All articles by Claire Apthorp
Claire Apthorp
Visualising electronic warfare
A proliferation of devices and technologies to intercept and manipulate the electronic spectrum has resulted in an often-overwhelming deluge of complex data. The questions for many is what do we do with it? Visualisation software could hold the key.
Rise of the ultra-light military vehicle
The Canadian Special Operations Forces Command has taken the delivery of its first ultra-light combat vehicles from US-based Polaris Industries. And they’re not the only ones interested with multiple countries on the lookout for fast and mobile transportation options. Claire Apthorp takes a look at the ultra-light options out there.
How supercomputing could change warfare forever with HPE
HPE has been selected by the U.S. Department of Defense to provide seven new supercomputers to the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, to support research into hypersonics and computational modelling of current and advanced air, naval, and ground weapon systems. Claire Apthorp spoke to HPE to find out how supercomputers like these can revolutionise military innovation.
Stingray: the long road to a successful navy UAS
The US Navy recently announced that the carriers George H.W. Bush and Dwight D. Eisenhower will be the first to field the MQ-25A Stingray unmanned aerial refuelling system, essentially a massive UAS capable of refuelling aircraft in the air. Claire Apthorp examines the project in advance of the request for proposals.
UV explosion: rapid evolution results in all shapes and sizes
The rapid rise and breakneck evolution of UAS has resulted in a huge diversity in shape and size. Claire Apthorp takes a look at the most interesting designs coming out of R&D labs around the world.
Big bang: smart helmets prevent hearing loss
Researchers at Nottingham Trent University are using tiny microphones almost invisible to the naked eye to measure and record the levels of noise which soldiers experience. Claire Apthorp finds out how they work, and how they can help prevent hearing loss.
From Trump to Brexit, what will the defence landscape look like in 2018?
From uncertainty around Brexit, Trump in the White House and the threat posed by rising powers in the East to a committed pursuit of NATO targets and massive projects like the F-35 and Trident, the defence landscape is by no means straightforward. Can looking back at the major trends of 2017 tell us anything about the year to come?
Inside Patriot: missile defence in the spotlight
On the frontlines of the ever more dangerous border between South and North Korea stands a battery of US-built Patriot missile systems. As the world waits to see whether raucous rhetoric will spill over into war, Claire Apthorp ask what the Patriots are designed to do, and whether it will be enough.
Sifting strains to understand the threat of military targeted malware
Hackers are deploying machine learning techniques to create malware that constantly changes to avoid detection, and future malware strains could – it has been suggested – even develop sentient properties to keep them one step ahead. Claire Apthorp spoke to Airbus Cyber Security to find out more about the recent strains of malware they’ve been dealing with, and to hear how the threat to communications infrastructure is harming military readiness.
Sizing up the latest trends in soldier armour
Lighter, stronger, smarter – new innovations like sensor tech, tensile strength and super light materials are starting to make an impact on soldier armour.