All articles by Berenice Baker
Berenice Baker
Approaches to defence digital transformation
Defence needs to digitalise to keep up with the pace of technological change and remain secure. Peter Clapton, CEO at technology services provider Vysiion looks at the optimum approach.
Next-gen armoured vehicles thunder across Eurosatory
The halls and outdoor exhibition areas at Eurosatory 2018 were filled with enough armoured vehicles to launch a land invasion. With a renewed focus on main battle tanks, some were bigger and better armed, while some special ops vehicles were smaller and more agile, but all were packed full of innovations designed to persuade international decision makers to loosen their defence departments’ purse strings. Berenice Baker reports from the event.
Made to measure: the next generation of military 3D printing
No longer an expensive niche process for prototyping, 3D printing has joined traditional manufacturing methods as a go-to technique for producing military technology. Its importance was highlighted when funding for it was earmarked in the 2018 US military budget. Berenice Baker asks why the DoD is making this investment, and examines recent US military projects that could signpost the types of projects that could benefit.
Flyweight – the US Army’s quest for an airborne Ultra Light Combat Vehicle
After years of enhancing survivability through heavy armour packages, the US Army is seeking a new generation of lightweight armoured vehicle that can be carried by helicopter or air-dropped from transport aircraft. The main candidates are based around designs originally developed for Special Forces, for whom defence depends as much on manoeuvrability as traditional protection.
Latest In Defence – Digital training ranges and the Sikorsky S-97 Raider
In this edition of Latest In Defence, Lockheed Martin develops a new type of live-fire training range; Sikorsky releases a simulation of how its futuristic S-97 Raider multi-mission helicopter could operate; and BAE Systems builds a new, improved – and bigger – version of its River class offshore patrol vessels for the Royal Navy.
Mefloquine – the military’s deadly malaria treatment
Developed by the US Army, the malaria preventative and treatment mefloquine, trade name Lariam, can cause strong psychotic reactions and has been implicated in several military incidents, including the Fort Bragg murder-suicides of 2002. Consulting physician epidemiologist Dr Remington Nevin was motivated by personal experience to research the effects of the drug and call for a comprehensive ban.
High-tech protection – head to toe armour innovation
Body armour for infantry soldiers has become so specialised, purpose-designed protection is available for seemingly every individual body part, using the very latest modern materials to ensure they meet the most stringent military specifications. We look at how some of the best new innovations could safely dress a future infantry soldier from head to toe.
Are cluster bomb alternatives just as bad?
Lockheed Martin recently demonstrated an alternative warhead for its Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System designed to deliver the same effect as cluster munitions but without the lingering danger of unexploded ordnance. As the US has never signed up to the international Convention on Cluster Munitions, what is the aim of this programme, and is the alternative really a humanitarian option?
Latest In Defence — Helicopter RWS; vehicle-launched missiles; small diameter bomb
This edition of Latest In Defence features technology unveiled around the time of the Eurosatory exhibition in Paris. Duke Airborne Systems unveils a pioneering remote weapons system for use on helicopters, Lockheed shows how a new armoured vehicle turret can launch missiles designed for use on aircraft, and Raytheon has completed flight testing its small diameter bomb.
Tanks on the doorstep – the evolution of the military training village
Using realistic training environments to ensure troops are properly prepared for the actual surroundings in which they will do battle is a concept dating back to the First World War. Over the years since, the Ministry of Defence has been responsible for setting up a number of villages which have evolved to realistically simulate potential and current theatres of combat, from Germany to Afghanistan.