Armed Polite Society

Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: just Warren on April 01, 2021, 07:44:15 PM

Title: The Army is not interested in a device to reduce friendly fire deaths?
Post by: just Warren on April 01, 2021, 07:44:15 PM


And why hasn't he tried to interest the other branches or other militaries?

I'd be shopping this around all over NATO and Commonwealth countries and even the Japanese to get the ball rolling as it were.   (https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/fatal-error-inspired-plan-to-reduce-friendly-fire/?utm_}Yes, it's a bit of a puff piece on the inventor but it seems like a great idea.[/url)
Title: Re: The Army is not interested in a device to reduce friendly fire deaths?
Post by: Perd Hapley on April 01, 2021, 08:02:23 PM
Quote
...their powerful guns could shoot beyond the range of their high-tech targeting systems.

Isn't that true for all firearms?
Title: Re: The Army is not interested in a device to reduce friendly fire deaths?
Post by: Fly320s on April 01, 2021, 08:42:30 PM
Doesn't the Army already have IFF devices?

The problem with this new device is that it is a device.  Those things can be faked, copied, lost, stolen, jammed, etc. 
Title: Re: The Army is not interested in a device to reduce friendly fire deaths?
Post by: just Warren on April 01, 2021, 09:22:18 PM
But everything we use is a device.

You, yourself, operate a device made up of 1000s of other devices any of which can fail for some reason which could lead to catastrophe. Yet you and all the rest of us get a tremendous amount of value out of it.

Therefore we don't let the idea of it failing stop us from using it.

So I find your stance puzzling.
Title: Re: The Army is not interested in a device to reduce friendly fire deaths?
Post by: MechAg94 on April 01, 2021, 10:47:56 PM
I really hate stories like that sometimes.  I want a quick idea of what his trying to do.  I have to scroll through pages of backstory and find the details buried here and there between layers of backstory all through a long article. 
Title: Re: The Army is not interested in a device to reduce friendly fire deaths?
Post by: fifth_column on April 02, 2021, 10:55:52 AM
I really hate stories like that sometimes.  I want a quick idea of what his trying to do.  I have to scroll through pages of backstory and find the details buried here and there between layers of backstory all through a long article.

I agree. I only read the first quarter of the article so I have no idea what type of device he created but I know a lot about his personality.
Title: Re: The Army is not interested in a device to reduce friendly fire deaths?
Post by: Phantom Warrior on April 02, 2021, 11:55:27 AM
A provocative strawman clickbait headline with no further information?  No clicks from me.
Title: Re: The Army is not interested in a device to reduce friendly fire deaths?
Post by: 230RN on April 02, 2021, 12:46:09 PM
I had the same negative reaction.  Did not get very far into it, clicked out, then noted the date.
Title: Re: The Army is not interested in a device to reduce friendly fire deaths?
Post by: Pb on April 02, 2021, 02:14:43 PM
I was wondering if this would causes issues by broadcasting the location of troops, or allow enemies to spoof it for their own forces. 
Title: Re: The Army is not interested in a device to reduce friendly fire deaths?
Post by: T.O.M. on April 02, 2021, 08:39:12 PM
I was wondering if this would causes issues by broadcasting the location of troops, or allow enemies to spoof it for their own forces.

A lifetime ago I was an 11A, an infantry  officer.  The last thing I would have wanted on my troops was a transmitting device.  Any signal can be intercepted, and tracked.  That's all kinds of bad.
Title: Re: The Army is not interested in a device to reduce friendly fire deaths?
Post by: AmbulanceDriver on April 05, 2021, 02:49:14 PM
A lifetime ago I was an 11A, an infantry  officer.  The last thing I would have wanted on my troops was a transmitting device.  Any signal can be intercepted, and tracked.  That's all kinds of bad.

That was my first thought - even with encryption, etc on the actual signal, it's still a radio signal, so anyone with some DF equipment can triangulate a location.
Title: Re: The Army is not interested in a device to reduce friendly fire deaths?
Post by: MechAg94 on April 05, 2021, 03:16:15 PM
That was my first thought - even with encryption, etc on the actual signal, it's still a radio signal, so anyone with some DF equipment can triangulate a location.
Or set up a homing system that could be mounted on a missile.