Five of the Most Impressive Military Technology Advances

Whenever technology springs into the mind, images of iPods, cell phones, and computers jump to the front of the line. But while technology does exist to entertain, to help connect, or to make lives easier, it can also be harnessed to perform for military purposes. Those same technological advances can also be used to perform deadly acts that can change the course of history, let alone a battle. While much of the tech on the battlefield can help save lives, this job is often accomplished by taking another life or by wreaking massive destruction. Some of the greatest technological advances in military technology include these five impressive accomplishments, and one thing is certain: we have come a long way from the bow & arrow.

Satellite Reconnaissance & Imagery

While not unlike a Tom Clancy book, using satellites to spy on the enemy is relatively important element of the military. Satellites also allow for the tracking of troops and can be used to pinpoint the position of ships, planes, and just about everything else needed for battle. Using this type of technology can save lives by properly diagnosing hot spots and dispatching the proper personnel and equipment to deal with the problem.

Stealth Technology

While not exactly Wonder Woman's invisible jet, making a plane invisible to radar, or at least look like something other than a plane capable of massive destruction, is a particularly fearful enterprise. Imagine not knowing when the enemy is coming or when the bombs will start dropping. Stealth technology makes a lot of options possible that offer safer alternatives than sending in a squadron of bombers.

Laser Guided Bombs

Laser guided anything provides pinpoint accuracy on the battlefield. Once a bomb or missile has locked onto the laser signature, it makes a straight line and destroys the appropriate target. Not only does this technology make weapons more deadly, but also it saves the wrong target from being hit and subsequently destroyed. Laser guidance systems provide the accuracy that military commanders desire and require.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

The fact that drones or pilotless aircrafts can zoom around enemy territory taking out target after target while the pilot is miles away is an impressive feat. Sure, this development seems to reduce war to a video game, but machinery is replaceable and those pilots are not. UAV's offer a degree of flexible options that include taking out targets or even dropping off supplies, all accomplished without putting a human pilot in danger.

Nuclear Bombs

Yes, still at the pinnacle of military technology is a nuclear arsenal capable of destroying a target and everything in the target's vicinity. The entire landscape of power on Earth can be attributed to these terrible pieces of technology. Of course the atomic bomb changed World War II, but also serves as a dreadful reminder of what could happen today if the more powerful versions of those bombs are used in any way.