US Army proposes networked submunitions

摘要

The US Army has proposed and patented a new form of cluster munition in which each of the individual munitions released by a dispenser would be interlinked to the others by a wireless communications network. These networked submunitions could overcome some of the legal restrictions on the use of cluster munitions. In the scheme being proposed, a dispenser incorporating a wireless communication device and a microprocessor would release submunitions fitted with one or more type of sensor. The latter could include infrared, UV, microwave or laser sensors, as well as a barometer, and altimeter. These sensors would be electrically connected to a microprocessor linked to a wireless communication device, and an antenna with the secondary role of acting as a stabiliser during descent.