DARPA To Build Star Wars' AT-AT-like Walkers

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Legged Squad Support System (LS3) program is a joint effort between DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office and the U.S. Marine Corps Warfighting Lab.

The program's goal is to develop a walking quadruped platform to help carry equipment autonomously. These platforms will be capable of managing rugged and complex terrain, where tactical vehicles are not able to go -- lightening the load of Marines and soldiers, and increasing their combat capability.

LS3 will carry 400 pounds or more of payload, and provide 24 hours of self-sustained capability over 20 miles. LS3 will weigh no more than 1,250 pounds (including its base weight, fuel and payload of 400 pounds).

Key LS3 program themes are:

(i)
Quadruped platform development: design of a deployable walking platform with sufficient payload capacity, range, endurance, and low noise signature for dismounted squad support, while keeping weight and volume scaled to the squad level.

(ii)
Walking control: develop control techniques that allow walking, trotting, and running/ bounding and capabilities to jump obstacles, cross ditches, recover from disturbances, and other discrete mobility features.

(iii)
User Interface (to include perception technologies): the ability for the vehicle to perceive and traverse its immediate terrain environment autonomously with simple methods of Marine/Soldier control.

Giant Eye in the Sky

Spy blimp. Seems like an oxymoron, doesn't it? However, the US government is planning to give new meaning to the term...

The Pentagon is looking to spend $400 million to purchase a 450-foot-long dirigible to keep a constant eye on boats, planes and even people twelve miles below without interruption. Plans include a trajectory 65,000 feet above sea level and it should be more than 20 times the size of the Goodyear Blimp. Wow.

Announced last week, ISIS (Integrated Sensor Is the Structure) will be produced through an agreement between the Air Force and DARPA and will be able to focus in on a diameter hundreds of miles wide. According to officials, the military blimp will greatly improve reconnaissance abilities and enable constant monitoring of small movements in exceptionally large, open areas.

"It is constant surveillance, uninterrupted," Werner J.A. Dahm, chief scientist for the Air Force, said. "When you only have a short-time view -- whether it is a few hours or a few days -- that is not enough to put the picture together."

As the LA Times points out, this project represents a definite shift in Pentagon spending allocations and a push to improve military intelligence and surveillance operations -- while remaining sensitive to carbon emissions concerns and potential military dangers. Not visible to the naked eye, the unmanned aircraft won't be threatened by handheld missiles, most other surface-to-air missiles or many fighter jets. Plus, it will operate on hydrogen cells and solar panels and can stay in the air as long as ten years. Ten years!

While still many years from official release, if the initiative proves successful, ISIS could be just the beginning of an airship fleet! Amazing stuff.