Gallery: Killer Apps, Mini Missiles: Army's Expo Gets Put on a Budget
01shadow-m2
The Shadow Drone, Mark Two -------------------------- The Army leans hard on AAI's [mid-sized Shadow drone](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/wired/archive/13.06/drones.html); the unmanned aircraft has logged more than 500,000 flight hours in Afghanistan and Iraq. But now the company's made some upgrades. The mark two Shadow has a 60-horsepower engine under the hood (a big step up from the previous 38 horsepower model) and a second payload bay -- the better to strap on more cameras and sensors. Still no weapons on it, though.
02raytheon-transtalk
Chatty App ---------- Need to know if the Taliban's active in a village but don't speak Pashto? Raytheon's new app has you covered. Just speak an English phrase into a phone hosting [TransTalk](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/10/universal-translator-app/), and the app sounds out the same phrase in Pashto, Dari or Arabic. With a vocabulary of over 100,000 words, Raytheon hopes TransTalk will prevent the Army from getting lost in translation -- or shoveling its money into the pockets of [hired interpreters](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/05/unlimited-talk-only-679-million-inside-the-no-bid-deal-for-afghan-interpreters/).
03night-vision
Next Generation Night Vision ---------------------------- It's everything Danger Room editor Noah Shachtman said it was when [he broke the story of ITT's upgraded night vision specs](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/09/night-vision/), called iAware. Flip the eyepiece down and ghostly white splotches project over the typical green-shaded night vision, indicating a heat signature. Or iAware spools translucent full-motion video over the eyepiece, all without blocking your view. The dark has never been less scary.
04leds-system
Mini Missile Defense -------------------- It might be the world's tiniest missile defense system. Instead of strapping extra armor onto a truck, Saab wants the truck to be able blast incoming missiles out of the sky. The Land Electronic Defense Systems can sense rockets, rocket-propelled grenades, and other projectiles -- and fire a missile the size of a water bottle to intercept them. The Systems are still undergoing tests. But even if they pass, the Army still may not buy 'em. At a cost of up to half a million dollars per truck, a cash-strapped military might not be able to afford these itty-bitty missiles.
05end-user-device
Every year, the Army's annual convention in Washington, D.C. brings out the latest designs from defense firms for souped-up trucks, upgraded helicopters, and fantasy weapons. This year's Association of the United States Army expo, held last week, was actually bigger: It took up two whole floors of the Washington Convention Center, not just one. Which made for a surreal juxtaposition, because [the Army is out of cash](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/10/iron-fiesta/). If you talked to any vendor at the convention, any Army officer attending or any journalist covering it, and you typically got the same reaction. AUSA this year was practically taunting an Army [gearing up for huge budget cuts](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/10/army-fights-budget-cuts/). It was like a kid whose parents had just been laid off strolling by the FAO Schwarz window display. So it made little sense to cover big-ticket items on the AUSA convention floor. The Army won't buy 'em anyway. That's why last week, Danger Room took its video camera to highlight some of the more affordable options. Trucks, Howitzers and choppers are out. Apps, night vision upgrades and truck-based rockets are in. It's almost like the Army could learn how to live on a budget. __Above:__ The Army's Not-Quite-Smartphone ------------------------------- [Don't call it a smartphone](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/10/army-smartphone-beta/). The Army's new Android-based design for a warzone communications system can load up with tons of apps, but it can't make a call. And while this "End User Device" might soon be [outmoded by an *actual* Army smartphone](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/10/begun-these-army-phone-wars-have/), it's very useful for critical Army needs, like signaling for medevac and ordering ammo resupplies under fire.
