military technology

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extremely low frequencies
2 months ago
- Submarines evolved from primitive Civil War vessels to advanced WWI diesel-electrics, enabling stealth attacks.
- Early radio communication with submerged subs failed due to seawater blocking HF, forcing surfacing for messages.
- In 1917, Willoughby discovered VLF (3-30 kHz) antennas worked underwater, leading to Navy adoption for deep reception (up to 100 feet).
- VLF systems like NSS (1918) and Cutler (1961) used massive antennas and high power (e.g., 1.8 MW) for one-way Morse code commands.
- Nuclear submarines (1954 onward) required deeper communication, driving ELF (72-80 Hz) research for 'bell ringing' alerts.
- ELF faced technical limits (low data rate, huge antennas) and political opposition, leading to the scaled-down Project ELF (Clam Lake & Republic, 1989).
- ELF was shut down in 2004 due to advances in VLF, high costs, and public controversy, though China, India, and Russia operate similar systems.
Ukraine's Kill Zone
2 months ago
- Drones dominate the battlefield in Ukraine, creating a 30 km-wide 'kill zone' where movement is lethal.
- Traditional massing of troops and artillery is obsolete; soldiers hide in small, isolated foxholes for months.
- Both sides use cheap FPV and fiber-optic drones, with infantry acting as lookouts and calling in drone strikes.
- Casualties are staggering, with an estimated 2 million soldiers killed, wounded, or missing since early 2022.
- Russia uses infiltration tactics in small groups to exploit gaps in Ukrainian lines, often under fog or rain cover.
- Ukraine employs anti-drone netting, jammers, and speed to protect supply routes, but drones remain a constant threat.
China unveils high-power microwave weapon arsenal with up to 100 gigawatts
2 months ago
- China has revealed its high-power microwave (HPM) weapon arsenal, capable of generating up to 100 gigawatts of power.
- Defense scientists state this technology could threaten low Earth orbit satellite networks like Starlink at an extremely low cost.
- This marks a rare public disclosure by the Chinese military regarding its HPM arsenal.
- Researchers, led by Zhang Jun, report that China's pulsed-power technology has advanced rapidly and now ranks among the world's foremost.
- Pulsed-power drivers for HPM have transitioned from laboratory prototypes to practical, high-performance, and durable systems.
- The published paper may serve as a reference for other nations evaluating the vulnerabilities of large satellite constellations.
US seeks cheaper hunter-killer drones after Iran destroys $1B worth of Reapers
3 months ago
- The U.S. military has sustained significant losses of expensive Reaper drones, valued at over $1 billion, during surveillance and attack missions over Iran.
- The Pentagon aims to shift toward deploying large numbers of cheaper drones to overwhelm enemy air defenses, accepting that many will be lost in combat, as current high-cost aircraft are deemed unsustainable against low-cost adversary defenses.
- Ukraine’s military serves as a model, using hundreds of inexpensive drones and missiles to overwhelm Russian air defenses and strike behind frontlines, damaging sophisticated systems.
- In contrast, U.S. operations since February 2026 have relied on expensive crewed aircraft and drones, leading to costly losses and necessitating pilot rescues in hostile areas like Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.
- For high-risk missions, MQ-9A Reaper drones have been used to gather intelligence and strike targets deep in Iranian airspace, praised as a key asset in the war against Iran.
How Fighter Jets Lock on (and How the Targets Know) (2014)
3 months ago
- Military aircraft primarily use onboard radar to lock and track enemies, with modes like search (scanning) and track (focusing on one target).
- Radar provides data like aspect angle, heading, airspeed, and closure rate in track mode, enhancing target awareness but reducing broad situational data.
- Situational awareness modes combine scanning and tracking to monitor multiple targets, but involve tradeoffs like reduced scan range.
- Radar lock isn't always needed for weapons: guns use 'death dot' for locked targets or funnel aiming without lock; missiles vary (heat-seekers use tone, radar-guided rely on radar).
- Aircraft detect radar signals via RWR (radar warning receiver), identifying threats by direction, signal strength, and audio cues for search, lock, or missile launch modes.
- Other locking technologies include targeting pods (visual/IR cameras for tracking) and laser-guided systems, with laser warning systems similar to RWR.

military technology

extremely low frequencies

Ukraine's Kill Zone

China unveils high-power microwave weapon arsenal with up to 100 gigawatts

US seeks cheaper hunter-killer drones after Iran destroys $1B worth of Reapers

How Fighter Jets Lock on (and How the Targets Know) (2014)