If China — and then Russia and other nuclear powers — get gliders, however, these defensive systems will be obsolete. Nuclear payloads could then zip around the South Pole instead, for instance. They’d never even exit the atmosphere. And they could change their trajectory, being controlled all along by a Chinese operator with a joystick.
All this makes China sound menacing and aggressive. In that sense, the news seems to rhyme with revelations that China is also building a couple of hundred silos for more conventional intercontinental missiles that could carry nukes.
In reality, China probably appears so aggressive only because it feels incredibly insecure. The greatest fear in Beijing is that in an escalating conflict — over Taiwan or whatever else — the U.S. might be tempted one day to launch preemptive nuclear strikes to take out all or most of China’s arsenal. The Americans would only contemplate such a drastic step, of course, if they thought that their own defenses could parry any remaining missiles coming from China in retaliation.
The contract is aimed at design demonstration, says the awardee.
The U.S. Army has moved a step closer to a future where it uses directed energy weapons to counter its adversaries. The Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) of the U.S. Army has awarded a contract to General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) and Boeing to develop a prototype of a 300kW-class laser weapon system, a press release said.
In its efforts to strengthen its Short-Range Air Defense (SHORAD), the U.S. military is using multiple approaches. Earlier this week, we reported that General Dynamics was teaming up with Epirus Inc., to deliver a directed energy weapon using high-power microwave technology. The weapon developed through this collaboration will find its way on the Stryker combat vehicles that General Dynamics makes for the U.S. Army.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) has unveiled its new “Army Iron Man” powered exoskeleton system for troops to use on the battlefield and during disaster relief. The first-generation suit was reportedly designed by Taiwan military’s top research body, the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCIST) The unveiling of what is dubbed as the ‘ironman’ suit comes in the backdrop of rising tensions between Taipei and Beijing. #Taiwan #IronManSuit #China. Crux is your daily dose of the big, viral and relevant news in a few minutes. It’s your ultimate guide to staying informed on the latest in politics, international relations, sports, entertainment and social media.
Follow CRUX on Instagram (@crux.india): https://bit.ly/3qSFx1K Follow CRUX on Facebook: https://bit.ly/2Lte7iF #GetCloserToTheNews with latest headlines on politics, sports and entertainment on news18.com https://bit.ly/2Y4QccL
Also watch: Crux One Take: https://bit.ly/3oNaLWf. Crux Files: https://bit.ly/3mnbnjW Crux BTS: https://bit.ly/3oCjbQE
To keep up with China and Russia. The future of warfare builds on previous successes. And throughout conflicts in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, the U.S. military possessed an unrivaled advantage in air superiority. But all things change, and to face the possibility of conflict with new and advanced weapons and aircraft from Russia or China, the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) wants to upgrade some of its largest aircraft with cruise missiles, according to a recent solicitation shared on a government website. Specifically, SOCOM’s plans call for equipping AC-130s with cruise missiles, in addition to transforming the MC-130 into a \.
Equipping AC-130s with cruise missiles could prove superfluous.
Unlike the hypersonic missiles that major powers are developing like a second arms race, cruise missiles are a kind of munitions that move at subsonic speeds and fly at low altitudes, increasing the difficulty of detection for enemy forces. But SOCOM also wants the cruise missiles to possess electronic systems that will help them acquire and reacquire targets after being fired from the aircraft. But not everyone at Air Force Operations Command, a subunit of SOCOM, is optimistic about the order. “No matter the threat, air-to-air or air-to-ground, having a precision-guided cruise missile just enhances the performance and capability the AC-130 already has, but I don’t believe that equipping a stand-off precision-guided cruise missile will make it any more relevant, due to capabilities and limitations of the aircraft,” said former AC-130 Gunner B.A., in the Insider report.
“Other aircraft platforms would be a better choice for that type of weapon system,” added B.A. in the report. “The AC-130 was made to sit in the sky, fly counterclockwise in a circle, and engage anyone who is actively engaging the good guys. Precision missiles wouldn’t hurt, but let’s not ‘Call of Duty’ accessorize our AC-130s!” he added, in reference to a highly customizable video game that simulates various military combat scenarios. But while B.A. could be right that the new upgrades wouldn’t make a substantial difference in combat capabilities, the government only recently invested more money in increasing the United States’ combat readiness against potential adversaries, with plans that could take decades to reach fruition. This means that, in the meantime, some may argue that the U.S. should seize every advantage it can, while there’s still time.
Taiwan has made a battery-powered exoskeleton suit that will allow its soldiers to run faster and carry heavy objects.
This is the first-generation suit made by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, according to The South China Morning Post. The suit is a part of a four-year project called the “Taiwan Ironman program.” It has a budget of $5.74 million and the goal of providing Taiwan’s soldiers with a lower-body exoskeleton to increase their strength and endurance.
“To reduce fatigue of soldiers in carrying heavy facilities… we started developing the powered suit for the military in 2020,” Jen Kuo-Kuang, head developer of the project, said in comments at a news conference obtained by the SCMP.
In service since 2,002 the Stryker combat vehicles have been constantly upgraded in light of changing warfare techniques. When deployed in Iraq, these combat vehicles had to be protected from the rocket-propelled grenades but were recently found to be lacking against unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Europe. As warfare moves at lightning speed from drones to drone swarms, General Dynamics, the manufacturer of Stryker vehicles, is looking to arm the vehicle with a directed energy weapon.
To accelerate the pace of this upgrade, the defense manufacturer has teamed up with Los Angeles-based Epirus Inc., which has developed a counter-electronics system, Leonidas, capable of handling single as well as multiple threats.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company makes 24% of all the world’s chips, and 92% of the most advanced ones found in today’s iPhones, fighter jets and supercomputers. Now TSMC is building America’s first 5-nanometer fabrication plant, hoping to reverse a decades-long trend of the U.S. losing chip manufacturing to Asia. CNBC got an exclusive tour of the $12 billion fab that will start production in 2024.
» Subscribe to CNBC: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC » Subscribe to CNBC TV: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCtelevision. » Subscribe to CNBC Classic: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCclassic.
About CNBC: From ‘Wall Street’ to ‘Main Street’ to award winning original documentaries and Reality TV series, CNBC has you covered. Experience special sneak peeks of your favorite shows, exclusive video and more.
Connect with CNBC News Online. Get the latest news: https://www.cnbc.com/ Follow CNBC on LinkedIn: https://cnb.cx/LinkedInCNBC Follow CNBC News on Facebook: https://cnb.cx/LikeCNBC Follow CNBC News on Twitter: https://cnb.cx/FollowCNBC Follow CNBC News on Instagram: https://cnb.cx/InstagramCNBC
#CNBC
Secretive Giant TSMC’s $100 Billion Plan To Fix The Chip Shortage.
As the U.S. military has finalized a space for its first micro-nuclear reactor. The Department of Air Force has chosen the Eielson Air Force Base (AFB) in Alaska to introduce this next-generation energy capability, a press release said.
The US military has been inclining towards electronic warfare along with nuclear reactors for cleaner sources of energy. Last month, we reported that the Department of Defense was planning to install a portable nuclear reactor in Idaho.
It is also being said that the micro-reactor pilot is being built in response to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 that requires potential locations to be identified to build and operate a microreactor before 2027. The Air Force will work in collaboration with the Department of Energy, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to execute the project of the micro-reactor pilot, and to ensure this pilot is conducted with safety as the number one priority, the press release said. This facility will have a license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and will operate commercially.
AI is changing the way we live and the global balance of military power. Ex-Pentagon software chief Nicholas Chaillan said this month the U.S. has already lost out to China in military applications. Even 98-year-old Henry Kissinger weighs in on AI as co-author of a new book due next month, “The Age of AI: And Our Human Future.”
Kai-Fu Lee has been sizing up the implications for decades. The former Google executive turned venture capitalist looked at U.S.-China competition in his 2018 book, “AI Superpowers.” His new book, “AI 2041,” co-authored with science fiction writer Chen Qiufan, suggests how AI will bring sweeping changes to daily life in the next 20 years. I talked earlier this month to Lee, who currently oversees $2.7 billion of assets at Beijing-headquartered Sinovation Ventures. Sinovation has backed seven AI start-ups that have become “unicorns” worth more than $1 billion: AInnovation, 4Paradigm, Megvii, Momenta, WeRide, Horizon Robotics and Bitman. We discussed Lee’s new book, the investments he’s made based on his predictions in it, and where the U.S.-China AI rivalry now stands. Excerpts follow.
The U.S. Navy has invented a new device to prevent people from speaking, one that people with siblings will recognize instantly. The handheld acoustic hailing and disruption device records a person’s speech and spits it back out again, disrupting their concentration and discouraging them from speaking further. Although an interesting—and very familiar—concept it’s unlikely this tech will ever see use on the battlefield.
The handheld acoustic hailing and disruption (AHAD) was developed by engineers at Naval Surface Warfare, Crane Division, a Navy research and development facility in Indiana that develops handheld and crew-served weapons for the service. The patent, New Scientist reports, was issued in 2019.
The system can get very sneaky by repeating anything a speaker says milliseconds after it’s said.
