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The way technology migrates from classified weapons programs to everyday life is the theme of my book, Weapons Grade. (Did I mention it was out in paperback this week?) We wouldnt have jet aircraft, computers or satellite communications without such programs. But when they stay secret, the public benefit is lost. What would have happened to the electronics industry if the transistor had not been declassified in 1949?Plasma aerodynamics offers tantalizing promises of improving aircraft performance. By producing a thin layer of charged particles around an aircraft you can change the behavior of the boundary layer, significantly reducing friction. The charged layer also absorbs radar, improving stealth.When my colleague Justin Mullins wrote about the subject for New Scientist magazine back in 2000, it seemed to be an obscure Russian technology dating from the late 70s which the US was just beginning to examine. But it offered real benefits, with a potential drag reduction of up to 30%.
A cut in drag of 1 per cent means you can increase an airliner's payload by about 10 per cent, or it could simply fly farther or faster, Mullins pointed out, Just imagine the effect this could have on cash-strapped airlines.
The Russians seemed to be years ahead, even marketing a plasma stealth add-on device said to reduce radar returns by a factor of a hundred.
He concludes by wondering if the technology can actually work in practice.
Either the new labs are a huge waste of time and money, or the American military knows something we don't.
"Researchers at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) are reportedly working on devices that could see through walls by sensing miniscule changes in gravity.
As The Telegraph reports, a team at the government's military science labs at Porton Down have made a breakthrough with a device that takes advantage of quantum gravity to map out objects.
By 'freezing' atoms in place with lasers, the team have been able to measure how the particles are affected by the tiny gravitational pulls of objects around them.
After feeding these measurements into a computer, a 3D map of objects around them can be created.
The device, once perfected, would act like a super-accurate radar, possibly capable of detecting movements inside rooms and buildings, even with a wall in the way.
Speaking to the paper, Neil Stansfield from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory said the device could be used to see underground, potentially having civilian applications if workmen used it to find the location of subterranean pipes and cables.
Significantly for the military, the device would also be un-jammable, unlike existing radar systems. Since the device only measures the gravitational pull on an object, rather than sending out waves, its detection system could not be interfered with as easily.
The team's discovery is detailed in an upcoming BBC Horizon documentary, Project Greenglow: The Quest for Gravity Control, which airs at 8PM on 23 March."
Plasma stealth technology also faces various technical problems. For example, the plasma itself emits EM radiation, although it is usually weak and noise-like in spectrum. Also, it takes some time for plasma to be re-absorbed by the atmosphere and a trail of ionized air would be created behind the moving aircraft, but at present there is no method to detect this kind of plasma trail at long distance. Thirdly, plasmas (like glow discharges or fluorescent lights) tend to emit a visible glow...
originally posted by: AdamE
Please note BISS applications by 1995.
Status. Various elements in advanced development,
engineering development or procurement. Program
terminated at the beginning of FY95. Remaining
projects transferred to PE#0603228D, Physical Security
Equipment, sponsored by the US Department of
Defense and the Defense Nuclear Agency.
Total Produced. Undetermined.
Application. Prevent intrusion onto or near military
stations, bases and equipment through use of acoustics,
electro-optics, seismic sensors, lasers, radars, and other
detection devices, as well as using directed energy
weapons to repel intruders.
Price Range. Undetermined.
www.forecastinternational.com...
It integrates newly developed and existing nondevelop- mental items (NDI) into a system capable of incrementally delaying the approach to, and ultimately denying an adversary access to, high value military resources. The system includes both passive and command activated barrier or weapon subsystems which will be fully integrated with existing and planned physical security systems. Denial systems were to be initially applied to weapon storage areas...
...The new system was expected to significantly reduce security police manpower requirements by integrating directed energy devices with complementary delay equipment (command and control, detection and surveillance subcomponents). It was thought that when fielded, the system would have minimized reliance on barriers, sensors, conventional firearms and personnel to repel intruders. It was reportedly the Air Force's highest-priority physical security project; however, beginning with FY95, the project was no longer listed...
...In FY87, major activity included continued development of a video storage system, continued development of the Foliage Penetration (FOLPEN) system and the initiation of the development of tactical sensors. TOSI demonstration model test and evaluation also began. By FY88 full-scale development of the RAIDS was initiated. The tactical sensor program was continued.
Link
SRC engineers develop both airborne and ground-based radars that can detect moving targets through dense foliage.
Our unique foliage penetrating radar capability has been demonstrated in single and double-canopy environments inside and outside the continental U.S. This advanced technology can detect dismount targets moving under heavy foliage, preventing enemy combatants from hiding and engaging in covert operations.
Link