Zero Dark Thirty might have lost on Oscar night, but the US military is winning the tech war on terror. Drones may be getting all of the attention today, but there are plenty of other toys that the military can play with from a tech perspective. These infographics from military.com takes a look at many of the hi-tech toys that they have at the disposal from enhanced vision goggles to epic ATVs. First, we cover the air, then below that the ground tech is covered. …

The angel flare pattern is well known in both military circles as well as the world of photography for its stunning visuals and incredibly effective countermeasure capabilities. Dozens of flares are ejected from various points on large war planes like the AC-130 to protect the slow, sluggish planes from being hit by heat-seeking missiles. Here are some amazing images that have come from demonstrations of this technique followed by a video. [caption id="attachment_35929" align="aligncenter" width="728"] “Flying over Canada”[/caption] [caption id=”attachment_35939″ align=”aligncenter”…

With a top speed of Mach 1.8, an impressive assortment of missile and bomb configurations, and a 20mm M61 Vulcan cannon, the F/A 18 is one of the US Navy’s deadliest pieces of equipment. It also happens to be an amazing ride from a purely aeronautical perspective. We get to see some of the high-flying acrobatics and mind-numbing maneuvers in this video from Voice of the Patriot. Navy recruiters, take note. If you have a shortage of applicants for pilots, just show them this video followed by Top Gun. Your quotas will fill up quickly. * * * Via: WordlessTech…

If the three-strikes-rule were in effect, the Air Force would be out of luck for testing its X-51A Waverider cruise missile as the supersonic rocket failed again to activate its scramjet propulsion system. The project has cost $300 million so far and there may not be enough budget (or will power) left for a fourth test. As part of the US Air Force’s “prompt global strike” initiative, the missile was supposed to give the military the ability to strike targets anywhere in the world in a matter of minutes. As a cruise missile, it would not be perceived as a nuclear threat and accidentally prompt a nuclear…

US Predator and Reaper drones in Afghanistan were hacked and a virus inserted into their remote cockpits at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, logging every keystroke their pilots make. These remote drones, arguably the most pivotal piece of American war efforts in Afghanistan over the last 10 years, have continued to fly missions even though the threat was first detected two weeks ago. There is no indication that sensitive or classified data was retrieved as a result of the virus, but it continues to pose a problem. “We keep wiping it off, and it keeps coming back,” says a source familiar with…

Military vehicles focus on four major technological aspects today: power, speed, accuracy, and stealth. The last one, stealth, is relatively new but it might be the most important component when wars are decided. If the enemy cannot see you, they can’t hurt you as easily. That is the premise behind a new technology currently being tested called Adaptiv uses hexagonal “pixels” to quickly change the outside temperature of tanks, helicopters, and even battleships to match their surroundings and become virtually invisible to heat-seaking and infrared-guided forms of attack. It can also mimic…

Anyone who enjoys the Halo series on XBox will probably recognize the design of these helmets. The similarities are striking, but it’s not by chance. The military and technology companies have been working with them to put together some amazing hardware, that takes it beyond the level of Spartan headgear. You actually get to see and understand what the soldier is seeing, making decisions on the battlefield much easier. This graphic, by our friends at DocShop, takes a look at the future of military vision technology. …

Hey there. This is a photographic collection of pixels whose purpose it is to show you what the 33rd-largest computer in the world looks like. I hope it’s doing its job. Seriously, though, this thing is a beast. Made of 1760 Playstation 3s, the behemoth harnesses the power of “168 separate graphical processing units and 84 coordinating servers” to help the US Air Force perform AI research, process maps and enhance radar functionality. But even this killer rig is practically obsolete, with the Air Force’s Mark Barnell admitting that he’s “looking forward to working with the next generation of…

Keith Alexander has just been appointed chief of Cyber Command. Doesn’t that sound awesome? That sounds 80′s cartoon awesome. Like he has a robot that turns into a tiger, or something. And the tiger has a sword, and it’s, like, taller than most buildings, and it fights interdimensional evil. From space. Sadly, the truth is about a tenth as rad. Keith Alexander (not to be confused with Alexander Keith, the beer) is a US military general, and Cyber Command is a new branch of the Pentagon dedicated to waging war in cyberspace. Apparently, that’s a big thing. Also, apparently the Pentagon named this…

Google’s in big, big trouble in the UK, where military chiefs and MPs are furious with the company after a Street View glitch saw images of a top secret military base published on the Web. And it’s not just any military base, it is the headquarters of the UK’s most elite force, the SAS, reports The Daily Mail. Street View has published detailed pictures of the facility in Credenhill, Herefordshire, which has never before appeared on any maps….