Tested In Battle

PopSci's Iraq tech report card. Click to launch the slideshow.

By Noah Shachtman, with reporting in Iraq David Axe

Posted on May 18, 2006 10:00 AM EDT

soldier pointing the M-14 sniper rifle at the ground — Old is new again with this reliable 1950s-era rifle, refurbished from existing inventories due to a pressing need for a midrange sniper rifle in desert conditions.
Pros: Better range and stopping power than the M-16 and M-4 rifles that replaced the â€50s â€relic.â€
Cons: Fires more slowly than the M-16 and M-4, and requires different ammunition.
Grade: A Courtesy David Axe

War spurs innovation, and U.S. soldiers are seeing a lot of it. How well is the new equipment performing in Iraq? Launch the Slideshow to find out.

Parked Meerkat mine detector military vehicle

AH-64D Apache Longbow military chopper in flight

soldier using the the Talon small mobile military robot

soldiers on the M1A2 Abrams battle tank in the desert

Link 16 Data Exchange System Interface

23-ton Buffalo route-clearance vehicle in a hangar

RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned aircraft in flight

Remote-controlled MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in flight

Litening targeting and sensor pod on a grounded aircraft