front lines
Latest
The UK's high-energy lasers could zap drones and missiles out of the sky
The UK wants to take down enemy drones and missiles with high-energy light beams. The Ministry of Defense (MOD) announced that it's developing laser and radio frequency weapons. Referred to collectively as Direct Energy Weapons (DEW), they're powered by electricity, operate without ammunition and are fueled by a vehicle's engine or a generator.
US Army developing Android-based smartphone framework and apps
The US Army is calling upon Android app developers to help make military life a little less stressful -- and, perhaps, a lot safer. Under a new Army framework known as the Mobile/Handheld Computing Environment (CE), third-party developers will be able to create and submit tactical Android apps, using the military's CE Product Developer's Kit. The framework, originally prototyped by the folks over at MITRE, represents the latest phase in the Army's ongoing campaign to incorporate smartphone technology on the battlefield. Any app operating under the CE system will be interoperable across all command systems, and, as you'd expect, will be tightly secured. The kit won't be released to developers until July, but the Army has already begun tinkering with its baseline suite of Mission Command apps, which includes tools designed to facilitate mapping, blue force tracking, and Tactical Ground Reporting. On the hardware side of the equation, the Army is planning to deploy a new handheld known as the Joint Battle Command-Platform, or JBC-P. The two-pound JBC-P is essentially a military-friendly smartphone designed to run on a variety of existing radio networks, while supporting the full suite of forthcoming apps. The JBC-P will be tested this October, and will likely be issued on a wider basis in 2013.
Joystiq hands-on: Frontlines: Fuel of War (360/PC/PS3)
At a recent San Francisco THQ-hosted event, I got some hands-on time with the Kaos Studios FPS, Frontlines: Fuel of War. The game, due this Fall, is based on the movement of the leading waves of troops; in multiplayer and single-player, moving the front line forward while securing checkpoints generally wins the battle.This approach seems like an interesting direction, although it owes a lot to traditional checkpoint, squad-based FPS titles. Much of the gameplay still feels typical of the genre -- our map of choice was an oil refinery and its oh-so-many shades of brown -- but the controls seem responsive and fun. Frontlines: Fuel of War may not truly innovate -- at least this still-in-progress version didn't -- but it may still be a fun next step for team-based FPS games.%Gallery-1446%
