What does it take to prolong the apocalypse by minutes? Better radars, apparently. Raytheon, an American defense technology giant, has a new video out explaining how multiple types of radars can work together for a more complete picture of an incoming attack. Seeing different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, with different kinds of radar, is a complex topic, and I think Raytheon's video explains it pretty well. There's an exclusive first look at the video at the end of this article. It's about how radars work, but it's also part of the broader world of missile defense, so let's start there first.
Aliens traveling at near the speed of light won't go undetected, according to two researchers at Raytheon. Posted on the arXiv, their paper argues that fast-traveling vehicles will still be visible, thanks to the way they interact with photons.
A new helmet design by Raytheon, exhibited at the Paris Air Show this week, wants to summon firepower from the sky with just a glance and a button press. The Advanced Warfighter Awareness for Real-time Engagement (AWARE) system is a monocle-sized display that could significantly improve coordination between air and ground forces.
Directional sound is awesome. Long a feature of cinema and state-of-the-art home entertainment systems, directional sound uses several focused speakers to create sound that hits one ear differently than the other, allowing the brain to figure out which direction the sound is coming from. This has even been heralded as providing the competitive edge to gamers. Now, Raytheon wants to transfer that same edge from gamers to actual warfighters, by making them all a little more like Daredevil.
Equipped with a huge helmet and a handy wrist-attached device, future fighter pilots will have maps, surround sound, radar and infrared vision all at their fingertips - even when they're outside the cockpit. Raytheon's new Aviation Warrior system, unveiled at the Farnborough Air Show in the UK, gives an airman or woman all the information a pilot might need, all in a wearable system.
