US Special Ops Command Plans to Have Ironman Prototype by 2018

This topic has been discussed here on ATS several times before so I won't approach this as anything new. That being said, Ironman is on the way; from the movie screen and into real life! It's called T.A.L.O.S. and that stands for Tactical Light Operator Suit and this power suit will have many enhancements including: strength, power & control, and enhanced mobility. The coolest thing on these suits is gonna be the liquid body armor; a liquid which hardens in milliseconds upon impact.

The project, formally called Tactical Light Operator Suit, or Talos, is aimed at providing special operators, such as Navy SEALs and Special Forces, with enhanced mobility and protection technologies, a Special Operations Command, or Socom, statement said. "The ultimate purpose of the Talos project is to produce a prototype in 2018. That prototype will then be evaluated for operational impact," Lt. Cmdr. Matt Allen, a Socom spokesman, told Scout Warrior. Industry teams have been making steady progress on the technologies since the effort was expanded in 2013 by Adm. William McCraven, the former head of Socom. "I'm very committed to this because I would like that last operator we lost to be the last operator we ever lose," McCraven said in 2013. Defense industry, academic, and entrepreneurial participants are progressing with the multifaceted effort. The technologies in development include body-suit-type exoskeletons, strength- and power-increasing systems, and additional protection. A Socom statement said some of the potential technologies planned for Talos research and development include advanced armor, command and control computers, power generators, and enhanced mobility exoskeletons. Also, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are developing a next-generation kind of armor called "liquid body armor." It "transforms from liquid to solid in milliseconds when a magnetic field or electrical current is applied," the Army website said.

Wow! I've known about these suits for some time now but I didn't know about this liquid body armor development! This is exciting and a topic I feel worthy of ATS. I wonder if this liquid body armor could be used for shielding spaceships, or on structures in eq prone areas? law enforcement, transportation, or even for athletes? Exciting stuff! What says ATS?

www.businessinsider.com...

The liquid body armor reminds me of a Mythbusters episode. There was a type of liquid, when struck hard, became almost solid. I'll have to see if I can dig it up.

a reply to: lostbook

Cool stuff!

It's amazing what we as humans can accomplish when we try really hard to kill each other.

originally posted by: In4ormant
The liquid body armor reminds me of a Mythbusters episode. There was a type of liquid, when struck hard, became almost solid. I'll have to see if I can dig it up.

I believe it is water mixed with corn starch.

If you run you can run on its surface but if you stand still you sink.

Looks a little more "Edge of Tomorrow" vs. Ironman.

...Like a bolt on exoskeleton

Nice!

originally posted by: eluryh22

originally posted by: In4ormant
The liquid body armor reminds me of a Mythbusters episode. There was a type of liquid, when struck hard, became almost solid. I'll have to see if I can dig it up.

I believe it is water mixed with corn starch.

If you run you can run on its surface but if you stand still you sink.

Yes. It's called Oobleck or something like that.

a reply to: Alexander the Great

Yep it's a non Newtonian fluid

a reply to: lostbook

Now if we can make it invisible. We are not far from that either.

a reply to: lostbook

Looks perfect for robbing a bank......Now if only it had the capability of flight.

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: lostbook

Looks perfect for robbing a bank......Now if only it had the capability of flight.

Flight is the addition I was hoping for but, alas, no flight. These things are still cool however. I wonder if they'll be able to run really fast....?

Your real questions are -

How do you power it?
How do you get spare parts for it?
How much noise does it make?
How fast can you get out of it when it fails in combat?
What about water and mud?
Will the heat it puts out melt you into (or through) snow or ice?
What does it weigh?
How big a 'chute do I need to jump with this thing? A big canopy is easier to spot.

That's a start, I can think of others, like software problems. I'd hate to have it on and it be hacked.

eta: who's tasked with keeping them going when you're on a job? Is that going to be added to the charlies, or is it a team manager sort of job? How much will they have to ruck in in terms of spare parts?

originally posted by: Bedlam
Your real questions are -

How do you power it?
How do you get spare parts for it?
How much noise does it make?
How fast can you get out of it when it fails in combat?
What about water and mud?
Will the heat it puts out melt you into (or through) snow or ice?
What does it weigh?
How big a 'chute do I need to jump with this thing? A big canopy is easier to spot.

That's a start, I can think of others, like software problems. I'd hate to have it on and it be hacked.

eta: who's tasked with keeping them going when you're on a job? Is that going to be added to the charlies, or is it a team manager sort of job? How much will they have to ruck in in terms of spare parts?

Good questions..........I found these specs from a quick web search:

Ballistic body armor covering about 60% of the operator, or three times more than current coverage An even broader exoskeleton to distribute weight evenly across the wearer An armored helmet integrating communications and optical gear A power supply to run electronics and the exoskeleton for up to 12 hours without recharge And all at a total system weight of less than 400 pounds

a reply to: lostbook

12 hours...that gets you inserted, if it's a jump entry and not, say, a dive entry.

After that, where are they planning to plug in for the next six weeks?

eta: 400 pounds! The current ramair chute they use is rated for 240 pounds of operator max plus equipment load. So the chute to jump in with this will be about 3x the canopy. Yipe

a reply to: lostbook

Looking at the articulated flexible legs portions on the suit it would seem to suggest such but then again that could simply be to a allow heaver payload to be carried or accommodate the weight of the device and armour itself.

The suit does look cool, ile give you that, but still a death trap to any occupant should the enemy have access to an RPG i imagine.

Given the nature of the special forces and the covert stealth type situation/missions they generally perform one has to wonder as to when this type of suit would be useful?

Possibly it could be used for guard duty/crowd control/riot control down to the intimidating look of the thing alone. But can it stand up to the odd petrol bomb engulfing it?

originally posted by: andy06shake
Given the nature of the special forces and the covert stealth type situation/missions they generally perform one has to wonder as to when this type of suit would be useful?

The real question is...does it make that neat 1960's Astroboy sound when you walk?