors, such as insurgents, terrorists, transnational criminal networks combined with greater focus on an individual’s status consequently demands that victory needs to be formulated and achieved in a more nuanced way. Victory no longer rests on the ability to inflict massive destruction but on the ability to wrestle popular support from one’s opponent,” he said.

China’s Created An Aura of Might

Militaries “play to the edge” in the “grey zone” now. China through its incremental moves in the contentious South China Sea, for instance, is altering geo-strategic realities in the region without firing a single shot or inviting any retaliatory action.

“China has not been involved in real, hardcore combat for a few decades now; yet the regular showcasing of its military might have created this aura of China being the undisputed military leader in key technological domains – with deterrence logic of its own,” Naravane said.

“Technological leadership need not always be demonstrated through live conflict and war. China has not been involved in hardcore combat for a few decades now, yet the regular showcasing of military might have created this aura of Beijing being the undisputed military leader in key technological domains,” he added.

Lasers and DEWs

Gen Naravane said the Army was looking at lasers and directed energy weapons for possible military use. With the 20th-century icons like the main battle tanks and the fighters gradually on their way out in the future wars, the Indian Army is looking at new technologies like laser and directed energy weapons.

Dwelling at length on the Chinese way of war epitomised by thinkers like Sun Tzu as well as the continuing relevance of Indian philosopher Chanakya’s famed treatise “Arthashastra”, he said the country was developing both “kinetic and non-kinetic responses” to address the threat of “non-contact or grey-zone warfare”, where ambiguity and careful risk escalation are key.

“We are developing kinetic and non-kinetic responses to address the threat. Technology is also tipping doctrinal cycles. Doctrines are now chasing technologies. We are also looking at tapping ‘block chain technologies’ (these allow digital information to be distributed, but not copied),” the Army Chief added.

Rapidly evolving, dual-use technologies present new opportunities and are changing the character of warfare. Armies, have to be extremely agile to the scale and pace of change.

Space, Cyber Warfare

India is strengthening its capabilities in space, cyber and electronic warfare, while also looking to tap blockchain technologies, lasers and directed energy weapons, he said. He said combat was no longer confined to the physical domain and strategic-military competition was playing out in the technological battle space like never before.

Non-contact Warfare

With the geo-strategic realities changing without a single shot being fire is indicative of the changing nature of warfare. However, it is not possible to wish away Main Battle Tanks and fighter aircraft cannot be ruled out totally, says an expert.

He cited China’s example of how Beijing had altered geo-strategic realities and strengthened its position in the South China Sea “without a shot being fired”. Moves in the “grey zone” are ambiguous that leave target countries unsure as to how to respond, he said.

Naravane said “the grey zone and its varied nuances” in the Indian context had not skipped the army’s attention.

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The U.S. has its own plans to roll out hypersonic weapons. The technology is nearly at the point of development of rocket-boosted hypersonic glide vehicles. The next evolution will be producing air-breathing hypersonic vehicles, which can carry a heavier payload.

The science and research is being done collaboratively by the US Missile Defence Agency (MDA), Space Development Agency (SDA) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

Key to hypersonic weapons will be the development of thermal protection systems that protect the vehicles when they enter the earth’s atmosphere from space at high speed and heat up.

Russia and China are currently producing these. The Chinese hypersonic threat is severe and increasing. They outrun and outrange the US’s best radars.

A problem is tracking these weapons. The target acquisition, tracking and fire-control problem solution will have to come from the space domain. Sensors will have to be put into space to track these very dim targets against the clutter of earth background.

Japan Unveils Plans for Hypersonic Weapons

The Japanese blueprint reportedly stipulates the development of the Hypersonic Cruise Missile (HCM) and the Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile (HVGP) which are expected to enter service in the early 2030s.

The Japanese government has unveiled its research and development road map to create domestically-produced hypersonic weapons. Under the plan, there will be two classes of hypersonic weapon systems, including the Hypersonic Cruise Missile (HCM) and the Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile (HVGP). Powered by a scramjet engine, the HCM appears similar to a typical missile, albeit one that cruises at a much higher speed while capable of traveling at long ranges. The HVGP, it will reportedly feature a solid-fuel rocket engine capable of boosting its warhead payload and maintaining high velocity when gliding to its target. The blueprint stipulates using different warheads to tackle seaborne and ground targets, including one that will be specifically designed to penetrate the deck of an aircraft carrier.

The warhead’s land-attack version, in turn, will feature a high-density explosively formed projectile, or EFP, to be used for area suppression purposes. Both warheads, which will be navigated via satellites, are expected to enter service in the early 2030s.

As far as warhead guidance is concerned, the process will be achieved via either radio-frequency imaging converted from Doppler shift data – which the government agency said will be able to identify stealthy naval targets in all weather conditions – or an infrared seeker capable to discriminating specific targets.

Unarmed Hypersonic Missile Tested

The United States announced, on 20 March, that it has successfully tested an unarmed prototype of a hypersonic missile, a nuclear-capable weapon that could accelerate the arms race between superpowers. The Pentagon said a test glide vehicle flew at hypersonic speeds – more than five times the speed of sound, or Mach 5 – to a designated impact point. The joint Army-Navy test was carried out on March 19 from the Pacific Missile Range facility in Kauai, Hawaii. The test was for the military’s common-hypersonic glide body, or C-HGB weapon, designed to be launched from a rocket that could be land-, air- or sea-based.

The test followed the first joint US Army and Navy flight experiment in October 2017, when the prototype missile demonstrated it could glide in the direction of a target at hypersonic speed.

The Pentagon is pressing to catch up with rivals Moscow and Beijing in the race to develop hypersonics, even as it recognizes they could dangerously raise the risks of a nuclear conflict, as countries struggle to build defenses against them.

In its fiscal 2021 budget the US Defense Department requested $3.2 billion for hypersonic programmes, up from $2.6 billion in 2020. The goal is a deployable hypersonic capability by 2023, though that could be difficult.

Russia and China

In December 2019, Russia declared it had placed into service its first Avangard hypersonic missile, making it the first country to claim an operable hypersonic weapon. Russian officials claimed that in tests it had reached speeds of up to Mach 27, roughly 33,000 kilometers per hour.

China is also investing significantly in their development. Last October it displayed its DF-17 hypersonic glide vehicle in its national day military parade. The US military is meanwhile pouring money into advanced missile defense research to find ways to protect against hypersonics.

Layered Missile Defense

The MDA, in cooperative work with Israel and Japan, is planning to build next-generation interceptor and space-based sensors to track fast moving and fast maneuvering threats such as hypersonic weapons.

A system called Command and Control Battle Management Communications is being built that will allow operators to pass control or tracking information between various ballistic missile systems, such as Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), Patriot, Standard Missile-6 and Aegis.

Sm3 Block 1B missiles are in production now. These are designed for midcourse engagement from ships and Aegis ashore sites. The SM3 Block 2A, going into production now will be tested later in 2020 against an intercontinental ballistic missile target. Upgraded early warning radars are being built in Alaska. The department is also seeking to produce a more capable THAAD design.

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India’s tactical and strategic defence capabilities got a boost with the DRDO establishing five laboratories, each in specialising in core area of futuristic technologies. The specialised areas of work for these laboratories are artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, cognitive technologies, asymmetric technologies and smart materials. These laboratories are located at Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad.

New and futuristic area of asymmetric technologies, which will change the way wars are fought, will be based out of campus of Jadavpur University in Kolkata. The research in hot and critical area of smart materials and their applications will be based out of Hyderabad. Research in the area of rapidly evolving artificial intelligence will be carried out at Bengaluru, while the all-important area of quantum technology will be based out of IIT Mumbai. The future is dependent on cognitive technologies and IIT Chennai will house the lab embarking in this area of research.

Directed Energy Weapons

Directed energy weapons (DEWs), like high-energy lasers and high-powered microwaves, will become strategic game-changers in the not-too-distant a future. DRDO was working on laser-based DEWs, which can disable missiles without debris.

DRDO/BARC’s KALI (Kilo Ampere Linear Injector) is a directed-energy weapon designed to work in such a way that if an enemy missile is launched towards India, it will quickly emit powerful pulses of Relativistic Electron Beam (REB) and destroy the target.

In contrast, the ASAT or anti-satellite missile that the DRDO tested on March 27, killed an orbiting Indian target satellite and left hundreds of small pieces as debris for a few months.

The DRDO’s Hyderabad-based lab, Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS) is the node for all related activities. In February 2014 the government sanctioned Rs 115 crore for development of “experimental technology modules for directed energy laser systems” by CHESS.

DRDO has an ongoing development of a 10-kilowatt DEW against UAV like targets, with “the establishment of critical technologies of precision tracking/pointing and laser beam combination”. The “system” has been tested up to a range of 800 meters at CHESS.

Development of DEWs and electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapons has been identified as a top-priority area in the 15-year TPCR chalked out by the defence ministry.

But the real challenge will be in achieving the declared aim to develop solid-state laser DEWs for aircraft and warships, which can destroy enemy ballistic missiles in their “boost phase itself.”.

The DRDO’s Laser Science & Technology Centre is working on an array of systems from “chemical oxygen iodine lasers” to “high-power fiber lasers” for strategic uses, which includes a 25-kilowatt laser to take on a ballistic missile du-ring its “terminal phase” at a distance of 5-7 km.

Current megawatt-class systems emphasize free-electron and diode-pumped alkali laser technologies. Recent developments in solid-state and fiber lasers, designed primarily for tactical engagement, feature lower-power systems tailored for forward-deployable platforms. They effectively meet technical challenges including power-scaling, beam quality and thermal management and packaging for use on appropriate operational platforms.

Microwave Energy Weapons

The modern explosively and electrically driven high-power microwave devices produce non-nuclear EMP effects. High-power microwave weapons have proven capable of gigawatt-class power output that can disrupt or even destroy modern electronics, but at comparatively short range. They can also be employed for counter-personnel applications such as crowd control or perimeter security.

Electronic effects that can be generated by radiofrequency systems can be characterised in Four main types :

• Upset – Altering the electrical state of a node (Jamming)
• Lock-Up – Electrical reset is required (System Reboot)
• Latch-Up – Electric Power to a node is cut-off (Blown fuse )
• Burnout – Physical damage to the electronics (Melting of Circuit Boards)

DRDO has developed High Power Microwave (HPM) modules and Terahertz devices.  The Microwave Power Module (MPM) was developed by MTRDC. This compact RF Power Module is capable of giving continuous RF Power in very wide frequency  band and could be used as transmitter for naval defence and civilian radars, communication and Electronic Warfare systems.

Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle

The HSTDV is an unmanned scramjet demonstration aircraft for hypersonic speed flight. It is being developed as a carrier vehicle for hypersonic and long-range cruise missiles, and will have multiple civilian applications including the launching of small satellites at low cost.

HSTDV is intended to attain autonomous scramjet flight for 20 seconds, using a solid rocket launch booster. The research will also inform India’s interest in reusable launch vehicles. The eventual target is to reach Mach 6 at an altitude of 32.5 km.

In the June 12, 2019 test, the cruise vehicle was mounted on an Agni-I solid rocket motor to take it to the required altitude. After the required altitude was reached and the Mach was achieved, the cruise vehicle was ejected out of the launch vehicle. Mid-air the Scramjet engine was auto-ignited, and propelled the cruise vehicle at Mach 6.

Due to technology denial of material for the scramjet engine, a new program was initiated and the materials were developed in-house. This led to self-sufficiency in the area and the scramjet engine was ground tested successfully for 20s instead of the initial 3s.

Hexapod by CAIR

The Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR) has excelled in design and development of cutting edge technologies in the domains of Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Command and Control, Networking, Information and Communication Security leading to development of mission critical products for secure battlefield information systems, communication, and management systems.

A key vertical at CAIR is ‘Intelligent Mobile Robotics’, which works on multi-disciplinary design and development of mobile robots and the associated intelligent algorithms.

One of the key technologies for realisation of Intelligent Mobile Robots is the capability of the robot to understand its environment and react in a context sensitive manner.

CAIR is presently developing Multi Agent Robotics Framework (MARF) through a multilayered architecture for enabling collaboration amongst a team of robots. The heterogeneous composition and collaboration capability can effectively contribute to a myriad of military applications, such as surveillance, exploration and mapping, search, and rescue, etc.

CAIR has developed six and four legged robots. These robots have three degrees of freedom legs giving them omni-directional motion capability. The robots have been equipped with ultrasonic sensors for obstacle detection and avoidance. The hexapod, six-legged robot, has reptilian leg configuration while the quadruped, four legged robot, has mammalian leg configuration. The quadruped has additionally been provided actuated wheels to enable hybrid locomotion capability. These platforms have given an insight into the implementation of stable gaits for legged locomotion.

CBRN Mini UGV by VRDE

Vehicle Research and Development Establishment developed CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological & Nuclear) Mini UGV is used for detection, sample collection and marking of CBRN contaminated (Chemical, Biological, Radiological & Nuclear) zones without risk of exposing personnel. UGV being unmanned/ tele-operated vehicles have upper edge over conventional manned NBC recce vehicles, specifically, in terms of personnel safety for the armed forces.

MUNTRA-M Unmanned Armoured Vehicle by CVRDE

Muntra-M is an unmanned armored vehicle developed by Combat Vehicles Research & Development Establishment (CVRDE). The name stands for “Mission Unmanned Tracked.”

While referred to as a “tank” by the Indian media, it is a conversion of the Soviet BMP-2 armored personnel carrier. Current variants are unarmed. Three variants exist: Muntra-S for surveillance, Muntra-M for mine clearing, and Muntra-N operating in nuclear or chemical contaminated zones.It has a minimum level of autonomous navigation through GPS waypoints with obstacle detection and avoidance.

Liquid Armour to Protect Troops

DRDO is developing “liquid armour” for use in bullet-proof jackets. Liquid armour is a material that remains in a state of a thick liquid or jelly under normal conditions, but changes its viscosity – it hardens under pressure or impact. Also called shear thickening fluid, it is composed of synthetic and nano particles of silica and metallic elements.

The project is being undertaken by DRDO’s Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) in collaboration with National Chemicals Limited (NCL), a laboratory based in Pune under the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), New Delhi.

E-bombs

DRDO is developing an E-bomb which will emit electromagnetic shock waves on the communication networks of enemy forces. These shock waves will destroy electronic circuits and cripple communication networks in the field. These GPS enabled E-bombs can shoot at mobile targets, air defence systems, mobile or static radars, naval vessels with communication systems and even ill-shielded communication or electronic systems at a military base.

These bombs can be delivered by combat aircraft equipped to deliver guided munitions and cruise missiles.

AURA Combat UAV

AURA or Autonomous Unmanned Research Aircraft is an Indian initiative at building an Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) with special preference given to the stealth features. The AURA program is also meant to compete with the other programs like fifth-generation aircraft to provide the IAF with the best technically advanced UCAV which will form the backbone of the air force in the next decade .

One of the basic difference between the AURA & Rustom program is that the former is a stealth UCAV powered by a jet engine while the latter is a prop-based engine.

Nano Technologies

DRDO has endeavoured to take long term initiatives for advanced systems to employ them for force multiplication by utilizing nanotechnology through its multi-faceted human resource. Soldiers would make use of multifunctional nanostructures in future with mechanical, opto-electronic, chemical and biological functions and will have biotic/abiotic interface between body and equipment.

The DRDO labs have made concerted efforts for the development of defence oriented applications of nanotechnology, like biosensors, smart textiles with capability of self-cleaning, antimicrobial, NBC protection, water repellency and flame retardancy, etc. The efforts have resulted in successful development of nanotubes/nanowires based dry electrodes for remote physiological monitoring. DRDO is also engaged in development of nanoparticle based contrast molecular imaging agents and multimodal imaging probes for specifically targeting oncological and neurological disorders. Development of human and environmental safe novel nanocarriers for drug delivery, nano-inhalation therapy and nano-neutraceuticals are the prospective areas of DRDO.

DRDO has planned to set up nano materials research and production facilities at Hyderabad, Delhi and Kanpur to realise the potential of nano technology in modern warfare.

• Solid State Physics Laboratory (SSPL) has identified two applications of defence interest, namely cold cathode for vacuum microelectronics in collaboration with MTRDC and gas sensors for chemical agent detection along with DRDE.
• Defence Research and Development Establishment (DRDE), Gwalior has developed a biosensor for detection of pathogens (Malaria, Brucella & Typhoid) based on electrochemical principle.
• Instruments Research and Development Establishment (IRDE), Dehradun has initiated work on Metamaterials, Photonic Crystals and Silicon Photonics. Metamaterials will allow us to tailor properties of materials or create materials with properties which are non-existing in natural materials. They can be used to make miniaturized antennas and communication systems; precise imaging systems in manufacturing, defense, and medicine as well as being used in military and space applications.
• Defence Materials and Stores Research & Development Establishment (DMSRDE), Kanpur has worked on growth of ZnO, In2O3, ZrO, undoped nanowires and doped nanowires (In with Zn etc.) for oxygen sensing.
• Microwave Tube Research and Development Center (MTRDC), Bangalore has taken up development of enabling technologies for vacuum microelectronic devices along with SSPL, SITAR, ARCI and Pune University as partners. Vacuum microelectronic devices are micrometer-scale devices with nano field emitters. They inherit the best properties of vacuum electronic devices like high, intrinsic radiation hardness and high-temperature operation compared with SSPAs. They find several military and civilian applications like active array radar, EW and communication.
• Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), Kochi has worked towards pentacene based FET and processable nanofibres as active material.
• Naval Materials Research Laboratory (NMRL), Ambernath is working on composites of Poly (3-methyl thiophene)-Carbon Nanotubes for Solid Electrolyte Supercapacitors.
• Defence Bioengineering and Electromedical Laboratory (DEBEL), Bangalore is progressing in the field of nano-sensors with Semiconducting Metal Oxide Nanomaterial based Gas Sensors, and is further planning to develop Gas Sensor Array based on Semi conducting Metal Oxide Nanomaterials for monitoring gases in defence environment.

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Enhancing human resources has taken many new forms. All human sensors are being exploited to their maximum capabilities and then solutions are being found to augment them with technology.

Next-Generation Nonsurgical Neurotechnology Programme

The US Pentagon is trying build tech that would give soldiers the ability to control deadly military drones with their minds. Working with drones and swarms of drones, operating at the speed of thought rather than through mechanical devices – those types of things are what these devices are really for,’ according to DARPA.

The Next-Generation Nonsurgical Neurotechnology (N3) programme aims to develop high-performance, bi-directional brain-machine interfaces for able-bodied service members. Such interfaces would be enabling technology for diverse national security applications such as control of unmanned aerial vehicles and active cyber defense systems or teaming with computer systems to successfully multitask during complex military missions.

Whereas the most effective, state-of-the-art neural interfaces require surgery to implant electrodes into the brain, N3 technology would not require surgery and would be man-portable, thus making the technology accessible to a far wider population of potential users. Noninvasive neurotechnologies such as the electro-encephalogram and transcranial direct current stimulation already exist, but do not offer the precision, signal resolution, and portability required for advanced applications by people working in real-world settings.

To enable future non-invasive brain-machine interfaces, N3 researchers are working to develop solutions that address challenges such as the physics of scattering and weakening of signals as they pass through skin, skull, and brain tissue, as well as designing algorithms for decoding and encoding neural signals that are represented by other modalities such as light, acoustic, or electro-magnetic energy.

Integrated Visual Augmentation System

No other piece of equipment has had this kind of impact since the introduction of night vision. The US military is developing augmented reality night vision goggles.

A Microsoft-designed prototype goggle – the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS), that offers the capabilities they need to regain and maintain overmatch in multi-domain operations on battlefields that are increasingly urban, congested, dark and unpredictable – has been tested in November 2019.

The IVAS prototype, based on Microsoft’s heads up display, was designed using Microsoft’s HoloLens 2. That first STP was geared toward proving concept and utility.

The final product will include a variety of features: a color see-through digital display that makes it possible for the user to access information without taking his eye off the battlefield; thermal and low-light sensors that make it possible to see in the dark, literally; rapid target acquisition and aided target identification; augmented reality and artificial intelligence, to name just a few. IVAS is billed as a fight-rehearse-train system, meaning its function on the battlefield is priority, but its augmented reality capabilities, like real-time mapping, will make it useful for training and rehearsing operations anywhere at any time.

Xstat – Rapid Hemostasis System

The Rapid Hemostasis System or Xstat is a revolutionary technique to stop excessive blood loss due to injuries on the battlefield. Generally, a simple tourniquet is used in these circumstances, which are successful most of the times. But a US based medical firm has come up with an efficient way to stop blood loss completely.

The technique includes an injector syringe and tablets lookalike sponges that inflate when comes in contact with the wound. These sponges are actively covered by hemostatic (blood stopping) agent. Evidently, the wound can be completely filled with inflated sponges in less than fifteen seconds, allowing hemostasis to kick in and completely stopping the blood loss.

Electronic Drug Prescriptions

What if instead of pills or injections doctors could prescribe electronics? DARPA’s Electrical Prescriptions (ElectRx) program is a blanket program for a diverse range of research being conducted in using electrical stimulation of the peripheral nerves to treat conditions such as chronic pain, inflammation, and PTSD. The idea itself isn’t entirely new – pacemakers have been around for a while and neurostimulators are already providing treatment for neurological conditions like Parkinson’s. Another team is examining the potential of nerve stimulation to treat PTSD. The researchers believe that nerve stimulation could be used to regulate neurochemical responses and reduce fear and anxiety in PTSD patients.

Augmented Reality

Contact Lenses

DARPA is reportedly interested in a smart contact lens that could give soldiers superpowers by augmenting troops’ visual capabilities in the field, meaning the gadget could represent the augmented contact lens that DARPA has spent a decade searching for.

Placing that information on a screen that’s always in front of you – like a contact lens directly in front of your eyeball – means that you don’t have to stop what you’re doing to look something up. And the minute you’ve got what you need, that information disappears.

Instant Language Translation

Imagine a handheld device that can translate any language in real time, like having a translator at your disposal at all times. DARPA’s Broad Operational Language Translation (BOLT) program is aiming to do just that. The technology can be deployed on an Android device. An English-speaker can say a phrase and the device can repeat it back in another language, and vice versa. The system currently only works with Iraqi Arabic, but DARPA says it can easily be expanded to others in the future.

Next-Level Prosthetics

DARPA invested a $7 million in the DEKA Arm, created by Segway inventor Dean Kamen, also known as the Luke Arm (after Luke Skywalker) the prosthetic is dexterous enough to handle objects as delicate as a grape. Amputees will finally get prosthetics that are as advanced as the ones we see in science fiction. DARPA’s Revolutionizing Prosthetics program has been working on the problem since 2006 and has announced some promising developments over the years.

Meanwhile, researchers at Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Lab have developed a bionic hand can actually provide its wearer with a sense of touch via electrodes that connect to the patient’s sensory and motor cortexes. The neural connection also allows patients to control the arm using only their thoughts. The ultimate goal is to someday provide injured soldiers with prostheses advanced enough to allow them to return to the battlefield, if desired.

Other Projects

Artificial Muscles. Made from plastic Future Army robots will be the strongest in the world, if visionary researchers have their way. Robots could be armed with artificial muscles made from plastic. Army and academic researchers collaborated to study how plastic fibers respond when they are twisted and coiled into a spring. Different stimuli causes the spring to contract and expand, mimicking natural muscles. Artificial muscles could potentially augment robot performance, allowing our future mechanical partners to buff up, and pump.

Monitoring Soldier Health. With biorecogni-tion receptors Army and academic researchers are looking at how to monitor Soldier health and performance in real-time, by developing unique receptors. Future bioreceptors will be small, simple to produce, inexpensive, and robust to environmental stresses.

Human Interest Detector. US Army researchers have developed a human interest detector that can determine where people are looking and decode their brain activity. By monitoring brainwaves, researchers track neural responses and assess what captures a Soldier’s attention among a myriad of stimuli in threat environments.

Soldier-robot Teams. Army researchers have been developing new algorithms and capabilities that are unseen in industry – enabling autonomous agents such as robots to operate in these unknown environments such as future battlefields.

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There’s a lot of discussions today about what will robots do? What can they do on the battlefield? What can they not do? How many people does it take to operate? The idea for the robots is to have them operate several kilometres in front of a vehicle or infantry formation to detect and engage the enemy force before human personnel are engaged. The idea is that if a robot engages first, the risk is reduced and soldiers and manned vehicles have more time to figure out a plan of action when then advancing into contact with the enemy.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), more commonly called drones have become a separate class of drones because of the variety of essential tasks that they now perform. Thousands are now in service worldwide and growing. Drones are now being developed to operate autonomously and with manned teaming.

Artificial intelligence is being incorporated with robots. They are saving money and lives. Advanced robotics on the front lines are a powerful deterrent. Here is a selection of some developments which will make a difference.

Robotic Combat Vehicle

The US Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) programme aims to deliver robotic vehicles in three different weight categories; light, which is around five to seven tonnes, medium at around ten tonnes, and heavy which will be up to 20 tonnes. Throughout all the variants the Army wants the vehicles to be payload-agnostic, giving them the capability to carry a range of different mission packages depending on the environment they face.

The first lot of platforms will be used to inform and develop how to conduct operations with the assistance of robots at a company level and then transfer the lessons learned into concepts to employ at a brigade size.

Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em Robots

Advanced bipedal robots that can recognize people, enter buildings, avoid obstacles and pick up objects in their “hands” are being developed. They also have voice recognition systems that can take verbal commands. The military envisions using these robots to enter buildings in danger zones or to bring emergency medical supplies across battle zones to help wounded soldiers. For peace time, they will include robots that can serve drinks and snacks at public receptions, trade shows, parties, etc. Some will even be able to carry on limited conversations.

Robots that Mimic Human Movement

This robot, surprisingly agile and eerily anthropomorphic, is able to simulate the stress that soldiers put on their protective clothing, helping biohazard and other battle-wear makers refine their designs. They can walk, crawl and do calisthenics while wearing test suits and being exposed to chemical warfare agents in secure lab settings. The latest version of the robot can even climb stairs, a huge engineering advance, considering the complexity and weight distribution required for that act.

Live-Fire Trainers

In the near future, soldiers will receive their live-fire training and marksman training with the aid of special, robotically controlled Segway personal transport devices.

Specially armored Segways are called “smart targets.” They can move in a lifelike manner with unpredictable turns, stops and sprints, as would a real live target. Lifelike hardened plastic dummies on the Segways can be made up to look like enemies in uniform, terrorists or assassins. Such smart targets resemble live-fire combat much more than the old wooden pop-up targets that have been used for a century. Robotic live-fire training is sure to become routine in a few years.

Robot Mules

Agile “pack mule” robots will one day be commonplace on military missions in the field. The robot will carry gear, such as heavy backpacks that can slow down ground forces. The four-legged “mule” easily negotiates rocks and divots in the road and field. It is intended to follow a military unit of soldiers autonomously, catching up with the unit on field forays with supplies, including food and ammunition. Refinements have made the robot surprisingly quiet, an important characteristic on a secret mission. Future versions of the pack mule will be able to interpret verbal and visual commands.

MK2 Robotic Arm

The best that robotic arms have to offer, the MK2 offers top of the line dexterity. This arm could have a great impact in unmanned vehicles that can defuse bombs. The robotic arm features a modular construction and unparalleled freedom and dexterity and it can hold upwards of 25 kg.

The BigDog

Soldiers now have to carry a great deal of equipment with them. This puts immense strain on their bodies and can slow them down considerably. So the need for a machine to carry all that equipment is understandable. But some terrain can be difficult to navigate by machines, wheels ca get stuck or not be able to climb stairs, so the best solution is to create a robot that can walk on legs. The ideal solution is to look at nature for inspiration, and a four-legged robot offered the best stability without having the need for complex motors and equipment. BigDog can carry up to 20 pounds of equipment. Although for now it has to be controlled by a remote, in the future it will be completely autonomous. The power behind the BigDog is a one-cylinder gasoline engine connected to a computer, a fiber-optic laser gyroscope and even an IMU (inertial measurement unit) for keeping the robot standing on difficult terrains and inclined to up to 45 degrees.

The Throwbot XT

The Throwbot XT is versatile, stealthy and easy to deploy tactical robot which can efficiently be used during various search and rescue missions. These compact little bots can transmit audio and video signals from normally inaccessible areas, making detection of illegal and explosive materials more easier. It is lightweight (weighing only 540g) and have a maximum range of 36 meters. The robot is also equipped with an inbuilt infrared mechanism that activates whenever there is a low supply of light so that it can also operate in complete darkness.

Flybot

With the look and size of a lightning bug, this tiny robotic fly will be sent on reconnaissance missions in areas too dangerous for soldiers, including places contaminated by chemical or biological weapons. It weighs less than a pin and can be remotely controlled in flight. The Flybot engineers say it could also be used to find hidden chemical bombs. Later incarnations of the Flybot may also be able to rely on tiny solar power cells for propulsion.

Dragonfly Surveillance Robot

This little guy can fly off and give information about what to expect ahead, so that soldiers don’t run blind into buildings. Imagine a swarm of these bugs flying around and giving information. They are hardly noticeable by anyone, due to their small size. Applications of this technology could help search for survivors in accidents and in collapsed buildings.

Meshworm

One of the tiniest robots in development – about the size of a fingertip – the Meshworm moves and acts like a small earthworm. It propels itself inch by inch, using artificial muscles that mimic the way an earthworm moves, by stretching one part of itself forward, then pulling the rest of its body along behind it. The Meshworm can move silently into the tiniest places to report back data, such as temperatures inside a confined space. It can also record audio and maybe even video in future versions. Made entirely of synthetic fibrous material, it is nearly indestructible.

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Remember, a Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him. I can’t get involved! I’ve got work to do! It’s not that I like the Empire, I hate it, but there’s nothing I can do about it right now.

Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.

The plans you refer to will soon be back in our hands. The plans you refer to will soon be back in our hands. Leave that to me. Send a distress signal, and inform the Senate that all on board were killed. Red Five standing by.

I find your lack of faith disturbing. A tremor in the Force. The last time I felt it was in the presence of my old master. Hey, Luke! May the Force be with you. Red Five standing by. Red Five standing by. Your eyes can deceive you. Don’t trust them.

Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid. I find your lack of faith disturbing. The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers. As you wish.

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I need your help, Luke. She needs your help. I’m getting too old for this sort of thing. Oh God, my uncle. How am I ever gonna explain this? As you wish. Escape is not his plan. I must face him, alone. You mean it controls your actions?

Remember, a Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him. The plans you refer to will soon be back in our hands. Ye-ha! The plans you refer to will soon be back in our hands.

Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid. I find your lack of faith disturbing.

The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers. As you wish.

Remember, a Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him. The plans you refer to will soon be back in our hands. Ye-ha! The plans you refer to will soon be back in our hands.

The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers. In my experience, there is no such thing as luck. Red Five standing by.

A tremor in the Force. The last time I felt it was in the presence of my old master. I have traced the Rebel spies to her. Now she is my only link to finding their secret base. Remember, a Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him.

I need your help, Luke. She needs your help. I’m getting too old for this sort of thing. Red Five standing by. Don’t be too proud of this technological terror you’ve constructed. The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force. The plans you refer to will soon be back in our hands. The plans you refer to will soon be back in our hands.

All right. Well, take care of yourself, Han. I guess that’s what you’re best at, ain’t it? A tremor in the Force. The last time I felt it was in the presence of my old master. I have traced the Rebel spies to her.

Remember, a Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him. I can’t get involved! I’ve got work to do! It’s not that I like the Empire, I hate it, but there’s nothing I can do about it right now. It’s such a long way from here. I call it luck.

The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers. In my experience, there is no such thing as luck. Red Five standing by.

You are a part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor! Take her away! Red Five standing by. All right. Well, take care of yourself, Han. I guess that’s what you’re best at, ain’t it? Alderaan? I’m not going to Alderaan. I’ve got to go home. It’s late, I’m in for it as it is.

Oh God, my uncle. How am I ever gonna explain this? Hey, Luke! May the Force be with you. I find your lack of faith disturbing.

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Exoskeletons have appeared in many movies, where the characters equipped with Exo Suits jump incredible heights, punch through doors, and more, which gives them incredible power and freedom of movement on the battlefield. In some movies, heavy-duty exoskeletons called Combat Jackets help soldiers on the ground run faster and carry heavy weapons into battle.

These combat jackets provide both extra strength, some armour and better head protection.

In real life research is very close to those scenes of fiction. In the future neural laces implanted in soldiers’ heads may also links them to one another, making the entire unit a formidable adversary.

Here is a selection of some of the exoskeletons which are reality.

XOS 2 Exoskeleton

This robotic suit can increase the strength, endurance and agility of a human to a certain level where he can be called as a superhuman. The next generation XOS 2 suit is comprised of much lighter material and consume almost half of the energy consumed earlier by its predecessor XOS 1.

XOS 2 works with a combination of controllers and high-end sensors. It features reinforced aluminium and steel which are crucial for performing various tasks. It also uses high-pressure hydraulics to allow its user to lift almost any heavy objects at an amazing ratio of 17:1. With this, humans can lift heavy weights without any exhaustion and injury.

Sarcos Exoskeleton

The Exoskeleton gives the wearer great strength and speed. It make average humans into superheros. With this technology, we could have supersoldiers and imagine what this exoskeleton can do for impaired people.

Warrior Web Exoskeletons

Futuristic exoskeletons will not only protect soldiers but give them augmented strength. DARPA is at work on lightweight exoskeleton technology that can augment their strength and ease the burden of carrying heavy loads over miles. The Warrior Web program, being done in conjunction with the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, is developing a “soft exosuit” that is as unobtrusive as a pair of pants, but capable of monitoring the wearer as well as providing support to prevent injury and assisting the soldier with bearing weight – allowing him to carry more weight over longer distances than a human alone would.

Z-Man – Wall Climbing Technology

Inspired by the way geckos’ feet are able to stick to surfaces for climbing, researchers at the University of Massachusetts have developed a new adhesive they’ve dubbed Geckskin. Geckskin combines soft elastomers, polyurethane or polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), with stiff fabrics, like carbon fiber and Kevlar, to create a pad that can adhere to various surfaces, including glass, and still be easily released and leave no residue. Geckskin is now the foundation of DARPA’s Z-Man project, which is looking to create gloves and other fabrics that would allow soldiers to climb surfaces without any additional climbing gear. Early testing of the Z-man system showed that a 16-square-inch sheet of Geckskin could support a static load of 660 pounds while adhered to a vertical glass wall.

Gravity Jet Suit

A 1,050-horsepower flying suit (one of which is developed by Gravity Industries, UK) relies on five mini-jet engines-two each built into units attached to the hands and one built into a backpack. It can achieve speeds of 50 mph. The learning curve is steep. The suits are extremely expensive – up to $440,000-and very loud. Cheaper electric versions are expected.

Gravity suits have potential for specialised combat missions, say, an assault on to a ship. In spite of the wow factor, though, the Gravity suit is not ready for combat yet.

Kevlar and Liquid Armour

An invention that could be implemented both on the battlefield but also for the Police, giving them the best armour possible. The liquid is more resistive than other armour materials, such as Kevlar and metal plates, and at a fraction of the weight. It’s based on a fluid that hardens when pressure is applied onto it (also known as Non-Newtonian Fluid). The advantage of this technology over the materials like Kevlar is that, unlike Kevlar, which is a great bullet stopper, it’s vulnerable to stabs and slower moving objects. The liquid armour does not need the same pressure that Kevlar needs to stop an objective. The molecules lock together and give it extraordinary strength. Bullet and stab proof vests made from Kevlar and liquid armour offer the best protection possible, the combination of these two materials is truly amazing.

X-Flex

Like a bullet proof vest protects the wearer from bullets, the X-Flex fabric protects from bombs and shrapnel. This wallpaper can be put any house and transform it into a bunker that can withstand a bomb blast.

BodyGuard Electro Gauntlet

The BodyGuard electric gauntlet is a great offense and defense weapon, due to its hard outer shell and the possibility of discharging up to 500.000 V. It also features a laser pointer and a video camera so you can review your video of shocking your opponent.

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In 2013, DARPA announced the advanced One Shot XG program to substantially increase the efficiency of the military snipers. The program revolves around a small, mountable scope system that can either be placed on its spotting scope or on weapon’s barrel. The scope is designed to automatically calculate a number of decisive variables, such as wind conditions, weapon alignment etc., using an internal OS.

Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance

The Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance Program is a project initiated by DARPA, in which they are developing a class of smart and self guided bullets that can change their projected path during the flight to align with the movement of the target or due to any external factors that may drive the bullet off course.

It has an advanced real-time optical guidance systems that lets you track and direct projectiles – bullets to their targets by adjusting for weather, wind, target movement and other factors. In 2016, Russia also revealed that they are already working on a similar “smart bullet” designed to hit targets at a distance of up to 10 km.

Cornershot

This can be the biggest life saver of all in urban combat, where soldiers have to navigate buildings, walls and other obstacles, and if they could shoot their opponents without leaving the cover of a wall, then the risk involved will be greatly reduced. Of course, a bend barrel wouldn’t be such a good idea, so they had to improvise. And the Cornershot is what it led to. A nozzle mounted video camera relays a video feed to a screen on which soldiers can analyze the battleground and take on enemies with no risk of bringing harm to themselves.

Sonic Guns

Sonic and ultrasonic weapons (USW) are weapons of various types that use sound to injure, incapacitate, or kill an opponent. Some sonic weapons are currently in limited use or in research and development by military and police forces. Some of these weapons have been described as sonic bullets, sonic grenades, sonic mines, or sonic cannons. Some make a focused beam of sound or ultrasound; some make an area field of sound.

Extremely high-power sound waves can disrupt or destroy the eardrums of a target and cause severe pain or disorientation. This is usually sufficient to incapacitate a person. Less powerful sound waves can cause humans to experience nausea or discomfort. The use of these frequencies to incapacitate persons has occurred both in anti-citizen special operation and crowd control settings.

Laser Induced Plasma

Effect Weapon

The Pentagon is working on a weapon that uses lasers and plasma to transmit sound files, even human speech, directly to individual people at great distances. The lasers could be beamed down from military planes or other vehicles to issue instructions or disperse crowds of protestors or otherwise disgruntled people in the area. Individuals begin to hear strange, disembodied voices and see bright lights that come seemingly from nowhere, while others duck for cover from phantom machine gun fire or begin to feel a burning sensation.

This specific project, called Non-Lethal Laser Induced Plasma Effects (NL LIPE), aims to have a perfected a beam that can produce audible instructions and commands to an individual or a small group of people within three years and maybe have a practical prototype system ready in five years.

The Pentagon’s central less-than-lethal weapon office, called the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate (JNLWD), is working on it.

Russia’s Filin 5P-42

The Filin 5P-42, a new non-lethal light-based optical interference system designed for military and law enforcement use, is capable of effectively suppressing enemy optical systems including, sniper sights, laser rangefinders, guidance systems and thermal imagers in low light conditions.

By increasing or decreasing the number of emitters in a single system, and combining components with a lower or greater power output, it’s possible to create both strong stations for military and special purpose use and weaker ones for the civilian market, including use by large companies for security or for guarded facilities.

Filin is not so much a weapon as it is a system of protection against weapons. The system interferes with the enemy rifleman or gunner’s ability to aim correctly, to the extent that it may cause some hallucinatory symptoms. While lasers emits a rather powerful beam of light, and can damage both optics and a gunner’s sight, Filin does not blind the adversary.

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