Radical advances in military science sometimes arrive from far afield. Take Kevlar, invented to reinforce radial tires years before it saw use in body armor and helmets. Similarly, the ScanEagle unmanned aircraft, one of the most popular military spy drones, arose from technology created to help fishing fleets find schools of tuna. Now, a brewing legal war over the fish-finder-turned-weapon has opened a window on a rarely examined side of military contracting: ideas and intellectual property. How do you untangle who really owns the technology the U.S. government buys and deploys in battle?
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