Modernizing close-air support: DARPA plans 2014 demo of new eyewear, unmanned A-10

摘要

Through what look like ordinary sunglasses, a U.S. airman traveling with an Army platoon sees a truck off in the distance. Superimposed over the truck is a translucent dome showing the expected fragmentation pattern, or "splash," from a 500-pound laser-guided bomb. In a corner of the glasses, the airman watches live full-motion video of the target and its surroundings. Icons show him the locations of available strike aircraft and their munitions. The airman studies this augmented reality view while discussing the target with far-off ground commanders and pilots. Each of them has received a digital readout of the target's GPS coordinates, which were calculated by a hand-held computer - it could be a tablet or perhaps an Android smartphone.