Formation background
DARPA is established in 1958, the Soviet Union launched "Spernick No. 1" satellite on October 4, 1957. Therefore, DARPA has a more cutting mission to maintain more potential enemies than other potential enemies in US military technology, and vigorously engage in advanced national defense technology research and development. Like Darpa's self-report:
"started from 1958, Darpa's initial mission is to prevent technology breakthroughs like 'Spernik' launch, which marks the Soviet Union defeated the United States in the space field. This mission declare has evolved with the times. Today, Darpa's tasks are still to prevent the United States from being breakthroughs from scientific and technological breakthroughs. ""
DARPA is independent of other more often ordinary military R & D and directly responsible for the US Department of Defense. DARPA has about 240 people (about 140 technicians), directly managed $ 3.2 billion budget. These numbers are "average" because Darpa is a team of small and fine task, focusing on the short-term (2 to 4 years) program projects. It has been responsible for funding many technological development, has a major impact in the world, including computer networks, and NLS, which is the first hypertext system, as well as an important preamble of contemporary.
in fact, the so-called "Advanced Research Plan Bureau" - - a translation of a good word. Advanced itself has the meaning of "pre-", and the results are translated into "advanced" in various words that do not think about Wen Wenyi or do not understand the system. Therefore, DARPAs also expressed: National Defense / Pre-Research / Project / Institution, That is, "National Defense Prefare Prevention". Although it is wrong with the rumor, everyone is so calling. However, it is still helpful to give the correct translation.
Task purpose
DARPA's basic task is dedicated to "technology leading the future", open up new national defense scientific research, providing high-tech reserves in the solution, long-term national security issues Research analysis has potential military value, new technologies and high-tech in military applications in military applications; for technical management and technical management and technical management guide. Part of the project is proposed by this department, part of the Minister of Defense or Minister of Defense, and some of them are proposed by colleges and industrial sectors. Although the bureau is not a functional institution of the three military prevention, it is maintained to maintain the leader of the US military technology, led to organize multi-military joint research plans, arrange, coordinate and manage cross-army scientific research projects and save scientific research strength and research funds, and shorten the research cycle. The effect is remarkable.
DARPA's purpose is to "maintain the leading position of the United States to prevent potential opponents." Adhering to this belief, Darpa's innovative performance is commendation: Internet, semiconductor, personal computer operating system UNIX, laser, global positioning system (GPS), etc. Many major scientific and technological achievements can be traced back to DARPA funding projects. What kind of operational mechanism or cultural gene makes DARPA can give birth to these "subversive" technological innovation fruit?
Technology Explore
This is to be said from Darpa's unique positioning. Although DARPA is attributable to the US Department of Defense, it is independent of the military, and the United States land, the sea, and the air three armies are customer relationships. It does not target the real demand for the military, but to perceive the future potential Demand, explore new concepts of defense technology. With independent assessment, the high-level sensitivity harvested by the cutting-edge technology, supplemented by scientific management model, efficient implementation agencies and strict review mechanisms, DARPA locks many high-risk, high-value, high-yield projects, always Put energy on the future, ensuring the emergence of innovative fruits.
Organizational Mechanism
DARPA currently has about 100 project officials, they are from academia or industry "borrowed", for ten to 5 years. Since they do not enter the civil servant series, there is no hidden decision-making system in the general government agencies in Darpa. Project officials have a very large autonomy to identify and fund the relevant technical projects within the area responsible. A project official should decide whether to fund a project and only need to convince two people: the Secretary of Our Technical Bureau and DARPA Director. Since the project official is very decision-making, then it is accurate, whether the vision is long, whether the project funding effect is satisfactory, and it is also easy to identify.
Searching Talent
"The best project manager of DARPA always pursues the frenzy molecules of their goals." Darpa is widely collected from the industrial sector, the higher education and the government laboratory and the research center, and the theoretical and experimental specialties of the various disciplines are widely used. DARPA mainly collected two types of talents. The first class is a project leader. All the most important work of Darpa Director is to recruit outstanding project leaders, then play their creativity, build a big team around the major progress. In the field of fruitful, Darpa created a large number of project leaders who went to success, with Darpa's words, sometimes this advanced exploration concept will be considered "crazy". For example, when Darpa in the 1990s proposed drone operational philosophy, some people have been sarccated to "Darpa 's Fantasy". And when Darpa presented in a high-altitude floating 5 years or even 10 years of drone or airship project, once again laughed as "incredible".
R & D project
Airborne laser weapon
US Defense Senior Research Program (DARPA) is investing in a jet fighter or medium-sized transport High-power light laser weapon, called "High Energy Liquid Laser Regional Defense System" (HELLADS). This laser weapon can destroy dozens of kilometers away from the missile. At present, high-power laser weapons that are sufficient to destroy the missile is very large, and can only be carried by large aircraft. For example, the airborne laser developed by the Millennium Missile Defense Bureau is suitable for the Boeing-747 cargo plane to track and destroy the attack ballistic missile during the promotion.
Now, the US Disposal Vision Research Program has tried to reduce the hardware size of this weapon, so that it can be installed under the two wings of the jet fighter, or carry it on the aircraft to destroy the air, Air missiles, as well as roller grenade promoted by the rocket.
Hellads include a weight of 750 kg, which is only two cubic meters, which is equivalent to the volume of a large refrigerator. A prototype that produces 1 kW beam has been built with the design team leading the Woodberuri Leaders. The design team hopes that by the end of this year, 15 kW of original weapons can be completed, and the full-size prototype of 150 kW beam can be completed in 2007. The liquid laser can emit a continuous beam, but a large cooling system is required. The solid laser is efficient, but it cannot be cooled in the same way. The US objective is to combine solid lasers with the thermal disadvantage of liquid lasers. "
Wolf group intelligence system
" WolfPack) is a self-staple network unattended ground signal intelligence sensor system, which is developed by DARPA and lays developed. The BAE system company is the main contractor. The system uses multiple signal reconnaissance / interference equipment to detect, identify and interfere with enemy radio frequency radiation on the battlefield, while avoiding military and civil communication systems and radars, multiple sensors. The network can be locked by the network. The system can be in sleep when not in use. In the demo, UAS is equipped with a sensor that is only 22 pounds (about 10 kilograms) from different positions and recycles, to simulate actual combat Situation. After the drone launch, at 10 ~ 20 (18.5 ~ 37 km / h) the maximum speed of more than 30 (55.6 km / h), and under the monitoring of portable ground stations, autonomous Flying to the reservation point landing (landing precision is more than 1 meter). After landing, the "Wolf Group" sensor on the machine started to work, successfully detected a simulated threat radar. The UAS used in the demo exceeded 1 Hours, deployment, re-deployment, and recycling "Wolf Group" sensors when necessary, are one of the many options for performing tasks in the city and remote battlefield environment.
high Ultrasonic Aircraft
US Defense Senior Research Program (DARPA) is leading the "Falcon" (Falcon, "Delivery from US Continental Delivery and Deploying Force" English Abbreviations) The main contractor is Lockheed Martin. The project was originally in September 2007, using a high ultrasound speed testing machine (HTV-1) for more than 15 times the speed of test flight, but according to "Flight International" report Now Darpa and Luo Ma Mas have decided not to manufacture and test fly in accordance with the original plan, because the leading edge of the curve developed by the carbon-based housing developed by the bracket business C-Cat. Currently, the development personnel Start stepping to another HTV-2 design, which uses a thinner multi-piece housing with a leading edge, which will be more easier to manufacture. At the same time, thermal protection research is also continued.
The X-37 Empty Airlines
X-37 plans started in 1998, initially be responsible for the US Air Force and NASA (NASA), originally planned to invest 173 million US dollars. In 2001, the US Air Force stopped After investing in X-37, the program is investing by NASA. In 2002, NASA granted 2 X-37 prototypes with a contract of 3001 million US dollars worth $ 3001 million. September 15, 2004, NASA believes that the X-37 program cannot be Meet the requirements of the Space Exploration New Conception, and the X-37 plans to participate in the US Defense Senior Research Program (DARPA), NASA is involved in the program as a technical consultant. In June 2005, the "White Knight" carrier Equipped with ALTV The entry of the line has succeeded in flying with the landing test.
UAV
The next-generation attack machine next-generation attacks will transition from the remote endurance "flying man" to "assassin" with Mach speed. The "Assassin" is the developed supersonic "SwitchBlade" bomber. It is an unmanned, and deformable aircraft, which is currently developed by Nosolp Granman. "Spring small folding knife" uses a 61-meter long wing cruise perpendicular to the engine, it looks no different from the standard aircraft, but before the plane breaks through the sound barrier, its only wing will rotate about 60 degrees, this The inclined design can be redistributed to the impact wave accumulated at the front end of the aircraft at Mach Speed to form a resistance. When the speed of the "spring small folding knife" is returned to the sub-sound, the wing will rotary back into the vertical state. US Defense Senior Research Program (DARPA) has allocated $ 10.3 million for Nosrop Granman, requiring the company to develop a detailed aircraft development plan before November 2007, and launched a flight test prototype after 4 years. machine. "DARPA" said that if everything goes well, the 12-meter display model of Wing Exhibition can be prepared, "spring small folding knife" prototype will be completed in 2020.
Unhobo Challenge
The "big challenge" robot vehicle competition organized by the US Defense Senior Research Program (DARPA) is held once a year, this year is the second, will be 10 The month is held in the desert in the southwestern United States. If a team's robotic vehicle is first finished with a rugged road in length of 175 miles (about 282 km), and the time spent for more than 10 hours, it will receive $ 2 million in Darpa. The robot vehicles that participate in the competition must decide how to avoid the natural and human set obstacles on the road, because these obstacles will be announced until the start of the game. The purpose of the "big challenge" competition is to stimulate the technological innovation of military autonomous ground vehicles. The first competition failed to win, because the best robot vehicles have only finished 142 miles (about 228 kilometers) to 7 miles (about 11 kilometers).
block launch satellite
US Pentagon's National Defense High Research Project (DARPA) plans to start a new study called F6 project, divide large satellite into several key subsystems And explore the feasibility of the transfer. Once the satellite partially enters the track, you can perform tasks like a satellite by physical connection or by wireless connection. At the National Space Seminar held in Quanquan, Colorado, Colorado, USA, according to Darpa Director, if the concept is feasible, then there will be a small rocket of 453.6kg (such as Darpa funding private company) in the future. Rockets) Made of blocks a large satellite. DARPA hopes to reduce emission costs while reducing loss caused by emission failures. Tether said: "Even if a rocket is failed, it will not destroy the whole satellite because the satellite only lost some of these. The F6 project name comes from the word" F ", the future (FUTURE), Fractionated, Flexible, Flexible, Freeflying, "6" is also derived from "SpacecraftUnitedByinformationExchange, Six). Connect satellite into a whole There are two ways: one is physically connected, such as the way "track express", that is, the current Darpa robot currently demonstrates the task in the rail service; the other is to perform magnetic connections in some way.
Insiding the Battle District
Pentagon is studying the development of urban monitoring systems, combining computer and thousands of cameras, can track analysis and reporting of any city's vehicle operation. According to reports, this The project code is "COMBATZONESTHATSEE), the purpose is to protect the US military in overseas city, making them ambiguous understanding of the combat area environment.
The key part of the project is a computer software system, it can Automatically identify the size of the size, color, shape, license, and the driver or passengers according to the face. Once suspicious conditions, such as "one