Futuristic weapons from the films “Terminator” and “Predator” are now in service: science fiction has come to life.

Photo: Philip Lopez/AFP via Getty Images

The specifics of modern military conflicts, in particular in Ukraine, stimulate gunsmiths to create and implement the most advanced types of weapons, some of which already fully correspond to models from the future that previously existed only in science fiction films. Reporter Briefly about collected information about the most advanced weapons.

Futuristic helmet from “Starship” The American defense company Anduril Industries designed and launched to make an AI helmet and EagleEye digital glass protection system for US Army Special Forces. And soon he will hand over approximately 100 copies of his new helmet to the troops.

EagleEye includes a helmet, visor and goggles. The systems are also designed to balance the weight and align the sensors relative to the user’s center of gravity. Different models of this helmet will have modular additions and many common elements, such as chips and vision sensors. They will differ in more unusual components, such as thermal imaging sensors and distance sensors. Some systems will be heavier and bulkier, and configurations will differ for night and day applications. And individual helmet prototypes can even be combined with army rifles, and they are able to help soldiers improve their aiming processes.

“Has everyone read Star Trek? Its author, Robert Heinlein, invented this thing back in the 1960s. Now his dreams have come true.

The optics built into the EagleEye military helmet will allow you to see the enemy through walls. Photo: anduril.com

Invisibility system from “Predator” In the famous film “Predator” with Arnold Schwarzenegger, his opponent – the Predator – uses a cloaking system that made him invisible. And now the company BAE Systems has created a real technology of invisibility – the ADAPTIV system.

ADAPTIV uses hexagonal blocks that cover the APC from the outside. These cells adjust their heating and cooling depending on the environment, masking infrared sensors and rendering thermal images of other objects – vehicles, animals or the landscape – to visually confuse the enemy. The object merges with the surrounding background and becomes almost invisible in the infrared spectrum. The hexagonal plates can display heat signals to identify allied forces.

The hexagonal plates can display heat signatures to identify friendly forces. Photo: army-guide.com

Lasers from “Star Wars” Lasers also used to be only a fantastic detail of combat sequences in the movies, now they are gradually becoming part of the real military toolkit. For example, the British Navy plans to equip four of its warships with laser weapons by 2027. The DragonFire system is capable of hitting a £1 coin at a distance of a kilometer and shooting down drones up to 5km away.

It can cut through metal, disable guided missiles, or detonate munitions near the target. DragonFire combines precision and efficiency with economy. Each launch with DragonFire costs about $13 and is essentially renewable because it uses energy instead of conventional ammunition.

The High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD) is a solid-state laser capable of delivering 10 kilowatts on board a tactical vehicle. It can clearly track, target and engage a target in a matter of seconds, recognizing potential threats such as mortars, missiles and drones. Because the system is mounted on a cargo vehicle and has its own power source, it can deliver more accurate launches and still be more cost-effective to operate than typical kinetic weapons currently in the military. In the future, engineers plan to reduce the size of the system and increase its power to 100 kilowatts.

The DragonFire laser can hit a coin a kilometer away. Photo: wikipedia.org

AI tanks and drones from “Terminator” Autonomous combat systems based on artificial intelligence are increasingly similar to the plot of the popular film “Terminator”, with its T‑1000 robots that rebel against humanity. For example, the Phalanx Close Combat System (CIWS), which protects British and other warships, independently identifies threats. On the cruiser USS Cowpens (CG 63), the Phalanx system is capable of firing at a maximum rate of up to 4,500 rounds per minute.

A new Modular Advanced Armed Robotic System (MAARS) is being deployed on the modern battlefield. MAARS is a small tracked vehicle equipped with various weapons. It is capable of detecting movement, equipped with night and day vision cameras, an enemy fire detection system and more, making it essentially a multi-purpose target destruction machine.

The MAARS-like Black Knight robot is a small tank – and works similarly. It is a small universal armored vehicle capable of performing the functions of a full-sized tank without the need for an operator inside. Of course, it has greater maneuverability and eliminates the risk to the human crew, who normally operate a tank of four.

Thanks to the Adaptiv camouflage system, tanks become “invisible”. Photo: army-guide.com

In March 2025, the US Air Force demonstrated its first fully unmanned fighter jets, the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A. These devices are intended for independent flight and independent performance of combat missions; at the same time, the YFQ-44A can climb to an altitude of up to 15,200 m and reach a speed of over 1,046 km/h.

A similar concept is embodied in other modern fighters, such as the Chinese AVIC Dark Sword and the Australian MQ‑28 Ghost Bat. Considering that reconnaissance and spy drones already are in active use and swarms of drones are under active development, most military experts believe that this marks the beginning of a new era of overseas combat operations.

Unmanned aircraft are already in use in the US military. Photo: https://building-tech.org/

Space Marine rifles with AI The MileMaker rifle from TrackingPoint is already the weapon of the future. It is an “intelligent” rifle, equipped with a computer system capable of determining the exact place where the bullet will hit. It calculates wind speed, temperature and other atmospheric data to calculate the exact point of impact of the bullet, when even a sniper would not be able to see it through the optics. This, in turn, frees some of the work from the sniper and allows you to make more accurate shots in the same time. In addition, such a rifle allows you to become a sniper without long training and make up to 70% accurate shots at a distance of one and a half kilometers, which will be an excellent result for any shooter. The weapon can also be connected to a wireless device and transmit the video recorded by the rifle to headquarters.

Another rifle, the Personnel Halting and Stimulation Response Rifle (PHASR), can stun a target. PHASR does this by temporarily blinding the target with two lasers operating at different wavelengths. The beam has a temporary blinding effect. The PHASR also includes a second laser that acts as a safe rangefinder so that the operator can engage the target at any range without risking his own vision.

Today, artificial intelligence is actively integrated into the strategy of combat, surveillance and control of unmanned systems. Many air forces are developing AI-powered drones that can operate alongside manned fighter jets. Among such systems are autonomous machine gun stations, such as the Bullfrog Gun Turret, capable of independently targeting, tracking and neutralizing a target with high accuracy, surpassing the capabilities of a human sniper.

The PHASR rifle can stun and blind the enemy. Photo: wikipedia.org

Source: kp.ua