Posted 06.29.2009 at 5:12 pm
13 Comments
Land Warrior Wearable Military Tech
Peter Haley / The News Tribune
Each equipped with $48,000 worth of GPS components, electronic maps, and wearable computers, troops of the Army's 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division are heading to Afghanistan as part of the resurrected Land Warrior program. The Army is hoping the revised, eight-pound set of gear will be more beneficial than when the $500 million program was canceled in 2006.
As the latest futuristic military program to be made real, Land Warrior gear will allow troops to identify comrades and enemies on the battlefield, receive updated objectives, locate buildings and find the nearest exit--all through a head-mounted eyepiece.
This is the long-awaited realization of the Army's 15 year plus program to help out troops who were previously buying their own walkie-talkies and GPS units to stay in contact with their team.
The problem is, not everyone finds it helpful.
Troops say the technology is more helpful in urban areas such as Iraq, where (presumably), it's easier to become separated from the pack. But in rural Afghanistan, some troops feel carrying the extra 8 pounds around just isn't worth it. I guess Land Warrior's value will be assessed soon enough.
[News Tribune via Danger Room]
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This gear is complete junk. The money should be spent on better traditional combat gear and training.
-RLTW Bco 3/75
Why does that guy look like he is straining to view his HUDS display
http://prosportnutrition.net/?a=633808700294218750
"Why does that guy look like he is straining to view his HUDS display"
My guess is that the display is designed to be mounted over the user's weaker eye (in this case the left), leaving the dominant eye unfettered. Buddy will have to get used to scanning the HUD through his weaker eye while keeping his dominant eye open.
They have had networked dismounted soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan using the Tacticomp system from Sierra Nevada Corporation (www.SNCorp.com) since early 2006. That system also has two-way video and much higher bandwidth using a mobile, ad-hoc network which is both self-forming and self-healing. SNC has fielded their mounted and dismounted system in more than 9 brigades over the past 3 years. The cost for each of those brigades was a fraction of the cost of a Land Warrior brigade. On-line press reported the cost of fielding this brigade with Land Warrior for Afghanistan at over $70 million. Tacticomp is under $25 million for a brigade. (joereed@comcast.net)
What happens when the batteries run out... KISS, keep it simple stupid... The donkey and a rifle will prevail, this stuff is junk, it will weight down our guys and instead of looking around and staying sharp, they will be looking at there eye peice like a bunch of crack berry addicts walkin down the street and being hit by cars.
In afganistan you need a good rifle/sight, good pair of boots, lots of ammo...a compass and map...a well powered handheld to call in air strikes. This eye peice "body" computer is crap.
The guy can't even see what is going on around him when he is skwinting to see through some eye peice...oh look a sniper back behind you 300m...blammmm, right through the eye peice.
Pilots use see-trough HUDs for so long. Why not make protective glasses with offfocus projection on the inner side of glass to just have what you need in front of you while looking arround. That way soldiers protect their eyes from dust and particles, have essencial info in front of them and looking at the battlefield as usual. And technology for autofocusing is already there, we are using it every day when measuring dioptry for the glasses and/or contact lenses.
I'm curious about the process used to decide what will work best in a combat situation. Does anyone actually gather a representative group of GIs together to talk over equipment needs...or is it a think tank of military strategists sipping cocktails in a Washington bar?
"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." Aldous Huxley
Seems like a first step towards what we've seen in Sci-Fi movies for a long time with a clear visor and HUD display. That would be the way to go. Or just build the Iron Man suit already!
http://fusionfilter.com/
from Houston, TX
As a Vietnam veteran, my prayers go out to the soldiers who were chosen to go downrange and field test this fancy electronic gear in a live-fire environment. Lord knows we had to test enough drek in the 9th Inf Div, most of which wasn't adequately waterproofed...
RLTW
Class #9-67
Look at these silly apes. Use your mind not your force.
Yeah, that guy is going to get shot while he is looking at his HUD display. Maybe they should rethink this...
this stuff looks some what like ghost-recon-advanced-warfigher (GRAW) to all you tom clacy fans. but i think the clear/holograhm idea would work better so he can look at his HUD while he's blasting the heck out of some "badguy"