Tomorrow’s Weapons of Doom

The Army held its annual pageant, known as the Association of the U.S. Army conference, in Washington D.C., last month. For three days, we walked the floor of the cavernous conference hall, checking out the weapons, vehicles and ideas that hundreds of military contractors are developing for the Army — and what futuristic stuff they're trying to pawn off on the nation's ground forces. Whatever these companies come up with, rest assured you're going to be paying for it.
A Wall-E for Roadside Bombs

It's still in development, but the Army uses an iRobot design to construct a remote-controlled robot scout to hunt and disarm improvised explosive devices and tunnel through confined or dangerous areas. It's cute — which means it's going to be all the more painful when the so-called SUG-V gets blown up by a roadside bomb.

Laser-Guided Rocket Launchers

Remember when rockets were dumb weapons? Neither does the Serpent, a joint venture of Raytheon and Nammo Talley. As this simulation demonstrates, a laser-targeting system provides the accuracy that inept handlers like your correspondent lack.

Flying Cell Towers Launched by Drones

No connectivity in the middle of eastern Afghanistan? There's a simple fix: FASTCOM, developed by Textron affiliates and partners. Just plug these pods onto the belly of a Shadow drone, launch the pilotless aircraft, and watch your phone suddenly find 3G coverage in the most remote locations.

Wearable Computers for Soldiers

The Army doesn't have the greatest track record at getting soldiers linked up on the battlefield. But three companies are competing to build a system called Nett Warrior, a 7-pound bundle of computers, radios, mapping software and other gadgets that'll allow troops to know where their friends are in the middle of a confusing fight. One of those companies, Rockwell Collins, gave us an early look at its design.

Gun of the Future for Truck of the Future?

It's no secret that the Army's trying to upgrade its vehicle fleet. Practically the entire Army is waiting for the release of a contract for companies to build a new Ground Combat Vehicle, the troop-transport armored truck of the future, which the Army wants ready in seven years. Here, ATK makes a case for the truck to include a giant, swiveling gun — sorry, the "Modular Remote Turret" — to form the centerpiece of the Ground Combat Vehicle's weapons system.

Make Drones (Almost) Invincible

One of the virtues of pilotless planes is that you don't have to worry about them crashing and burning. Well, hardly ever: They might have all sorts of sensitive surveillance information stored in their on-board computers and cameras. Here, Rockwell Collins' Dave Vos explains his remote-controlled system for letting a severely damaged drone land where you want it to. As he explains, you can get rid of most of an entire drone wing and still land the plane safe and sound (mostly).

Call of Duty: Afghanistan

Nearly. To train its company commanders, the Army's designed this videogame, programmed to test your instincts at everything from maneuvering to leadership ethics. Only it takes place in the midst of a hot war: The terrain here is a true-to-life model of the treacherous Ganjgal Valley in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar Province, where things can get very real, very fast.