In this week’s episode of the Engineering Update starring Editor Kasey Panetta (@kcpanetta), Digital Editor Jason Lomberg (@JasonECNMag), and WDD’s Editor-in-Chief, Janine E. Mooney (@JMooneyWDD):
Russia’s nuclear missile train
During the Cold War, both East and West developed a number of game-changing technologies and weapons in an attempt to outdo and outspend their rival. And one of the more unique contraptions from the Soviet Union was a nuclear missile train capable of traveling more than 1000 km a day across Russia’s railways and deploy their arsenal along any part of their route. They first appeared in the 1980s, and now the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology is interested in creating a new missile train as part of Russia’s 10-year, $530 billion overhaul of its military.
Lockheed Martin’s supersonic commercial aircraft
Let’s face it — we’re no longer impressed by the ability to travel from New York to Los Angeles in five hours in a cramped 737. Doesn’t two and a half hours sound much better? Lockheed Martin thinks so, too, so they’re working on an aircraft for commercial airlines that would cut the time spent traveling across the United States in half, from five hours to just two and a half, seating 80 passengers. They’re running into one big challenge with the N+2 jet, however.
Robot security guards
Autonomous data machines might seem, at least when you first hear the term, super boring. But when you see one, they suddenly become much more interesting. Autonomous Data Machines or ADMs is actually another word for robot security guards. Those created by the company called Knightscope are also known as K5. They’re designed to act as security guards on campuses or at business in an effort to replace human guards and also offer protection when a human guard isn’t an option.
Filed Under: Aerospace + defense