US military to make use of special eyewear for calling in airstrikes

Airstrikes are deadly when used effectively and precisely. Calling down airstrikes in a wrong location could result in civilian casualties and even friendly fire. The military has been looking for more accurate and effective ways to call in air weaponry. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have come up with a new solution to the problem: give one guy on the ground the ability to control a drone or manned plane that’s circling above. The guy on the ground, dubbed the Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC for short) would be closer to the target and have a better idea of what to hit with an airstrike. But since it’s probably going to be impossible for the guy to sneak into a heavily armed base by himself to plant a marker, they’ll be enlisting the help of Vuzix, an eyewear company specializing in augmented reality specs.

These special glasses will help make the JTAC’s life easier – they’ll be able to mark locations and pick out targets just by looking at them. Anything seen through the glasses can also be transmitted to base or to the plane to make a clearer decision just in case the JTAC doesn’t have a complete view of the surroundings. When turned off, these spectacles will be totally see through and can pass off as normal glasses. In fact, civilians will even be able to wear these specs to help the military if they get the chance to go behind enemy lines. I guess in the future we’ll all have to be more wary of people in glasses.

George Wong
Categories: Military
Tags: army, darpa, military, us, vuzix