The Army’s Smart New Mortars Could Actually Hit a Target [Monster Machines]

Mortars are an invaluable tool for infantry forces, but the problem is that they aren’t exactly accurate, only half land within 136 meters of where they’re aimed. That sort of success rate just won’t do in Afghanistan, where minimizing collateral damage is an imperative. That’s why General Dynamics built a mortar with pinpoint accuracy. More »

The Robot Explorer That Will Navigate Jupiter’s Liquid Moon [Video]

NASA’s Europa Jupiter System Mission, set for 2026, will be the first survey Jupiter’s frozen moon. Scientists also plan to explore the moon’s liquid oceans, which are buried under 6km of ice. Getting through that will be tough. But once we hit water, Eurpoa’s interior will be explored by the most advanced autonomous underwater vehicle ever built. More »

The MC-27J Spartan: The Baddest Gunship the USAF Will Never Fly [Monster Machines]

After a decade of deployment in Afghanistan and Iraq, the wings are literally falling off the USAF’s aging fleet of AC-130s. The Air Force thought about upgrading them to the new MC-27J Spartan multi-purpose gunship—but budget cuts nixed that idea. The Airmen will miss out on quite a machine. More »

The USS Makin Island Is a Mean, Green, Amphibious Assault Machine [Video]

Faced with rising fuel prices and diminishing oil reserves, the Navy is rebuilding itself with a greener fleet. The USS Makin Island is the poster child of this restructuring, having cut its fuel consumption in half with an engine overhaul. More »

China’s DF-21D Missile Is a One-Shot Aircraft Carrier Killer [Video]

Since the end of WWII, America’s naval might has been undisputed and our aircraft carriers have been its crown jewels. However, the days of dominance could end with China’s new DF-21D ballistic missile—the only device on Earth capable of sinking an aircraft carrier—four and a half acres of sovereign US territory—with one shot. More »

This UAV Decoy Can Fool Even the Smartest SAM [Monster Machines]

It may look like a UAV to you and me, but to an S-400 anti-aircraft battery, this tiny drone looks as big and as menacing as a B-29 Superfortress. More »

Tiny Rooftop Turbine Could Make Urban Wind Farms A Reality [Video]

There’s a reason that wind farms are placed offshore rather than in urban areas—the turbines are typically huge, difficult to erect, and need a solid sustained gust to produce any meaningful amount of current. This prototype, on the other hand, will assemble easily and take up little space as it quietly produces kilowatts atop skyscrapers. More »

Dell’s Tactical Data Center Puts a Server Room In A War Zone [Monster Machines]

It’s not just the bullets that are getting smarter. As the US military pushes for deeper technological integration in its fighting forces, more and more bandwidth and computing power will be needed to keep everything connected. Dell’s new self-contained server rooms will turn even the most remote Forward Operating Base into an impromptu data center. More »

The Sandwich-Sized Laser-Guided Smart Bomb [Video]

The AGM-114 Hellfire Missile packs a hell of a punch. However, at over five feet long with a 20-pound warhead, it’s simply too big to fit on many UAVs, and it’s too destructive for military’s new targeted strike policy. So rather than let all those potential missile platforms go to waste, Raytheon just built a smaller bomb. More »

The SeaFox Mine Sweeper Will Destroy Iran’s Explosives in the Strait of Hormuz [Monster Machines]

With tensions between Iran and the West rapidly rising over the nation’s secretive nuclear technology developments, both sides are rattling their sabers. More »