Defense Technology International - March 2008 - (Page 45)

I Read Hockmuth’s posts on DTI’s weblog, Ares, updated daily: AviationWeek.com/ares Fountain of Youth The U.S. Army thinks it may be able to energize aging soldiers by stimulating production of mitochondria, a network of proteins that helps power cognitive function and physical performance. “The Army is constrained by biology,” the service states in a solicitation for the Optimized Human Performance Human Energetics program. “Highly qualiﬁed soldiers routinely leave the Army because they are old; their physical and/or cognitive capabilities are signiﬁcantly less than those of a 20-year-old.” The Army says most of the time this reduction in performance relates to the reduced efﬁciency of “old mitochondria.” The program seeks to develop metabolic supplements that increase energy production through mitochondria. If the supplement works for soldiers, the Army sees a huge commercial windfall, suggesting that even a slight enhancement of cognitive ability would “probably have an impact on the world economy rivaling that of the Internet.” I Nuclear Forensics The U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency is looking to fund applied research and advanced technology demonstrations that offer signiﬁcant improvements in nuclear detection and forensics, particularly in standoff detection, remote sensing and operating in contaminated environments. DTRA states in a recent solicitation that standoff detection should enable the interrogation of vessels and vehicles at ranges up to several kilometers. The agency is interested in highly directional, high-energy photon or particle beams to detect nuclear emissions, but is open to alternatives. DTRA also wants to develop a rapid nuclear forensics capability that can complete analysis within 24 hr., and be easily deployable by air or truck, simple to operate and rugged. Moreover, if any type of nuclear device is detonated anywhere on the planet, DTRA wants to hear about it quickly from a worldwide monitoring system that provides 24/7 coverage. I 1 U.S. ARMY 2 U.S. MARINE CORPS OVER THE EDGE Compound Eyes A bioengineer at the University of California, Berkeley, has developed a method of fabricating an artiﬁcial compound eye that mimics the wide ﬁeld of view of insects like bees. Compound eyes comprise thousands of honeycomb-shaped optical units called ommatidia, which are aimed in slightly different directions across a curvilinear surface, but create an integrated picture with a 180-deg. view. In a patent application ﬁled with the World Intellectual Property Organization (PCT/US2007/001381), Prof. Luke Lee, whose research was funded by the Ofﬁce of Naval Research, states his method relies on a photosensitive polymer. Lee says obtaining a ﬁeld of view beyond 90 deg. has only been possible with ﬁsh-eye lenses, which he claims are expensive, bulky and difﬁcult to work with. I MARCH 2008 DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL 45 3 NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION AviationWeek.com/dti http://AviationWeek.com/ares http://www.aviationweek.com/dti

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Defense Technology International - March 2008 Contents Sweden Cancels SEP; Israel Launches Imaging Satellite; Geotextiles Secure Ammo Dump U.S. Navy Taps Neural Architecture Software to Assure Job Satisfaction Shrapnel-Like Pieces of Reactive Materials Increase Explosive Force of Bombs Technology is Rapidly Closing the Gap Between Sensors and Shooters Italian Army Program Aims to Develop a Fully Networked Land Force Political and Military Uncertainties Plague U.S. Defense Budget Democrats Put Pentagon on Notice Over Spending and Policy at DTAR Conference Russian Combat Vehicle Protects Tank Formations from Anti-Armor Weapons European Battlelabs Use Simulation to Verify Technologies and Stretch Defense Funds Malaysia Accelerates Fleet Modernization to meet Long-Term Goals U.S. Navy Says Composite Raiding Boat May Reduce Injuries From Wave Shocks Seeing Isn’t Believing When it Comes to Deciphering Funds for Secret Projects Advances in Sensors and Propulsion Make Torpedoes Ever More Lethal FAA is in No Rush to Approve Rules that Let UAVs Fly in Civil Airspace USS Truman Carrier Strike Group Patrols a Rough Neighborhood 24/7 U.S. says Sino-Russian Space Disarmament Plan is Riddled with Pitfalls Hyperspeed Projectile; “Sound Cloak” Hides Subs; Improving Nuclear Forensics Dutch Air Commodore Theo ten Haaf Analyzes the Impact of Rotary-Wing Operations One Soldier’s War is a Behind-the-Headlines Look at Russia’s Campaigns in Chechnya Black Budgets are Huge and Growing, and Often Conceal Amazing Failures

Defense Technology International - March 2008

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