The Second World War gave humanity a number of inventions, including those not related to the military industry. Scientific and technological progress in the 20th century was due to the efforts of physicists, doctors and engineers who worked for the benefit of the front. The Futurist presents eight inventions of war that we still use today.

Space program

The German “weapons of retribution” (Vergeltungswaffe), according to some estimates, claimed the lives of more than 2.5 thousand people. Eight times more people died during its production. Nevertheless, this sinister, ambitious program to create ballistic missiles, guided bombs and rocket planes to bomb English cities gave humanity orbital flights, landings on the Moon and space telescopes. Soviet and American missile programs began with the launches of captured and later modified V-2 rockets.

The V-2, hastily designed by Wernher von Braun, was a rather crude ballistic missile. 20% of the collected specimens were rejected, half of the launched missiles exploded, and the deviation from the target was about 10 km. In fact, it was not intended to destroy, but to intimidate civilians. However, the main advantage of this single-stage rocket was liquid fuel and inertial navigation. Fuel was supplied to the combustion chamber using two centrifugal pumps driven by a turbine powered by steam gas. Fuel based on water and ethanol was mixed with liquid oxygen and created the necessary thrust. This mixture continued to be used after the war: the American Redstone PGM-11 rocket used the same fuel configuration and remained in service until 1964. Australia's first WRESAT satellite went into space in 1967 on one of these rockets. Most of the rocket's flight was uncontrollable, but its trajectory was corrected by a system of two gyroscopes.

The V-2 became the model for the Soviet R-series ballistic missiles. On the basis of the legendary “Seven” (“R-7”), the Vostok launch vehicle was created, which sent Yuri Gagarin into space. The American Hermes program, originally intended to create its own ballistic missiles, was later reoriented to modernize the V-2. Wernher von Braun, who was captured by American soldiers, is considered the “father” of the US space program. Under his leadership, the first American satellite, Explorer, was launched. And in 1961, von Braun headed the lunar program.

First programmable computer

The British radio interception service was faced with the most complex German ciphers. The Enigma code, which was used in the field, was well studied during the war. However, the cipher that was created by the Lorenz cipher machine remained a mystery to cryptologists. Deciphering the Lorenz code was a strategically important task, since it was used to encode messages by the German high command. British cryptologists called German encrypted messages "fish", but these messages received an individual nickname - "Tuna".

Thanks to an error by a German codebreaker who sent two slightly different messages, it was discovered that the Lorenz machine was a typical encryption device consisting of rotating wheels. But there are twice as many wheels in it as in Enigma - there were 10 of them. The encryption key was determined by the initial position of the wheels. Five wheels spun regularly, and five wheels spun irregularly. Two additional motorized wheels controlled irregular rotation.

To encrypt the data, Lorenz's machine used the XOR command. It generated five pairs of pseudo-random bits (1 or 0) and output 1 if only one of the symbols was 1, otherwise the result was 0. So 1 XOR 0 = 1, but 1 XOR 1 = 0. Every character in the machine Lorenz compiled with pseudo-random bits, for example: 10010 XOR 11001 = 01011. The most important thing about this algorithm is that the machine actually encrypted the data twice.

To decipher the Lorenz code, British engineer Tommy Flowers and his team created an electronic programmable computer, Colossus. The computer consisted of 1,500 vacuum tubes, making it the largest computer of its time. The 2,500-tube Colossus Mark II upgrade is considered the first programmable computer in computer history.

Before the creation of Colossus, it took several weeks to decrypt messages, but now the result became known within a few hours. The vehicle was fully operational by the time of the Normandy landings in 1944. Thanks to Colossus, in particular, it became clear that the Allies had successfully misinformed the German troops. After the war, Churchill ordered the destruction of all computers, but in 1994, engineers managed to restore a working version of Colossus Mark II from photographs. Thanks to this work, it became known that a half-century-old computer operates at approximately the same speed as a laptop with a Pentium 2 processor.

Turbojet aircraft

Although Sir Frank Whittle received a patent for the turbojet engine as early as 1930, the British government was not particularly interested in the development, and work progressed slowly. The Third Reich really advanced this technology, and the Messerschmitt Me.262 became the first turbojet-powered fighter. The German Arado Ar 234 was the first jet bomber and the last Nazi aircraft to fly over England in April 1945. By the end of the war, the Heinkel He 162 (“Sparrow”) single-engine jet fighter was produced, which was designed in the shortest possible time - in 90 days.

Nuclear weapon

The potential capabilities of nuclear energy have been known for a long time. But it was during the Second World War that the opportunity arose to test them in practice. The first atomic bomb was created in the USA. In 1941, Enrico Fermi completed the theory of the nuclear chain reaction, and two years later, under the leadership of physicist Robert Oppenheimer and General Leslie Groves, the Manhattan Project was launched. Two bombs created during the project were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. It is estimated that between 150 thousand and 244 thousand people were killed during the bombing itself. The problem of the proliferation of deadly nuclear weapons has given rise to many discussions. However, without this discovery there would be no nuclear energy.

Radio navigation

The first radar technology (Radio Detection and Ranging) was developed in the 1930s by Robert Watson Watt and Arnold Wilkins. It made it possible to prevent the threat of aerial bombardment. Historians say the outcome of the Battle of Britain may have been determined by the British reliance on radar defense systems and the German decision to focus on bombing cities. As a result, Britain was able to spot German bombers while they were up to 100 miles away and concentrate their forces.

Penicillin

Howard Florey (left) observes a wounded soldier being treated with penicillin at the American Military Hospital in New York in 1944

Penicillin was isolated back in 1928 by Alexander Fleming thanks to a mess in his laboratory. The scientist discovered that a colony of mold fungi had grown in one of the Petri dishes with bacteria. Colonies of bacteria around molds have become transparent due to cell destruction. Fleming managed to isolate a substance that destroyed the cells. A study on the bactericidal properties of penicillin was published in 1929, but attempts to obtain the antibiotic in its pure form and improve its quality were unsuccessful. Only 10 years later, Australian scientist Howard Florey led research on medical penicillin. Together with a small group of scientists, which included Ernst Boris Chain, they developed a complex drug by 1941, which was successfully tested. For this, the researchers were awarded the Nobel Prize, along with Alexander Fleming.

Scuba

The first scuba gear was invented back in 1866; it was used in mines where the air was polluted. In 1878, a device for long-term stay under water with a closed breathing circuit appeared. Carbon dioxide is removed from the air exhaled by the diver and pure oxygen from the container is added as needed. At that time it was not known that pure oxygen becomes toxic under pressure. Despite the danger, closed-circuit scuba gear was standard life-saving equipment for the submarine fleet during World War II. However, naval officer Jacques-Yves Cousteau and engineer Emile Gagnan, who worked in German-occupied France, in 1943 were able to create a device with an open breathing pattern, where exhalation is done directly into the water. This type of scuba gear was much safer.

Slinky

One of the most popular and enduring toys in the world was invented by accident during World War II by American naval engineer Richard James in 1943. He was trying to figure out how springs could be used to store important and expensive equipment at sea. The engineer accidentally dropped one of the springs and noted its interesting movement. After the war, the toy became extremely popular: by the end of the 20th century, 250 million copies were sold.

Someone scolds our country for the lack of its own electronics in the world. Some people don't like the fact that we don't know how to make an iPhone. There are those who are dissatisfied with domestic cars. So, our country has nothing to brag about to the world?

Actually there is. After all, when it comes to tanks, planes, guns, etc., our country is traditionally ahead of the rest. This is especially true for various military technologies. Let's remember the most daring, extraordinary and who surprised and even frightened the whole world.

We all know that any vehicle requires extensive development and a lot of experimentation on concepts before production. The same applies to military equipment. True, unlike ordinary civilian cars, military equipment requires more painstaking work from designers. This is why unorthodox concepts are needed when developing military vehicles. But this is not enough.

In order to create a truly incredible one, you need to be able to bring the craziest ideas to life. As you know, we have no problems with this. Our country has never had a shortage of extraordinary designers and engineers. As a result, in the twentieth century, our country created many strange huge tanks, planes, ships, trains, submarines and weapons.

It is noteworthy that Russian military engineers have always loved to create flying equipment. That is why flying tanks, flying tanks, flying ships, etc. were built in our country.

Many military projects, unfortunately, were never continued, remaining only in the development stage. Although some inventions could be seen in action during the Great Patriotic War. And this is not surprising. After all, when our people are threatened, we traditionally unite and begin to surprise the whole world. This happened during the Second World War. After all, it was in those years that our military engineers created many amazing military technologies and equipment.

But, alas, today many incredible inventions have been forgotten. Fortunately, not all.

Let's remember the most incredible things of the 20th century.

"Tsar bomb"

On October 30, 1961, the Soviet Union conducted a nuclear test that detonated the most powerful and destructive weapon ever created by mankind. It was the AN602 hydrogen bomb, nicknamed the Tsar Bomba. The power of the explosion ranged from 50 to 60 megatons. This is equivalent to more than 1,500 bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Also, the power of the Tsar Bomb was 10 times greater than the total power of all substances used in World War II. During the Tsar Bomb test, nearby villages were completely destroyed (they were previously evacuated). The explosion also started fires at a distance of 100 kilometers. Even at a distance of 1126 km, windows in buildings were blown out. The bomb was only tested once.

"Object 279"

Russian engineers have often had to design vehicles for extreme conditions in which the crew must survive. The pinnacle of this military engineering art was an experimental one, codenamed "Object 279". This heavy tank was created to withstand a nuclear blast wave.

The tank also had to remain combat-ready after a nuclear explosion and fight on a battlefield saturated with radioactive fallout. The tank weighed 60 tons. The crew of the combat vehicle consisted of 4 people. The tank was capable of driving through any terrain and had incredible protection against chemical and biological attacks.

In 1959, two prototypes were created.

The tanks were tested and found to be too heavy and bulky for the modern battlefield. In addition, the tank was very expensive and vulnerable to air attack. Later, Nikita Khrushchev stated that our country would produce tanks weighing no more than 37 tons. As a result, the Object 279 tank ended up in a museum.

Heavy tank T-42

In the pre-war years, the world witnessed a frantic tank arms race. Each country tried to make the largest and most powerful supertanks. Our country was no exception. In 1931, under the leadership of the German engineer Edward Grott, the T-42 super-heavy tank was developed at the design bureau of the Bolshevik plant.

The T-42 tank weighed 100 tons and accommodated 14 crew members.

This “beast” also had three turrets with various heavy and light cannons. Unfortunately, such a heavy tank required some kind of particularly powerful engine, which was never invented. With the then existing engines, the T-42 was too slow, which, naturally, potentially made it vulnerable on any battlefield. So this tank never became real, remaining only in the form of a project.

Anti-tank dogs

During World War II, many countries used animals to gain an advantage on the battlefield. But this is not a new idea. The history of wars has already encountered this. For example, back in the late 1300s, Mongol leaders used burning camels to defeat the enemy on the battlefield. And, surprisingly, it was a strategic success. Let us remember that camels were covered with straw soaked in oil, set on fire and driven towards the enemy.

The Great Patriotic War was another attempt to arm animals to gain an advantage in military operations. So, our military department used specially trained dogs, whose task was to pass under German tanks with mines attached to them and activate the charge.

According to some reports, dogs destroyed more than 300 German tanks in this way. Nevertheless, it was decided to abandon four-legged assistants due to the fact that it was difficult to force them to run in the right direction. The fact is that the dogs destroyed the first tank that they encountered on the way. Of course, this is unacceptable on the battlefield. And yet, brave dogs made their invaluable contribution to the victory over fascism.

Flying tank A-40

The A-40 tank is designed for air transportation and for guerrilla warfare. It was a light tank with wings attached to it. No, of course, the tank did not fly on its own. But thanks to the wings, the tank could be dropped from an airplane and glide to the desired landing zone.

A total of one prototype was built. Unfortunately, this specimen turned out to be too bulky and could not be loaded onto a small plane as planned. There was also no certainty that the tank crew would land safely without threat to life, since there was a risk of damage. As a result, the project was cancelled. Although, we admit, it was an amazing idea at the time. After all, many countries before us tried to do something similar, but no one was able to create even a prototype.

By the way, at that time our troops were already using tank landings from cargo planes, but for this they used parachutes. The project was supposed to simplify the landing of tank equipment. Alas.

Kozlov's invisible plane

Russian professor Sergei Kozlov developed an invisible one based on the Yakovlev Yak-4. To do this, an unusual experiment was carried out. The plane was equipped with a fuselage and wings made of a transparent plastic material invented by the scientist. The professor then applied an opaque structure made from a mixture of white paint and aluminum dust to the plastic parts. This was supposed to make the plane literally invisible.

Surprisingly, Professor Kozlov’s idea really worked. Although not for long, since the paint attracted dirt and dust, which reduced the effect of invisibility. There were also concerns that the plastic material was not durable enough. In addition, due to the aluminum, the plane produced a shine at a certain angle of incidence of the sun's rays. Unfortunately, despite the fact that the experiments continued, Kozlov’s plane never went into production.

Partial-orbital bombing system

In the 1960s, our country developed the Partial Orbital Bombing System program. These were special missiles that went into low Earth orbit and then hit an object on Earth. The missile's flight path did not allow the enemy to calculate the aiming point. Theoretically, a missile in flight could hit a target at any moment.

In 1967, our country signed the Outer Space Treaty, in which it pledged not to place nuclear weapons in low-Earth orbit. True, this obligation did not affect the delivery of the weapons themselves into orbit. So theoretically, instead of a nuclear charge, our country had the right to use the delivery of other types of weapons into orbit in this complex. Three projects were developed within the framework of this program. One project - 8K69 - was put into operation. A total of 18 launchers were created.

L-1 hover tank

In 1934, engineer Levkov developed the incredible L-1 tank, which was designated in documents as the “Amphibious Flying Tank.” In 1937, an engineer with a team from the Moscow Aviation Plant No. 84 built a 1:4 model of the tank. The vehicle was equipped with two M-25 aircraft engines with a total power of 1450 hp. s., which raised the tank above the surface by 200-250 mm, which allowed the armored vehicle to accelerate to a speed of 120 km/h. The turret was equipped with one 7.62 mm machine gun.

Unfortunately, the project was not continued. What caused this is not known. But, according to rumors, the reason for the cessation of funding for the development of the hovercraft tank was dissatisfaction with the design of one high-ranking official, either from the ministry or from the government. According to another version, the project was closed due to difficulties in the reliability of the tank design.

Tsar's tank

In 1914-1915, Nikolai Lebedenko developed the Tsar Tank, which, in fact, was not a tank. In reality, this car was a giant three-wheeled armored bicycle. The tank was equipped with 30-inch front wheels and a rear wheel to balance the vehicle.

This tank was designed so that it could...

However, based on the results of tests of the Tsar's tank, it turned out that it was absolutely not intended for use on the battlefield. Thus, during testing, the tank proved to be a slow vehicle, prone to destruction. The main problem was the rear wheel. Also, due to its shape and size, the tank was an excellent target for the enemy. In addition, he was unable to carry protection. For example, the tank's wheels were not protected.

Nuclear bomber Tu-95LA

The arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union did not end with missiles and spacecraft. During the Cold War, the arms race extended to experimental aircraft, which, in fact, had no practical use.

Thus, our country, in response to the Convair NB-36H Crusader nuclear bomber being developed by the United States, decided to create a domestic Tu-95LA aircraft. This modification of the aircraft was intended to transport nuclear weapons. The aircraft provided transportation of the first serial Russian nuclear bombs RDS-3, RDS-4 and thermonuclear bombs of the RDS-6S (RDS-37) type. Later, the plane carried more advanced bombs of new generations.

Tank "Shtorks"

During the Cold War, military engineers were looking for a way to transport troops over impassable roads. Then Russian designers came across the idea of ​​foreign engineers to use a special drive screw, made in the form of a corkscrew, for these purposes. As a result, a mini-tank was born, which was nicknamed “The Corkscrew”.

During testing, the tank showed amazing off-road capability. However, such a vehicle is completely useless on ordinary roads or flat and hard ground. Also, this tank could only move forward and backward and could not turn. Including the tank was incredibly slow and unreliable. Nevertheless, it entered a small series and was supplied for the needs of the army in the Arctic regions, where such a vehicle is really useful.

Aircraft carrier: Project "Link"

We are talking about an aircraft carrying (inside - on board or outside - on an external sling) other aircraft. Do you think we are talking about some kind of science fiction film? Not really. There was also such a project in our country, which was called “Link”.

It involved transporting small aircraft on a larger aircraft carrier. This made it possible to increase the range of military aircraft.

As part of the Zveno project, 10 aircraft were built based on the huge TB-3 bombers. Experimental aircraft carriers were designed to carry small aircraft that could be launched directly from the aircraft carrier.

Remarkably, these aircraft carriers flew approximately 30 combat missions during the early stages of World War II.

Ekranoplan "KM" ("Lun")

The ekranoplan "KM" is a ground vehicle. Surprised? In fact, despite its appearance, the ekranoplan is not an aircraft. It is classified as a ship. WIG "Lun" was the largest of the numerous Russian ekranoplanes produced during the Soviet era.

Three ekranoplanes were built for the military. These modifications were equipped with powerful anti-ship missiles. Ekranoplanes entered service in 1987. Currently, Russian engineers and designers are developing a new generation of these amazing ground vehicles.

Length - 100 meters, weight - 544 tons, 10 turbojet engines.

Ushakov's flying submarine

Russian engineer Boris Ushakov developed a unique submarine that could fly. Or it was a plane that could dive into water. Initially, the project began to be developed before the 1940s, but it was canceled in 1939. In 1943, the project was restarted due to military necessity. The first prototype appeared in 1947. But by that time, the Great Patriotic War had already ended, as a result of which the project never reached serial production. Russian military engineers have concentrated their efforts in other directions. So the world never saw a flying submarine. It's a pity. Agree, the project was promising and amazing.

Project of the orbital platform "Polyus" / "Skif" (Spacecraft "Polyus")

With the development of the US SDI (Star Wars) missile defense system, our country had to urgently come up with countermeasures. As a result, a prototype of the Polyus orbital platform was created, equipped with a megawatt carbon dioxide laser.

It was planned that Polyus would be launched in 1987. But on May 15, 1987, during launch, the complex did not enter the intended orbit and fell into the Pacific Ocean.

Further, Mikhail Gorbachev banned the launch of weapons into space. As a result, the Polyus program was curtailed. True, many components of the complex were nevertheless useful in various Russian space programs.

Gas-dynamic minesweeper "Progrev-T"

During the Soviet era, Russian engineers created, on the basis of the T-54 tank platform, the gas-dynamic minesweeper “Progrev-T”, equipped with MiG-15 jet engines. When the aircraft engine exhausted, the gas-dynamic jet affected the road surface, destroying it. Thanks to this, sappers were able to detect mines hidden under asphalt or earth cover. Thus, “Progrev-T” could help sappers clear minefields. Unfortunately, this was all in theory. In reality, the Progrev-T minesweeper weighed 37 tons and was very vulnerable in a war zone due to the lack of weapons and proper armor protection.

Laser tank 1K17 “Compression”

But of all the equipment that we have presented to you, the most striking is the secret expensive 1K17 “Compression” tank, equipped with lasers. This machine was developed in the late 1980s as a mobile military laser system designed to destroy optical electrical equipment on enemy aircraft, vehicles and missiles during combat operations.

Our authorities in those years relied heavily on this tank with laser systems. It was one of the most secret military facilities developed by our country. Nevertheless, our intelligence services failed to keep this project secret. As a result, working drawings of the laser tank came to the West.

The main thing in the tank, of course, was the laser, the operation of which depended on 30 kilograms of expensive artificial rubies needed for focusing. You understand that, despite the use of artificial rubies, the cost of the laser tank was incredible. Naturally, for this reason, mass production of a tank with laser weapons on board was impossible.

Unfortunately, this ambitious project, which really frightened the intelligence services of all Western countries (including the United States), faced collapse due to the collapse of the Soviet Union. As a result, the laser tank 1K17 “Compression”

The ideas of Russian inventors transformed the world, but our craftsmen were not able to obtain patents for all inventions. Our engineers have made a significant contribution to military-technical progress. Their inventions saved many lives.

Kotelnikov's backpack parachute

Artillery officer Gleb Kotelnikov was an artistic person. And the very idea of ​​​​designing a compact parachute came to him in the theater. After the performance, in the dressing room, I noticed a tight bundle in the lady’s hands; she waved it, and the tight bundle suddenly turned into a huge scarf. And in 1911, almost a year after the tragic death of the Russian pilot Captain Lev Matsievich, which Kotelnikov personally witnessed at the All-Russian Aeronautics Festival, he came up with a fundamentally new free-action aviation backpack parachute RK-1.

But when he applied for registration, he was refused. The head of the Russian Air Force, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, feared that “at the slightest failure of the aircraft, pilots would begin to abandon their expensive aircraft in the air.” And only on March 20, 1912 - already in France - Kotelnikov received patent No. 438,612.

The first tests were carried out with a car. The backpack was secured at the back. When the car took off, the parachute cut off the speed so abruptly that the engine stalled. The second - with a balloon. An 80-kilogram mannequin “jumped.” The first human jump from a 60-meter height from a bridge over the Seine was made by Vladimir Ossovsky, a student at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, in Rouen on January 5, 1913.
Initially, a silk canopy and slings, divided into 2 groups and attached to the shoulder girths of the suspension system, were put away in a wooden (later aluminum) backpack. In 1923 it was improved to a honeycomb envelope for slings.
The Russian army received Kotelnikov's parachute well. In 1917 alone, 65 descents were made.

Filtering carbon gas mask Zelinsky-Kummant

Less than a year after the outbreak of the First World War - on April 22, 1915 - at 3.30 in the morning on the outskirts of the Belgian city of Ypres, the Germans used chemical weapons for the first time in history. 5 thousand soldiers of the Anglo-French coalition died on the spot. A month later, a gas attack on the approaches to Warsaw claimed over a thousand Russian lives.
And the whole world rushed to seek protection from a new type of weapon. Industrial air purification devices, as well as multi-layer gauze dressings impregnated with sodium hyposulfite, were of no use on the front lines. Designed in November of the same year by the process engineer of the Triangle plant, E.L., did not become the final panacea. Kummant rubber helmet with goggles. Partially helped to breathe and protected the head. But there was no filter yet that could stop the action of toxic substances.

Western scientists have set their sights on chemical scavengers that neutralize specific poisons. And only the Russian organic chemist N.D. Zelinsky began to look for something that would purify the air regardless of the chemical composition of the OM. I noticed that those soldiers who managed to press their faces into the loose earth survived. By association I came to the universal absorber - charcoal.

The head of the sanitary evacuation unit of the Russian army, Prince of Oldenburg, tried to introduce non-activated carbon with soda lime, which petrified under the moisture of breath. Zelinsky bet on the activated one. I settled on birch and linden. I was looking for ways to increase its porosity and adsorption. And he achieved it - 1 gram of activated carbon with developed capillarity had an absorbing surface of 15 sq.m. The filters for Kummant's mask were made from it. In 1916, their universal gas mask entered service with the Russian army and was highly appreciated by the allies.

Mortar-mortar Gobyato.

Hereditary nobleman, Knight of St. George and military design engineer L.N. Gobyato in the Russian-Japanese was the commander of the battery of the 4th East Siberian Rifle Artillery Brigade. When the need arose during the defense of Port Arthur to destroy enemy personnel and cover Japanese firing points (hidden in trenches and ravines) with overhead fire from close range, Gobyato came up with a mortar-mortar right on the front line.
He constructed an over-caliber mine with a stabilizer literally from improvised means. The barrels of 47 mm naval guns were mounted on wheeled carriages. When there weren’t enough of them, I simply used metal pipes on wooden blocks. Instead of conventional shells, he used homemade pole mines, which were fired at an angle from 45 to 85° along a hinged trajectory, and could destroy hidden targets inaccessible to machine-gun and artillery fire.
Gobyato's invention saved thousands of lives of Russian soldiers and was quickly picked up by military engineers of the Western powers.

Aleksandrovsky self-propelled torpedo mine

I.F. Aleksandrovsky went down in history with the submarine project, but was forgotten as the creator of the first Russian self-propelled torpedo mine.
In 1861, he completed the design of the submarine and built it in 1866. But his “torpedo”, manufactured a year earlier with homemade means, but which already showed combat potential in the first tests, by Admiral N.N. Krabbe was rated "premature". And officials from the naval department paid considerable money to the English manufacturer Whitehead for his torpedo, which in terms of tactical characteristics was not superior to ours.
The idea for a torpedo came to Aleksandrovsky during the construction of the boat. By analogy, I decided to create “a self-propelled torpedo that would run on compressed air and be controlled at depth.” These two positions, which became Whitehead’s “main secret,” would be revealed by the Russian nugget a year before the British “father of the torpedo.” But only 2 years later - in 1868 - he would be allowed to build it using “his own funds with subsequent compensation.” Ultimately, his “independent mine” will have a speed of 10 knots, and Whitehead, bought by the Austrian government for 200 thousand guilders and the British for 15 thousand pounds sterling, only seven.

Russian Fedorov assault rifle

The world's first automatic rifle and machine gun were invented by a citizen of the Russian Empire, Lieutenant General of the Engineering and Technical Service V.G. Fedorov. Back in 1905, he proposed a project to convert a repeating rifle of the Mosin system of the 1891 model into an automatic one. And in 1906 he began to develop a fundamentally new automatic rifle. A year before the First World War, Fedorov produced two prototypes. In terms of combat characteristics, his invention turned out to be an intermediate link between a light machine gun and an automatic rifle. It fired both in bursts and single shots. That's why it got the name "automatic".

For the first time in the world, one of the companies of the 189th Izmail Infantry Regiment was armed with machine guns and automatic rifles of the Fedorov system. That she underwent special training at the Oranienbaum officer rifle school and was sent to the front in December 1916. Thus, the world's first military unit armed with light automatic weapons appeared in Russia.

New technologies are constantly transforming the surrounding reality. And in the coming years they are going to change the army, giving it a completely different look.

Below are the top 10 inventions that contribute to this goal...

"Smart" pistol Armatix iP1

Armatix iP1 is a pistol that is called the weapon of the future. Developed by Armatix GmbH. It is considered one of the most promising new small arms products. Used in 22LR cartridge.

Its peculiarity is that it is equipped with an electronic system. Control using a specially developed program opens up completely new application possibilities. Authorizing access to weapons, setting an alarm and locking aiming is an incomplete list of the unique functions of Armatix iP1.

The purpose of its creation is to reduce the incidence of theft and use of weapons in crowded places. The kit includes a special radio frequency clock. And if the gun is located at a distance exceeding 35 centimeters from them, the weapon will not fire. Ready for use is indicated by a green indicator. The Armatix iP1 is already on sale in the United States for $1,399. The watch goes for an additional $399.

Air Car Black Knight Transformer

The Black Knight Transformer is a vehicle whose main purpose is to transport the wounded on the ground; it can also hang in the air and move on water. Has a capacity for up to 8 people. The external structure resembles the shape of a boat. It is a model of a flying car. This is achieved through screws. Black Knight Transformer can hang in the air for up to 19 hours. Vehicle speed is up to 370 kilometers per hour.

XStat will stop the bleeding

XStat is an original syringe that can stop bleeding. It was developed by the startup RevMedx.

On the battlefield, many people receive gunshot wounds of varying degrees of complexity. In some cases, it is not possible to apply a tourniquet. XStat is an effective small tool. To stop blood loss, you need to inject the contents of the syringe into the wound - special sponges, using a small applicator. After entering the wound within 15 seconds, the material expands and creates a protective barrier.

RQ-180 reconnaissance drone

The RQ-180 drone, which is currently being tested, will soon enter service. The RQ-180 is a drone designed by the Americans Northrop Grumman, a company specializing in the military-industrial segment. Presumably, the drone is used for aerial reconnaissance. It is planned to use it for surveillance in the coverage area of ​​air defense systems. The RQ-180's effectiveness is enhanced by its radar visibility reduction system.

Infrared invisible camouflage

Californian craftsmen have created a coating based on reflectin. This is a squid protein that allows it to change color. The creators plan to use their developments to hide the military from infrared cameras.

Traditional camouflage patterns do not allow soldiers to hide from infrared sensors. The scientists used a protein film that, when reacting with chemical activators, changes its reflective properties. Thus, soldiers become invisible under infrared conditions.

Based on their research, scientists at the University of California plan to create a fabric that has the ability to dynamically change in color and structure.

Electromagnetic gun in the navy

Within two years, the United States plans to begin using a naval electromagnetic gun. Its development took place over 10 years. The Navy Department invested $250 million in the project.

At this stage of development, the prototype produces a speed 7 times greater than the speed of sound, while the weight of the gun is 23 kilograms. The gun, which has a range of 150 kilometers, is considered the cheapest and safest device. The price of shells is 20 times less than conventional explosive shells.

Experimental smart helmet HEaDS-UP

HEaDS-UP, developed by Revision Military, is a modification of the army helmet. Price – $2000. The experimental development HEaDS-UP has expanded functionality and is designed for improved head protection and shock absorption. This result was achieved thanks to durable fabrics; an additional face shield was also installed. In addition, the helmet makes it possible to integrate elements of augmented reality.

Military equipment - Iron Man suit

Inspired by the movie "Iron Man", the developers decided to create equipment for the future. The US Army Special Branch made a request for a similar suit in 2014.

The main task of such clothing is to make the military stronger and stronger, increase his endurance and speed. The TALOS exoskeleton, the base of the proposed suit, must perform these tasks. This equipment will also make the military several times more aware of his enemy. But it still won’t allow you to fly through the air or move underwater.

The test model is planned to be completed soon, but mass production is promised no earlier than 2018.

Oculus Rift virtual reality helmet for a tanker

VR technologies have been used more than once to train the military. This time the Norwegians decided to use the Oculus Rift helmet, previously intended for gaming. The development was supported by a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. Design began in 2013.

Similar studies have already been conducted before, when military personnel were trained to control a flying drone using a VR helmet.

The helmet, currently being tested by soldiers, is equipped with several external cameras and has a circular viewing angle. A 360-degree panorama is displayed on the Oculus Rift display. The military man sees what is happening around him “through” the walls of the tank.

This review practice provides an increased level of security, military officials say. The tanker should not look out of the hatch to have a complete picture of what is happening. Clear visibility, in turn, ensures coordinated work of the crew. Any information obtained thanks to the Oculus Rift provides additional advantages in battle.

According to forecasts, the cost of the helmet will not exceed $350. Not long ago, Facebook acquired Oculus VR, and the developers claim that the wait for the release of the finished product is very short, and this could significantly affect the reduction in price of the helmet.

Pizza that lasts three years without refrigeration

Pizza, which can not spoil for 3 years, was developed by American researchers in Massachusetts. Military specialists carried out an order from the US Department of Defense. It took 2 years to create the product. Scientists have long struggled with the appearance of mold and microbes. The main reason was the strong release of moisture from some products. The pasta and cheese soaked the dough, thereby causing an undesirable result. The complexity was eliminated by adding more salt and sugar to the test dish and diluting it with syrup (products that eliminate excess moisture content).

In addition, scientists have created packaging for pizza. It is a box made of metal, supplemented with iron elements to absorb oxygen.

I was inspired to create this post by the recent post “11 inventions we owe to wars.” After reading it, I thought: “is there really not a single Russian military invention?” I don’t understand, the aggressor country, as they now say in the West, which gave the world incandescent lamps, radio, electric telegraph, internal combustion engine, etc., did not invent anything in the military sphere? This question interested me and I started digging, and this is what I dug up:

Russian Fedorov assault rifle

The world's first automatic rifle and machine gun were invented by a citizen of the Russian Empire, Lieutenant General of the Engineering and Technical Service V.G. Fedorov. Back in 1905, he proposed a project to convert a repeating rifle of the Mosin system of the 1891 model into an automatic one. And in 1906 he began to develop a fundamentally new automatic rifle. A year before the First World War, Fedorov produced two prototypes. In terms of combat characteristics, his invention turned out to be an intermediate link between a light machine gun and an automatic rifle. It fired both in bursts and single shots. That's why it got the name "automatic". For the first time in the world, one of the companies of the 189th Izmail Infantry Regiment was armed with machine guns and automatic rifles of the Fedorov system. That she underwent special training at the Oranienbaum officer rifle school and was sent to the front in December 1916. Thus, the world's first military unit armed with light automatic weapons appeared in Russia.

Mortar-mortar Gobyato

Hereditary nobleman, Knight of St. George and military design engineer L.N. Gobyato in the Russian-Japanese was the commander of the battery of the 4th East Siberian Rifle Artillery Brigade. When the need arose during the defense of Port Arthur to destroy enemy personnel and cover Japanese firing points (hidden in trenches and ravines) with overhead fire from close range, Gobyato came up with a mortar-mortar right on the front line. He constructed an over-caliber mine with a stabilizer literally from improvised means. The barrels of 47 mm naval guns were mounted on wheeled carriages. When there weren’t enough of them, I simply used metal pipes on wooden blocks. Instead of conventional shells, he used homemade pole mines, which were fired at an angle from 45 to 85° along a hinged trajectory, and could destroy hidden targets inaccessible to machine-gun and artillery fire. Gobyato's invention saved thousands of lives of Russian soldiers and was quickly picked up by military engineers of the Western powers.

Schilder's submarine

Tests of the world's first all-metal submarine designed by K. A. Schilder were carried out on August 29, 1834 in the upper reaches of the Neva. The boat was equipped with a harpoon with a mine installed on it, which was supposed to pierce the armor of an enemy ship. Then the mine was detonated from a safe distance. In addition, movable missile units were installed on the vehicle. The submarine was propelled by four blades, which were turned by four crew members. It was also equipped with some kind of periscope for observing objects on the surface of the water. During testing, the boat reached a speed of about 0.7 km/h. Nicholas I and his advisors approved the idea of ​​further development of the machine.

Aleksandrovsky self-propelled torpedo mine

I.F. Aleksandrovsky went down in history with the submarine project, but was forgotten as the creator of the first Russian self-propelled torpedo mine. In 1861, he completed the design of the submarine and built it in 1866. But his “torpedo”, manufactured a year earlier with homemade means, but which already showed combat potential in the first tests, by Admiral N.N. Krabbe was rated "premature". And officials from the naval department paid considerable money to the English manufacturer Whitehead for his torpedo, which in terms of tactical characteristics was not superior to ours. The idea for a torpedo came to Aleksandrovsky during the construction of the boat. By analogy, I decided to create “a self-propelled torpedo that would run on compressed air and be controlled at depth.” These two positions, which became Whitehead’s “main secret,” would be revealed by the Russian nugget a year before the British “father of the torpedo.” But only 2 years later - in 1868 - he would be allowed to build it using “his own funds with subsequent compensation.” Ultimately, his “independent mine” will have a speed of 10 knots, and Whitehead, bought by the Austrian government for 200 thousand guilders and the British for 15 thousand pounds sterling, only seven.

Mine trawl

The high efficiency of the use of mine weapons by the navies of the warring states forced the search for reliable means of combating mines. After numerous experiments, Lieutenant M.N. Beklemishev invented a new means of combating mines in 1881 - a hemp trawl. It was made of a thick hemp cable about 200 m long, onto which cylindrical weights were placed. When the trawl was dragged along the ground by ships, the cable caught the mine and towed it to shallow water, where it floated up and was destroyed.

Nakashidze armored car

The first Russian armored car is traditionally considered to be an armored car created in 1904 by captain Mikhail Nakashidze. This son of the Georgian prince, cavalry general Alexander Davidovich Nakashidze, served in one of the Siberian Cossack regiments. At the very beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, he decided to create an armored car based on the French Charron 50CV. The car turned out to be so successful that the company itself, Charron, Girardot et Voigt (Charron, Girardot and Voigt), which produced this car, undertook to make such armored cars according to Nakashidze’s design for the Russian and French armies.
The armored car embodied a number of engineering and technical solutions that later became classic: full hull armor, a periscope for safe observation of the battlefield, a machine gun turret of circular rotation, wheels with bullet-resistant rubber tires, the ability to start the engine from the control compartment.

Gusmatik

A. Huss St. Petersburg chemist. Based on gelatin glue and glycerin, he developed a special filler for armored car tires. Light and elastic, after pouring into the tire it hardened and became dry and finely porous. The tires treated in this way were bulletproof and were called gusmatics after the inventor.

Kotelnikov's backpack parachute

Artillery officer Gleb Kotelnikov was an artistic person. And the very idea of ​​​​designing a compact parachute came to him in the theater. After the performance, in the dressing room, I noticed a tight bundle in the lady’s hands; she waved it, and the tight bundle suddenly turned into a huge scarf. And in 1911, almost a year after the tragic death of the Russian pilot Captain Lev Matsievich, which Kotelnikov personally witnessed at the All-Russian Aeronautics Festival, he came up with a fundamentally new free-action aviation backpack parachute RK-1. But when he applied for registration, he was refused. The head of the Russian Air Force, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, feared that “at the slightest failure of the aircraft, pilots would begin to abandon their expensive aircraft in the air.” And only on March 20, 1912 - already in France - Kotelnikov received a patent No. 438 612. The first tests were carried out with a car. The backpack was secured at the back. When the car took off, the parachute cut off the speed so abruptly that the engine stalled. The second - with a balloon. An 80-kilogram mannequin “jumped.” The first human jump from a 60-meter height from a bridge over the Seine was made by Vladimir Ossovsky, a student at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, in Rouen on January 5, 1913. Initially, a silk canopy and slings, divided into 2 groups and attached to the shoulder girths of the suspension system, were put away in a wooden (later aluminum) backpack. In 1923 it was improved to a honeycomb envelope for slings. The Russian army received Kotelnikov's parachute well. In 1917 alone, 65 descents were made.

Filtering carbon gas mask Zelinsky-Kummant

Less than a year after the outbreak of the First World War - on April 22, 1915 - at 3.30 in the morning on the outskirts of the Belgian city of Ypres, the Germans used chemical weapons for the first time in history. 5 thousand soldiers of the Anglo-French coalition died on the spot. A month later, a gas attack on the approaches to Warsaw claimed over a thousand Russian lives. And the whole world rushed to seek protection from a new type of weapon. Industrial air purification devices, as well as multi-layer gauze dressings impregnated with sodium hyposulfite, were of no use on the front lines. Designed in November of the same year by the process engineer of the Triangle plant, E.L., did not become the final panacea. Kummant rubber helmet with goggles. Partially helped to breathe and protected the head. But there was no filter yet that could stop the action of toxic substances. Western scientists have set their sights on chemical scavengers that neutralize specific poisons. And only the Russian organic chemist N.D. Zelinsky began to look for something that would purify the air regardless of the chemical composition of the OM. I noticed that those soldiers who managed to press their faces into the loose earth survived. By association I came to the universal absorber - charcoal. The head of the sanitary evacuation unit of the Russian army, Prince of Oldenburg, tried to introduce non-activated carbon with soda lime, which petrified under the moisture of breath. Zelinsky bet on the activated one. I settled on birch and linden. I was looking for ways to increase its porosity and adsorption. And he achieved it - 1 gram of activated carbon with developed capillarity had an absorbing surface of 15 sq.m. The filters for Kummant's mask were made from it. In 1916, their universal gas mask entered service with the Russian army and was highly appreciated by the allies.

Crawler

On March 12, 1837, the staff captain of the Russian army, Dmitry Andreevich Zagryazhsky, submitted a petition to the Ministry of Finance to issue him a patent for a carriage with a flat-link metal caterpillar. The protocol of the commission that considered the inventor’s proposal states: “from the descriptions and drawings of his invention presented by Zagryazhsky, it is clear that around each ordinary wheel on which the carriage rolls, there is an iron chain, tensioned by hexagonal wheels located in front of the ordinary one. The sides of the hexagonal wheels are equal to the links of the chain, these chains replace to some extent the railway, always presenting the wheel with a smooth and hard surface.” In October 1837 the patent was issued.

Well, according to tradition, not exactly a military theme... Space rocket

Human flight into space... It seemed like a pipe dream, the plot of a science fiction novel. However, the power of the human mind turned out to be more powerful than the force of gravity: Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky became the first in a galaxy of brilliant scientists who managed to overcome the seemingly immutable laws of nature. He not only proved that the only device capable of making a space flight is a rocket, but also developed a model of it, although during his lifetime he was never able to observe the launch of a spacecraft.