Weapons
War and Science -French Revolutionary and Napoleonic era.
Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier The longstanding connection between war and science in the West intensified during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic era. Armed forces depended on scientific and technological expertise in many areas. Different service branches had different needs. One particularly marked by dependence on science was the artillery, since it was vital that guns be aimed correctly to inflict the most…
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Arrows Versus Armour: The Minefield of Opinions
Archers carried specialist arrows, bodkins with needle-pointed heads to punch through mail links, or armour-piercing heads perhaps tipped with steel to penetrate steel plates. Tests have shown that the spin of the arrow in flight enables the head, striking at right angles, to drill a hole into armour plate. The…
U.S. Space Force Changes Missile Warning
The Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared program (pictured in this artist’s concept) will eventually replace the Space-Based Infrared System. Credit: Lockheed Martin Lee Hudson March 19, 2021 Four years ago, Gen. John Hyten, then head of the missile warning satellite community’s largest customer, U.S. Strategic Command, said he no longer supported…
THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY, 1914–1918
The A7V was first used in action in the St. Quentin canal area on 21 March 1918, where five tanks under the command of Hauptmann Greiff were deployed. Three of the vehicles broke down before they could engage the British forces, the other two playing a relatively minor part in…
POISON GAS AND THE SECOND BATTLE OF YPRES, APRIL TO MAYÂ 1915
The periods of intense combat at Ypres in April and during May 1915 represented the only major offensive against the Allies that year, with the Ypres salient also the first place at which the army supported its attacks with the use of poison gas. However, the series of attacks at…
AESA: A Game-Changer in RADARÂ Technology
When they were first unveiled, Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) systems represented a huge leap forward in radar technology. But as electronic warfare systems become more advanced and more critical to maintaining a military advantage, what does the future hold for AESA systems? Let’s explore how this amazing technology works…
GBSD: The Case for Modernization So Obvious Even Two Think Tankers Get It.
Admiral Charles Richard, Commander of the United States Strategic Command, pushed back on the small but vocal disarmament advocacy clerisy who are trying to pressure the incoming Biden administration to eliminate the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) program. While on a Zoom call with the Defense Writers Group, Adm Richard remarked,…