US snaps up kiwi military technology

Various technologies the DTA has previously designed have attracted the interest of the US Navy and the Royal Navy. Photo / Doug Sherring

Stealth work for ships leads to million-dollar investments.

New Zealand's top military science secrets are attracting million-dollar investments from allied defence forces.

The US Navy has agreed to buy six Kiwi-created diver training systems in a seven-figure deal.

Now, the New Zealand's Defence Technology Agency - the main provider of research, science and technological support to the New Zealand Defence Force and the Ministry of Defence, including the SAS - is preparing to take another secretive project to the next level.

The DTA believes it has created the world's first fully-portable unit for measuring ship signatures, the acoustic, pressure, magnetic and seismic "footprint" of a vessel. The signatures allow a ship to be picked up by enemy radar and, potentially, underwater mines.

After more than 20 years of research and development, the DTA has been able to shrink a unit the size of a 20ft shipping container into something relative in scale to a wheelie-bin.

Its value, financially and to human life, could prove colossal. It is potentially destined for action with British and American forces in the Persian Gulf.

"We'd like to work out the signatures of our ships to find ways of either minimising or disguising them, because they're used by unscrupulous people to trigger mines," Garry Armstrong, the DTA's trials officer, said.

"Most people think that stealth stuff is special to submarines and planes, but they're doing a lot of work in designing stealth elements into ships, especially to do with radar and infrared.

"There is nothing on the market like this at and the US and the UK are keen."

The sensors can be launched by just two crew members and Armstrong estimated the units would be worth about US$500,000 ($750,000) each.

Various technologies the DTA has previously designed have attracted the interest of the US Navy and the Royal Navy.

DTA director Dr Brian Young said for a relatively small military entity, being able to commercialise target technological developments was vital.

The agency has an annual budget of about $10 million, the majority spent on the salaries of its 80-plus staff.

"The kinds of investment we've already seen from the United States are significant," Young said.

"It earns international respect for the Defence Force and is useful in strengthening relationships with allied nations."

Earlier this week, American military officials travelled to New Zealand and met counterparts from here, the UK, Australia and Canada to discuss space-sharing activities and increasing military partnerships. American officials spoke of existing and future operations.

"Coalitions and partnerships represent a necessary step within national security that increases transparency, strengthens deterrence, improves mission assurance, enhances resilience and optimises resources across participating nations."

Soldiers get magic bullets

An American soldier trials a Human Universal Load Carrier exoskeleton. Photo / Supplied

International warfare technology advances include exoskeletons to aid soldiers in the battlefield, bullets that change direction, liquid armour and ultra-realistic virtual reality training.

The US military has filmed a successful test of a new bullet dubbed "Exacto" and is calling it the world's first guided, small-calibre round.

The testing involved the .50 calibre sniper bullet being fired away from its designated . The projectile sensed it was off course, altered direction mid-flight and successfully hit its target.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, an arm of the US Department of Defense, says snipers armed with the new technology will be able to change a bullet's course after the trigger has been pulled, accounting for a moving target or even a gust of wind.

"For military snipers, acquiring moving targets in unfavourable conditions, such as high winds and dusty terrain commonly found in Afghanistan, is extremely challenging with current technology," the agency said.

Development of armour is also a priority and testing is continuing in nanotechnology and "magic liquid".

Polish scientists are experimenting with a fluid they say can stop bullets.

Referred to as Shear-Thickening Fluid, the substance hardens on impact, offering ground troops increased freedom of movement and better protection because of the liquid's stopping power.

And although virtual reality is not new , significant advances have been made in recent years.

American forces are using the technologies to analyse individual soldier's skills and weaknesses and the Polish military goes further by creating a system that gives an electric shock to a soldier every time they are hit in training.