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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.

soldier pointing the M-14 sniper rifle at the ground

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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
Parked Meerkat mine detector military vehicle

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Spindly mine-detection vehicles have been adapted for use against roadside bombs. They can be equipped with radar scanners and metal-detection gear.
Pros: Blast resistant, but also designed to break apart in places when hit by an explosion, to protect the operator.
Cons: They´re available only in small numbers and require armed escorts.
Grade: B
AH-64D Apache Longbow military chopper in flight

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An upgraded version of Boeing´s original Apache chopper, featuring top-mounted radar, data links and better night sensors.
Pros: Fast, lethal support for ground troops. Radar above rotors allows it to scan over hills without detection.
Cons: Cost and complexity make it difficult to operate, and it´s vulnerable to ground fire.
Grade: C
soldier using the the Talon small mobile military robot

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Clawed ground robot, used to dismantle explosives. Multiple cameras, sensors and communication devices can be mounted between tracks.
Pros: Has saved lives by letting soldiers handle bombs remotely. Can be made waterproof for underwater detection.
Cons: Difficult to use at night, and sometimes gets tweaked by nearby radio jammers.
Grade: A
soldiers on the M1A2 Abrams battle tank in the desert

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Seventy-ton General Dynamics tank armed with machine guns and a 120-millimeter cannon. Has thermal sights and the latest battlefield network terminals.
Pros: Nearly invulnerable to attack. Fast and quiet (for a tank). Can see and shoot accurately in the dark-even at 40 mph.
Cons: Not suited to urban combat. Big, expensive, and sucks gas.
Grade: C
Link 16 Data Exchange System Interface

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Permits similarly-equipped aircraft to exchange location and targeting data. Also connects aircraft with Navy ships and Army missile batteries.
Pros: In theory, Link 16 enables a small number of vehicles to cover a vast territory.
Cons: Has evolved in fits and starts, so many vehicles use incompatible message formats.
Grade: D
23-ton Buffalo route-clearance vehicle in a hangar

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Responding to threats from roadside explosives, the Army deployed this nearly indestructible 23-ton Buffalo route-clearance vehicle with tremendous success. Built by Force Protection Industries, it uses a clawed, 30-foot arm to move debris and examine potential explosives.
Grade: A
RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned aircraft in flight

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The RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned air vehicle, designed by Northrop Grumman for high-altitude reconnaissance missions, is the first fully autonomous air vehicle used in combat. It was critical to identifying Iraqi defense systems early in the war.
Grade: A
Remote-controlled MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in flight

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General Atomicsâ€built remote-controlled craft can circle above a target for 24 hours up to 400 miles from base. Equipped with sensors and Hellfire missiles.
Pros: Provides excellent, real-time surveillance imagery and the ability to attack targets with little advance notice.
Cons: Only a handful are airborne at any time, so most units don´t get them when they want.
Grade: A
Litening targeting and sensor pod on a grounded aircraft

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Carried on Air Force and Marine Corps aircraft, Northrop Grumman´s Litening has day and night sensors, laser targeting, and a data link to transmit live imagery.
Pros: Turns jets into sophisticated surveillance platforms at the flip of a switch.
Cons: Expensive, and available only in limited numbers.
Grade: B+