Sometime after the First World War the roles of transport and bomber began to be met by differing designs of aircraft. There were exceptions to this general trend, of course. The Bristol Bombay was designed with a dual-role in mind. Some Ju-52 transport aircraft were fitted with bomb-bays so they could serve as interim bombers. […]
Most hand grenades used in the TS era are quite small. The magbomb is an exception to this. A magbomb is over a foot long and weighs 2.2lbs. The magbomb resembles a large flashlight in appearance and may be carried by belt rings designed for flashlights. The magbomb is a compact, handier alternative to the […]
Battlesuits and similar protection are usually depicted as being of a single thick layer. There are a number of reasons why this may not be the likely construction. A battlesuit would in fact be several concentric suits. The innermost layer would probably be some form of environment suit. The exact nature will depend on the […]
Sentry monitors are a well-established technology. In societies where most security patrolling is conducted by cybershells they may even be regarded as being somewhat dated. A sentry monitor is a worn device that monitors the wearer’s body temperature and heart rate. They may be encountered being used by human security guards and soldiers on guard […]
In the movie “Red” there is a scene where a character visits the CIA archives. The archivist (Ernest Borgnine) presents him with a cardboard folder filled with heavily censored documents. It is possible that this was intended to convey how old the files of interest were. It does, however, suggest the interesting possibility that some […]
I have been considering some of the practicalities of bringing tactical cybershells into action. A multi-legged system such as a Kumo-607 can probably move quite swiftly but will still be slower than a more conventional vehicle. Many tactical robotic systems such as cyberswarms and snakebots are smaller and slower than the Kumo so will also […]
I’m indebted to a friend of mine for reminding me of this concept. In one of Gene Wolfe’s “Book of the New Sun” series, Severian, the protagonist, encounters a spacesuit with an advanced AI. The suit can move around and manipulate objects without an occupant. It is effectively a hollow-centred robot and resents when Severian […]
According to some of my reading a spherical space habitat is the optimum with respect to containment of air pressure and mass-efficiency at providing radiation shielding. The shape also the likely result of construction methods such as the bubbleworld technique. The downside of a spherical habitat is that only a small proportion of the interior […]
Greyhounds (also known as couriers or packets), are relatively small space vessels. Greyhounds are used for the rapid transport of very high value individuals and materials. The passenger accommodation of a greyhound, if any, is very basic and passengers are typically transported in nanostasis. Most of the ship is taken up by the drive, fuel […]
The CTAI CT2000, 40x225mmCTA Super Forty is a rival to the 50mm Supershot and appears currently to be the preference of the USMC and British Army. The Pyramid article suggests that it will arm IFVs and other vehicles till 2050. Given the British tradition of “making do” and defence cuts, it is likely vehicles with […]