Weapons

It is beginning to look like the US military is going to be completely transformed. For thousands upon thousands of years a soldier went into battle with his weapons and his wits. Sometimes he wore a uniform, sometimes it was more of a .'dress as you want affair' and sometimes he even wore nothing in battle. When Spartan youths were in their Kypteia year, they fought naked, as did some of the tribes that fought the Romans. On the other hand the Romans wore their uniforms proudly and their weapons were standard throughout the army. If one weapon was lost, a Roman soldier could pick one up from a dead or wounded Roman and know instantly how to use it, since it was the same as the weapons he trained on. Today we feel that the uniform makes the soldier and a neat and clean uniform instills pride in a soldier and makes him fight better.

Future Soldier vs Old Soldier
Photo Source: DOD

The question is what will the soldier of the future look like? Will all the uniforms worn by the American soldiers be the same? What will a soldier carry for a weapon? What other devices will he have with him. These are things that soldiers in the past didn't have to worry too much about, but all that is changing. Another question that is being raised is will the soldier of the future have to be a lot smarter than the soldiers of today? With all this to consider, we also have to consider the fact that every item a soldier has to carry adds weight and slows the soldier down. If we are not careful, a guerilla with just a gun might be able to overcome a technologically superior soldier, just because that soldier doesn't have the agility to defend against such an attack, because he is carrying too much weight.

Things are already beginning to change in the army. For the first time in history commanders can sit away from the battle and see the action through the cameras mounted on the helmets of the individual soldiers. I know that this is supposed to be a good idea, but it seems almost immoral. It just may be that I am too old fashioned to feel comfortable with this idea. I do recognize the benefits of it however. It is just that this idea seems to lend itself to abuse. Another thing that is being experimented with is a killer bullet. It is really a rocket in miniature and it seeks out body heat. If you ever saw a missile follow a plane before it shot it down, that is how this bullet works. It will go around corners, or up to roofs. They say that you will not be safe anywhere outside.

Robotic Assault Vehicle
Photo Source: US Army

A new suit is being prepared. It is called the Future Warrior Suit 2020. Before that suit comes out, the US Army will be fielding the Future Force Warrior system, supposedly in 2010, So what are we talking about here? “The two new uniform systems are being developed under the Future Combat System Program. "This Army initiative will develop and demonstrate revolutionary capabilities for the future soldiers in battle," said Jean-Louis "Dutch" DeGay, a Soldier Systems Center representative.” The uniforms will offer head to toe protection for the soldiers. Here is how the 2020 system is described, “The Future Force Warrior will be a responsive and formidable member of an invincible battle space team." The system for 2010 is described this way, “"The 2010 Future Force Warrior system will meet the more immediate, short-term demands of our fighting warriors in the battle space”. By the way, space does not mean outer space here, it means the space in which you fight.

The suits will be able to absorb impacts from projectiles much better than anything out there today. The suits will contain computers and communications that allow the individual soldiers to be able to instantly communicate with anyone and not have to depend on the “guy with the radio”. The computer will be completely voice controlled and the helmet will contain the equivalent of a computer screen and also the microphone. The computer screen will hang out allowing the soldier to keep both hands on his weapon and still see what is ahead of him. Each soldier will be monitored for heart rate, core temperature, skin temperature, water intake and the position he is in, whether it be standing, sitting or laying down. One of the major differences between this system and the one coming out in 2020 will be the use of nano technology in the newer suits. Everything will be smaller. The suit itself will be made using nano technology and will harden so much on impact that the person wearing it will be very well protected. The suit, unlike armor will be able to defend against multiple shots without wearing out. It can then go back to a form more like ordinary cloth.

German World War II Robotic Like Devices For Destroying Tanks
Photo Source: Public Domain

Special fibers in the suits will be able to increase the strength of a soldier by about 1/3rd, because it will use nano muscle fibers. The lower part of the suit is interesting. They say that it will have a robotic power system connected to the soldier they will allow him to have a 300% greater lifting and carrying capacity. This could allow the soldier to mount a large weapon to the system.

The guns carried by soldiers could change. We know that the military is working on laser weapons, but they already have something that is even more deadly. It is called metal storm. Basically it is a gun that has hardly any moving parts and can fire a tremendous amount of bullets in bursts. They are fired electronically and even if one doesn't fire, the next one will push it out of the barrel. This system is able to be scaled up to almost any size and there is talk of a system that could fire a million bullets at once and could be used to knock down missiles. Flying platforms that can accommodate an individual soldier have already been built and soldiers of the future may fly in waves to a mission on their individual flying platforms. They are also invaluable for spotting targets. Many soldiers may carry a small plane folded in their packs. This plane would have a small gasoline engine and have a camera mounted on it, that would broadcast pictures to both the soldiers and the command post, allowing the enemy positions to be seen.

Big Dogs Military Robots
Photo Source: US Marines

Small robots are already in use to scout out places that are too dangerous for soldiers to go into. The army is working on killer robots that would go into an area instead of soldiers and eliminate any threat. Unfortunately in a prior test, the robot almost fired on its own men, when the turret turned the wrong way. If it wasn't for a fast thinking soldier, there would have been some deaths. Killer robot planes are already in the air and it seems that a lot of nations are now building them.

All this technology is mind boggling. One of the problems with it is that if everyone gets it, the advantage is lost and you can bet that this is what will happen between nations. It could even be that some nation might beat us to the punch with one of these systems. Anyway the soldier of the future with all his or her gadgets will be nothing like the soldier of the past.