War_Conflict

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This photo made from footage taken from Russian Defense Ministry official website Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015, shows a Russian Su-24M during a Russian air raid in Syria. Islamic State militants are barricading down for a possible assault on their de facto capital Raqqa, hiding among civilian homes and preventing anyone from fleeing, as international airstrikes intensify on the Syrian city in the wake of the Paris attacks. For many, the threat of missiles and bombs from the enemies of Islamic State is more of an immediate threat than the vicious oppression of the jihadis’ themselves. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

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FILE - This undated file image posted on a militant website on Jan. 14, 2014, which has been verified and is consistent with other AP reporting, shows fighters from the al-Qaida linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) marching in Raqqa, Syria. slamic State militants are barricading down for a possible assault on their de facto capital Raqqa, hiding among civilian homes and preventing anyone from fleeing, as international airstrikes intensify on the Syrian city in the wake of the Paris attacks. For many, the threat of missiles and bombs from the enemies of Islamic State is more of an immediate threat than the vicious oppression of the jihadis’ themselves. (AP Photo/Militant Website, File)

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Soldiers operate in St. Denis, a northern suburb of Paris, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015. Authorities in the Paris suburb of St. Denis are telling residents to stay inside during a large police operation near France's national stadium that two officials say is linked to last week's deadly attacks. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

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Police forces prepare in Paris on Wednesday after reports of a shooting in the northern suburb of Saint-Denis. (Associated Press)

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This undated file photo provided by French Police shows 26-year old Salah Abdeslam, who is wanted by police in connection with recent terror attacks in Paris, as police investigations continue Friday, Nov. 13, 2015. French police released the wanted notice and photo of the suspect on the run since the attacks in Paris on Friday. The notice, released on the France National Police Twitter account, says anyone seeing Salah Abdeslam, should consider him dangerous. (Police Nationale via AP)

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National Edition News cover for November 18, 2015 - A stretched FBI fears for the holidays: Heavily armed FBI agents gather next door to 410 Norfolk Street in Cambridge, Mass., Friday, April 19, 2013. Two suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing killed an MIT police officer, injured a transit officer in a firefight and threw explosive devices at police during a getaway attempt in a long night of violence that left one of them dead and another still at large Friday, authorities said as the manhunt intensified for a young man described as a dangerous terrorist. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

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According to CNN, police officers were shot and wounded in a raid that is part of the hunt for suspect Salah Abdeslam. (Associated Press)

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French police check vehicles at the border crossing between France and Belgium as part of the hunt for fugitives in the Paris attacks. (Associated Press)

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German police officers search between the seats of the stadium prior to a soccer match between Germany and the Netherlands in Hanover on Tuesday. Authorities canceled the game, citing a "concrete" threat of an explosives attack at a stadium. (Associated Press photographs)

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unstoppable: French supporters wave their national flag during a soccer match Tuesday between England and France at Wembley Stadium in London. The countries decided to proceed with the match despite the attacks in Paris on Friday night that killed scores of people. Story, B13. (Associated Press)

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"We are not well served when, in response ot a terrorist attack, we descend into fear and panic," President Obama said at a summit in Manila, the Phillipines. "We don't make good decisions if its based on hysteria or an exaggeration of risks." (Associated Press)

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"Why won't President Obama use the term Islamic terrorism?" Donald Trump asked pointedly. "Isn't it now, after all of this time and so much death, about time?" (Associated Press)

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Police guard a street in which special intervention forces search a house in the Molenbeek neighborhood in Brussels on Tuesday. "We don't have control of the situation in Molenbeek at present," Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon admitted during a television news interview on Sunday. (Associated Press)

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This undated evidence photo released by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston shows weapons seized when Alexander Ciccolo was arrested in Adams, Mass. Ciccolo is charged in a federal complaint with possessing firearms after being previously convicted of a felony, and is accused of plotting to commit terrorist acts in support of extremists. (U.S. Attorney's Office via AP)

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Sen. Tom Cotton, Arkansas Republican, said the increasing worldwide threat posed by the Islamic State, as evidenced by last week's deadly Paris attacks, shows the U.S. needs to continue build data collection efforts to head off any future attacks. (Associated Press)

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Tim Constantine reports on the possible discrimination against Christian refugees, Obama's plea for Americans to welcome Muslims, and the return of a Woman of the Year award.

MAARSRobot

The Modular Advanced Armed Robotic System (MAARS) is a robot that is being developed by Qinetiq. A member of the TALON family, it will be the successor to the armed SWORDS robot. It has a different, larger chassis than the SWORDS robot, so has little physically in common with the SWORDS and TALON robots. The MAARS platform was designed for reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA) to increase security at forward locations. It can be configured for non-lethal, less-lethal, and lethal effects. The system weighs 369 lb fully loaded with sensors, weapons, and ammunition. Its battery can last 312 hours, with a sleep mode to last for up to one week. The MAARS can move at 7 mph and travel 8001000 meters from its controller. It has a seven cameras for driving, situational awareness, and for the weapon that can operate in daytime or thermal modes. MAARS is armed with an M240B machine gun and four M203 grenade launcher tubes on a 360 degree rotating turret. It carries 450 rounds of machine gun ammo and four grenade rounds. Grenades can include sponge, buckshot, and tear gas for less-lethal purposes, and explosive and airburst for lethal purposes. Each tube is loaded individually, allowing lethal and less-lethal capabilities to be available and selected when needed. Other features include an on-board loudspeaker to communicate, a siren, a laser dazzler, and a gunfire detection system. The weapons system can be replaced with a manipulator arm that can lift 120 lbs., making it able to pick up 155 mm artillery rounds, and can pull over 300 lbs.

black_knight

The Black Knight is a prototype unmanned ground combat vehicle designed by BAE Systems. It weighs approximately 12 tons and is deployable from a C-130; thus, the Black Knight can be airlifted by military transport aircraft. Similar in appearance to a tank, it is armed with a turret-mounted 30 mm gun and a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun. The vehicle is fitted with a 300-horsepower Caterpillar Corporation diesel engine. The vehicle is currently being evaluated by the US Army. It is a proof of concept for military unmanned vehicles, specifically as a combat asset.

ActiveDenialSystem

The Active Denial System (ADS) is a non-lethal, directed-energy weapon developed by the U.S. military, designed for area denial, perimeter security and crowd control. Informally, the weapon is also called the heat ray since it works by heating the surface of targets, such as the skin of targeted human subjects. Raytheon is currently marketing a reduced-range version of this technology. The ADS was deployed in 2010 with the United States military in the Afghanistan War, but was withdrawn without seeing combat. On August 20, 2010, theLos Angeles Sheriff's Department announced its intent to use this technology on prisoners in the Pitchess Detention Center in Los Angeles, stating its intent to use it in "operational evaluation" in situations such as breaking up prisoner fights. The ADS is currently only a vehicle-mounted weapon, though U.S. Marines and police are both working on portable versions. ADS was developed under the sponsorship of the DoD Non-Lethal Weapons Program with the Air Force Research Laboratory as the lead agency. There are reports that Russia and China are developing their own versions of the Active Denial System.

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This photo released on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015 by the French Army Communications Audiovisual office (ECPAD) shows a French army Rafale jet on the tarmac of an undisclosed air base as part of France's Operation Chammal launched in September 2015 in support of the US-led coalition against Islamic State group. France launched fresh airstrikes on the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa in Syria days after attacks in Paris linked to the group killed at least 129 people. (Sebastien Dupont/ECPAD via AP)