It’s not quite Wonder Woman’s invisible jet. But for the U.S. military’s elite commandos, it’s close enough.
The U.S. Special Operations Command recently put out a solicitation that’s unusual even for a military organization that controls mystery helicopters and stealth drones. It’s after something it calls a “Transparent Ballistic Protection System,” which is pretty much what it sounds like: “production aircraft transparent armor panels and aircraft shipsets.”
Alas, the solicitation gives little indication of the actual problem such a system will solve. Adding armor to a helicopter or a plane is well and good (provided it doesn’t screw with allowing the aircraft to stay airborne). The Taliban’s shootdown of a Chinook in August provided a ghastly reminder of the vulnerabilities of helos.
But it’s hardly, um, clear why increased armor protection would need to be transparent. Perhaps to lull insurgents into thinking a commando aircraft was an easy target? [Update: Our, ahem, knowledgable friend @JimmySky tweets that it's needed to "improve the ballistic properties of canopies and gunports."]
Still, if any enterprising businesses out there do armor plating in sheer, they have until next October to inform Special Operations Command. First up for the Transparent Ballistic Protection System: “Army Special Operations Aircraft (ARSOA) and Army Cargo Aircraft.”
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