7 Futuristic Military Vehicles And Weapons That Have Actually Been Available For Years
Duane Beckett
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A thunder generator, human exoskeletons, and invisibility. Each sounds like a superpower or tech from a science fiction movie. However, they are all real military machines. And most amazingly, they have been real for up to a decade!
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This is the eye-opening world of futuristic military vehicles and weapons. And unless you’re watching for futuristic tanks, planes, and combat cars, they’ll go under the radar…
So check out what the military already has below and be amazed (we were):
7. Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC)
The Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC) is developed by Lockheed Martin as a robotic load carriage exoskeleton for soldiers, making it one of the coolest futuristic military vehicles in our opinion.
The HULC supports soldiers on the battlefield by transporting heavy loads for long periods. This hydraulically-powered device is being designed to reduce musculoskeletal injuries commonly observed in soldiers due to lifting heavy combat weights.
The HULC enables soldiers to carry loads of up to 91 kilos (200 lb) – and that’s what the earlier models did some 10 years ago!
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6. Hypersonic Missile (X51A Waverider)
Developed by Boeing and the US Air Force Research Laboratory, the X51A Waverider is an unmanned research scramjet experimental aircraft that has been designed for hypersonic flights at Mach 5 (5,300 kilometers per hour/3300 miles per hour) at an altitude of 70,000 feet.
The aircraft completed its first hypersonic flight in 2010, which makes this Mach 5 tech more than a decade old!
It has been proposed the X-51 technology is ideal for use in the high-speed Strike Weapon (HSSW), which is a Mach 5+ missile that is likely to enter service this decade.
5. Thunder Generator
First used by the Israeli Army, the Thunder Generator was designed to detonate an explosion in its barrel and then release it as a high-speed shockwave that can be used to temporarily deafen and push the enemy back up to 100 feet.
To put it in simpler terms, the Thunder Generator is a cannon that fires a shockwave that can pass through people and objects:
While the shockwaves are harmless, it gives people the impression that they are standing in front of a firing squad.
Originally when it was developed, the Thunder Generator was used by Israeli farmers to scare away birds that come to eat and damage their crops. However, the Israeli Ministry of Defense has approved the use of Thunder Generators for both military and paramilitary use.
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4. Taser Shockwave
The Taser Shockwave is a type of non-lethal electroshock weapon that makes use of electrical current to disrupt any kind of voluntary control of muscles.
This helps the military assist in riot control. This large-scale system is basically made up of a large modular device that fires numerous TASER X26 stun guns with a 20-degree arch within a range of 35 feet.
The system is made up of 36 Tasers placed in two rows, which can either be deployed all at once or one by one row. The weapon is designed to penetrate through thick clothing to reach the skin and deliver the shock.
The Taser Shockwave can be daisy-chained with other units to increase its area coverage and become a more potent threat to violent rioters. It has been a Special Weapon of the SWAT Team for many years.
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3. Modular Advanced Armed Robotic System
The Modular Advanced Armed Robotic System is best described as a heavily armed bot that is specially designed to handle situations that are too dangerous to send real people into, thus saving many lives.
Usually referred to as the MAARS robot, on the battlefield, this bot can be armed with a grenade launcher, a 400-round M240B machine gun, and it is well capable of dragging injured soldiers out of danger.
The robot has a top speed of only seven miles per hour, but it is still fast enough to keep up with the soldiers. Furthermore, with a battery system that can run for up to 12 hours, the robot is more than capable of surviving on a battlefield.
2. Magneto Hydrodynamic Explosive Munition (MAHEM)
Developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the MAHEM weapons system makes use of a magnetic flux generator to shoot a projectile without needing to use traditional chemical explosives.
These modified weapons systems have given the military a more precise and efficient launch system.
However, this projectile weapons system also utilizes molten metal in order to penetrate enemy armored vehicles, thus increasing the lethality and effectiveness of the military on the battlefield by many times.
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1. ADAPTIVE Camouflage
Developed by BAE Systems, ADAPTIVE camouflage masks a military vehicle’s infrared signature, thus protecting them from being detected and allowing them to blend in with the surroundings.
The ADAPTIVE camouflage basically leaves thermal imaging systems obsolete, giving protection to vehicles from initial detection by the enemy.
The camouflage system is made up of a honeycomb structure that is installed in special modules on any military vehicle. It can be cooled or heated as required to match the surroundings.