DARPA Projects 2009

The nine strategic programs feature a multitude of technologies as you might guess. Here I have tried to distill some of the most advanced here from DARPA's Strategic Plan 2009 report
source

Found this article on the latest DARPA toys. Pretty interesting read, so i thought i would share it.

Among the coolest stuff is:

The Falcon program has been working to build a jet that can hit the Mach 6+ range. A major goal of the program is to flight-test key hypersonic cruise vehicle technologies in a realistic flight environment. Recently DARPA conducted both low- and high-speed wind tunnel tests that validate the stability and control of the hypersonic technology. Test flights are planned from Vandenberg Air Force Base to Kwajalein Atoll to test thermal and aerodynamic control systems. One flight will follow a fairly direct trajectory, while the second "buttonhook" trajectory will demonstrate significant cross-range maneuver capability.

Mach 6+ is scary fast. And that's just one of the projects they are admitting to this year, makes me wonder what they're cooking up that's still classified.


TA

[edit on 18-5-2009 by TheAssociate]

Rule No1 of military projects: when they talk about developping it, they ALREADY have it.

This is my No1 rule anyway about any reports coming from DARPA. They have a black budget, and it's not for nothing.

reply to post by Vitchilo


True enough, the stuff they talk about is probably about 5-10 years old. At least that's what i've always been told. Star.


TA

I enjoy going to the DARPA site every few months and having a look at some of the latest 'disclosed' projects. Here are links to the various offices:

Defense Sciences Office

Tactical Technology Office

Strategic Technology Office

Information Processing Techniques Office

At the DSO (under section M), there is a program entitled Mathematical Time Reversal which I find highly intriguing. Unfortunately it's non-clickable (the only project not viewable I might add).

A few more interesting projects are:

Neovision

The Neovision Program will pursue an integrated approach to the object recognition pathway in the brain.

Programmable Matter

The goal of Programmable Matter Program is to demonstrate a new functional form of matter, based on mesoscale particles, which can reversibly assemble into complex 3D objects upon external command. These 3D objects will exhibit all the functionality of their conventional counterparts.

Slowing, Storing, and Processing Light

DSO is exploring the development of functional material systems with the ability to slow, store, and process light pulses. These systems utilize quantum interference between energy levels of the material to produce highly nonlinear effects on light pulses propagating through the material. Perhaps the most dramatic of these are the slowing of light pulses to a few meters per second, and the storage and subsequent retrieval of a light pulse over several hundred milliseconds.

Z-Man

The Z-Man Program will develop climbing aids that will enable an individual soldier to scale vertical walls constructed of typical building materials without the need for ropes or ladders. The overall goal of the program is to enable an individual soldier using dry adhesive climbing aides to scale a vertical surface at 0.5 m/s while carrying a combat load.

And they even have a Project MAHEM (MAgneto Hydrodynamic Explosive Munition (MAHEM)

And they have at least one project that works in accordance with HAARP:
Ultra-Low Frequency (ULF) Wave Study

The ULF program will provide necessary understanding of HAARP generated ULF waves that will lead to the development of ULF for applications of significance to military operations. The foreseeable outcomes include very long range communications including subterranean communications, underground imaging and exploration, Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) electromagnetic pulse (EMP) propagation, and satellite protection via particle precipitation in the radiation belts.

And last but not least is Project GALE

The goal of the GALE (Global Autonomous Language Exploitation) program is to develop and apply computer software technologies to absorb, translate, analyze, and interpret huge volumes of speech and text in multiple languages, eliminating the need for linguists and analysts, and automatically providing relevant, concise, actionable information to military command and personnel in a timely fashion. Automatic processing "engines" will convert and distill the data, delivering pertinent, consolidated information in easy-to-understand forms to military personnel and monolingual English-speaking analysts in response to direct or implicit requests.

Great for processing unwieldly information obtained by eaves-dropping on anybody and everybody in world.

reply to post by Evasius


Article on Mathematical Time Reversal


www.darpa.mil...


Cheers


[edit on 28-5-2009 by Kuronotenshi]

I'm Kinda partial to this one:
"Underwater Express
Program Manager: Ms. Khine Latt

The Underwater Express Program will demonstrate stable and controllable high-speed underwater transport through supercavitation. The intent is to determine the feasibility for supercavitation technology to enable a new class of high-speed underwater craft for future littoral missions that could involve the transport of high-value cargo and/or small units of personnel. The program will investigate and resolve critical technological issues associated with the physics of supercavitation and will culminate in a credible demonstration at a significant scale to prove that a supercavitating underwater craft is controllable at speeds up to 100 knots."

Kinda sounds like a USO doesn't it?