The Army just conducted a massive test of its battlefield artificial intelligence in the desert

YUMA PROVING GROUND — After weeks of work in the oppressive Arizona desert heat, on Sept. 23 the U.S. Army carried out a series of live fire engagements at Yuma Proving Ground to show how artificial intelligence systems can work together to automatically detect threats, deliver targeting data and recommend weapons responses at blazing speeds.

Set in the year 2035, the engagements were the culmination of Project Convergence 2020, the first in a series of annual demonstrations utilizing next generation AI, network and software capabilities to show how the Army wants to fight in the future.

The Army was able to use a chain of artificial intelligence, software platforms and autonomous systems to take sensor data from all domains, transform it into targeting information, and select the best weapon system to respond to any given threat in just seconds. Army officials claimed that these AI and autonomous capabilities have shorted the sensor to shooter timeline—the time it takes from when sensor data is collected to when a weapon system is ordered to engaged—from 20 minutes to 20 seconds, depending on the quality of the network and the number of hops between where it’s collected and its destination.

“We use artificial intelligence and machine learning in several ways out here,” said Brigadier General Ross Coffman, director of the Army Futures Command’s Next Generation Combat Vehicle Cross-Functional Team. “We used artificial intelligence to autonomously conduct ground reconnaissance, employ sensors and then passed that information back. We used artificial intelligence and aided target recognition and machine learning to train algorithms on identification of various types of enemy forces. So, it was prevalent throughout the last six weeks.”

https://www.defensenews.com/artificial-intelligence/2020/09/25/the-army-just-conducted-a-massive-test-of-its-battlefield-artificial-intelligence-in-the-desert/

Air Force special operators in New Mexico have switched to the service's new handgun, and they like what they see

CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, New Mexico — The defenders of the 27th Special Operations Security Forces Squadron do not take the safety of Cannon's special operations missions lightly.

They are always looking for even the smallest of ways to improve the base's security, a dedication demonstrated in their newest weapon.

The 27 SOSFS completed an operational transition to the M18 Sig Sauer Modular Handgun System last week after starting the change in March. The squadron is adopting the M18 as part of an Air Force-wide transition to the handgun from the decades-old M9 Beretta as the primary pistol for the service.

According to 1st Lt. George Beals, 27 SOSFS logistics flight commander, one of the biggest reasons for the switch is the M18 having a more consistent trigger pull than its predecessor.

"The first time you pull the trigger to fire an M9, you have to pull three times as hard as you would on following trigger pulls," Beals said. "In the M18, the same amount of force is used every single time to pull trigger, which makes it easier for the shooter to hit their target every time."

Another big difference between the two weapons have is what they are made out of.

"The M18 has a polymer construction, making it lighter and less prone to cracks or scratches than the M9's metal build," Beals said.

The ammunition capacity of the new handgun's magazines has also increased, putting more rounds at the user's disposal in a crisis.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/air-force-special-operators-in-new-mexico-have-switched-to-the-services-new-handgun-and-they-like-what-they-see/ar-BB19qjvp

The US military is quietly killing terrorist leaders in Syria with its secret missile packed with swords

The US military has been quietly taking out terrorist leaders in Syria with a modified Hellfire missile packed full of swords, The New York Times reported Friday.

Testifying before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee Thursday, Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Christopher Miller revealed that in Syria, "Hurras al-Din — a group made up of several al Qaeda veterans — has suffered successive losses of key leaders and operatives."

And, the secretive Hellfire AGM-114R9X missile, a US weapon typically referred to as the R9X, reportedly played a role in some of those losses.

On Sept. 14, a US Reaper drone operated by special operations forces killed Sayyaf al-Tunsi, a senior attack planner for al Qaeda and its affiliates, with an R9X, The New York Times reported, citing US military and counterterrorism officials, who said that the hit would disrupt Hurras al-Din operations.

Following an R9X strike in June believed to have killed two Hurras al-Din members, the most recent strike marks at least the second time in three months the weapon has been used.

The R9X, The Times reports, has proven useful for targeting terrorist leaders in urban areas, where they assume the US is more hesistant to engage due to the heightened risk of civilian casualties.

The so-called "Ninja Bomb" or "Flying Ginsu," a modified Hellfire equipped with a non-explosive warhead that kills enemies with 100 pounds of metal, sheer force, and six blades, first became public knowledge when The Wall Street Journal reported its existence in May 2019.

The weapon's development began during the Obama administration as an airstrike armament less likely to kill civilians than other battlefield options.

https://www.businessinsider.com/us-military-quietly-killing-terrorist-with-missile-full-of-swords-2020-9