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Switchblade 300
The AeroVironment Switchblade is a miniature loitering munition designed by AeroVironment and used by several branches of the United States military. Small enough to fit in a backpack, the Switchblade launches from a tube, flies to the target area, and crashes into its target while detonating its explosive warhead. The name ''Switchblade'' comes from how the spring-loaded wings are folded inside a tube and flipped out once released. Introduced in 2011, the original Switchblade was rebranded the Switchblade300 after the much larger and very different Switchblade600 anti-armour variant was unveiled in 2020. The Blackwing, an unarmed variant of the Switchblade300, was released in 2015. More than 700 Switchblade 300 drones were sent to Ukraine by the United States as part of an arms package after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. History Designed by the United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) and developed by the United States Army, the Switchblade was design ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Loitering Munition
A loitering munition, also known as a suicide drone, kamikaze drone, or exploding drone, is a weapon with a warhead that is typically designed to Loiter (aeronautics), loiter until a target is designated, then crash into it.Watch This Drone Turn Into A Missile ''Popular Science'', August 2015 They enable attacks against hidden targets that emerge for short periods without placing high-value weapons platform, platforms near the target area. Unlike many other types of munitions, their attacks can be changed mid-mission or aborted. Loitering munitions are typically aerial platforms, but include some autonomous undersea vehicles with similar characteristics. Loitering weapons emerged in the 1980s for the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses role, and were deployed for SEAD by some military forces ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven
The AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven is a small hand-launched remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicle (or SUAV) developed for the United States military, but now adopted by the military forces of many other countries. The RQ-11 Raven was originally introduced as the FQM-151 in 1999, but in 2002 developed into its current form, resembling an enlarged FAI class F1C free flight model aircraft in general appearance. The craft is launched by hand and powered by a pusher configuration electric motor. The plane can fly up to 10 km at altitudes of approximately 150 m above ground level, and over 4,500 m above mean sea level, at flying speeds of 45–100 km/h. The U.S. Army deploys the Raven at company-level. Design and development The Raven RQ-11B UAS is manufactured by AeroVironment. It was the winner of the US Army's SUAV program in 2005, and went into Full-Rate Production (FRP) in 2006. Shortly afterwards, it was also adopted by the US Marines, and the US Air Force for thei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jane's Information Group
Janes is a global open-source intelligence company specialising in military, national security, aerospace and transport topics, whose name derives from British author Fred T. Jane. History Jane's Information Group was founded in 1898 by Fred T. Jane, who had begun sketching ships as an enthusiast naval artist while living in Portsmouth. This gradually developed into an encyclopedic knowledge, culminating in the publishing of Jane's Fighting Ships, ''All the World's Fighting Ships'' (1898). The company then gradually branched out into other areas of military expertise. The books and trade magazines published by the company are often considered the ''de facto'' public source of information on warfare and transportation systems. Based in Greater London for most of its existence, the group was owned by the Thomson Corporation, the Woodbridge Company, then IHS Markit, before being acquired by Montagu Private Equity in 2019. In March 2022, Janes acquired Washington, D.C.-based RWR Ad ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United States Naval Special Warfare Command
The United States Naval Special Warfare Command (USNSWC), also known as NAVSPECWARCOM and WARCOM, is the United States Navy, naval component of United States Special Operations Command, the Unified Combatant Command, unified command that oversees and conducts the nation's special operations and missions. Originating in the Unconventional warfare, unconventional naval units formed during World War II, WARCOM was established on 16 April 1987 at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in San Diego, California. Its mission is to provide leadership, doctrinal guidance, resources, and oversight to special operations carried out in wikt:maritime, maritime and littoral environments. WARCOM specializes in a broad range of tactical areas, including unconventional warfare, direct action, counterterrorism, special reconnaissance, and personnel recovery. WARCOM is organized primarily around eight Navy SEAL teams, three Special Boat Teams, special boat teams, and various supporting commands, totalin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc, headquartered in San Diego, California, is an American technology company with manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military electronics. Customers include the U.S. federal government, foreign governments, commercial enterprises and state and local government agencies. The company is divided into 6 divisions. Some of Kratos' most recent products are part of a Pentagon effort to invest in businesses in Silicon Valley. History Kratos Defense & Security Solutions was founded as Wireless Facilities Incorporated (WFI), a company whose primary market was the building and support of the telecommunications infrastructure and networks. In 2004, the company primarily sold its services to the US Government, mostly the U.S. Department of Defense. From 2004 to 2009, the company acquired several companies in the federal services business. Acquisitions included several small public safety firms and mid-sized professional services firms such as: ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Islamic State Of Iraq And The Levant
The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied significant territory in Iraq and Syria in 2013, but lost most of it in 2019. In 2014, the group proclaimed itself to be a worldwide caliphate, and claimed religious, political, and military authority over all Muslims worldwide, a claim not accepted by the vast majority of Muslims. It is designated as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations and many countries around the world, including Muslim countries. By the end of 2015, its self-declared caliphate ruled an area with a population of about 12 million, where they enforced their extremist interpretation of Islamic law, managed an annual budget exceeding billion, and commanded more than 30,000 fighters. After a grinding conflict with American, Iraqi, and Kurdish forces, IS lost co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United States Special Operations Command
The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM or SOCOM) is the unified combatant command charged with overseeing the various special operations component commands of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force of the United States Armed Forces. The command is part of the Department of Defense and is the only unified combatant command created by an Act of Congress. USSOCOM is headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. The idea of an American unified special operations command had its origins in the aftermath of Operation Eagle Claw, the disastrous attempted rescue of hostages at the American embassy in Iran in 1980. The ensuing investigation, chaired by Admiral James L. Holloway III, the retired Chief of Naval Operations, cited lack of command and control and inter-service coordination as significant factors in the failure of the mission. Since its activation on 16 April 1987, U.S. Special Operations Command has participated in many operations, fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush announced that airstrikes against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban had begun in Afghanistan. Beyond the military actions in Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom was also affiliated with counterterrorism operations in other countries, such as OEF-Philippines and OEF-Trans Sahara. After 13 years, on 28 December 2014, President Barack Obama announced the end of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Subsequent operations in Afghanistan by the United States' military forces, both non-combat and combat, occurred under the name Operation Freedom's Sentinel. Subordinate operations Operation Enduring Freedom referred to the U.S.-led combat mission in Afghanistan. The codename was also used f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
MV-22 Osprey
The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-use, tiltrotor military transport aircraft, military transport and cargo aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionality of a conventional helicopter with the long-range, high-speed Cruise (aeronautics), cruise performance of a turboprop aircraft. The V-22 is operated by the United States and Japan, and is not only a new aircraft design, but a new type of aircraft that entered service in the 2000s, a tiltrotor compared to fixed wing and helicopter designs. The V-22 first flew in 1989 and after a long development was fielded in 2007. The design combines the vertical takeoff ability of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed-wing airplane. The failure of Operation Eagle Claw in 1980 during the Iran hostage crisis underscored that there were military roles for which neither conventional helicopters nor fixed-wing transport ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The building was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the United States Armed Forces, U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metonym for the Department of Defense and its leadership. The building was designed by American architect George Bergstrom and built by contractor John McShain. Ground was broken on 11 September 1941, and the building was dedicated on 15 January 1943. General Brehon Somervell provided the major impetus to gain Congressional approval for the project. Colonel Leslie Groves was responsible for overseeing the project for the United States Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which supervised it. The Pentagon is List of largest office buildings, the world's second-largest office building, with about of floor space, of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
MOLLE
Modular lightweight load-carrying equipment, or MOLLE (pronounced ), is the current generation of load-bearing equipment used by the United States Army. MOLLE equipment uses Pouch Attachment Ladder System (PALS)-type webbing – rows of heavy-duty nylon stitched onto the gear – to attach pouches. This method has found use on civilian gear, and as a result, the term 'MOLLE' is used outside the military for any equipment generally using PALS-type webbing. The system's modularity results from the PALS allowing for the attachment of various compatible pouches and accessories. This method of attachment has become a ''de facto'' standard for modular tactical gear, replacing the all-purpose lightweight individual carrying equipment (ALICE) clips and webbing used in the earliest modular vest systems. The MOLLE system replaced the aging ALICE equipment, adopted in 1973, and the Individual Integrated Fighting System (IIFS) used since 1988 in US Army and Marine Corps service. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ALICE Pack
The all-purpose lightweight individual carrying equipment (ALICE) is a set of load-carrying equipment, adopted as United States Army Standard A on 17 January 1973. The ALICE system was developed from 1967 to 1972 in the LINCLOE (lightweight individual combat clothing and equipment) program, and was initially designated the M-1972 lightweight load-carrying equipment equipment (LLCE), switching to the ALICE name shortly afterward. ALICE replaced the M-1956 individual load-carrying equipment (ILCE) and M-1967 modernized load-carrying equipment (MLCE). In 1988, the individual integrated fighting system (IIFS) was introduced to compliment the ALICE pack and suspenders, mainly addressing center of gravity and storage space capability shortcomings. IIFS, however, was plagued by production quality control issues, and was only partially phased into service. Although since superseded by MOLLE, ALICE gear is still in some limited use with the U.S. Army National Guard, State Guard, also ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
