21st Century soldier

A hi-tech cocoon of communications, armor, and navigation gear will make tomorrow's infantryman more aware of what's happening on the battlefield -- and more lethal. Soldiers outfitted with Land Warrior systems carried out several successful field exercises that demonstrated how the equipment improved their situational awareness and communication abilities. Infantrymen can stay in contact with other platoon members as well as field commanders using the Land Warrior's communication suite. Environmental sensors that are part of the LW system measure winds speed and direction. This data is fed to an onboard ballistic computer which helps the soldier more accurately aim his grenade launcher. Soldiers using Land Warrior can use direction and range information from similarly-equipped soldiers to locate and fire on targets he cannot see directly. The computer runs a 166-MHz Pentium with 236 Mbytes of RAM and 800 Mbytes of flash disk for storing maps, graphics, orders and other tactical aids. The GIs of the future will little resemble those of World War II, Vietnam, or even Desert Storm. Forget the old walkie talkies, talking in code over back-pack-sized field radios, and navigating by the seat of the pants. And no one will be cooking C-rations in their helmets. Instead, if military planners in the DoD succeed, Army ground pounders will be outfitted with Land Warrior (LW). It is a self-contained, wearable weapon that integrates wireless communication gear, computers, GPS navigation, a thermal imager, laser range finder, and a host of other devices. Soldiers wearing it should have an edge in "situational awareness, lethality, survivability, mobility, and sustainment"