ESA's new Invictus space plane could be operational in 2031.

ESA's new space plane “Invictus” is one of the next-generation tools for civil and military space missions. The Invictus looks like the Skylon space plane that BAE recently cancelled. The Invictus could be based on technology that was created for Skylon, but the aircraft will have a more capable team working with it. The European Space Agency (ESA) plans to get Invictus airborne and operational at least in 2031. When we think about the Invictus’s role in space missions, we must first look at the cases where the Cold War-era F-4 Phantoms are planned to be used as satellite cargo missions. Those quite fast fighters will climb as high as they can and then launch miniature satellites into orbit. 

The Invictus can also raise similar satellite carriers to the edge of the atmosphere. And then they can launch those satellites far higher than the F-4 or F-15 Eagle. There have been plans to connect auxiliary rocket packs to the F-4 or F-15 that allow them to jump higher before they release the satellite. 

 The Invictus can have rocket-ramjet or more conventional rocket turbojet hybrid systems. The idea in rocket ramjets is that the ramjet engine raises the space plane to the edge of the atmosphere. Then the iris closes the engine face. And then the engine starts to use an internal oxygen source. In rocket turbojets, the system uses normal turbojet engines in atmospheric flight. 

"A US Vought ASM-135 ASAT missile launch on 13 September 1985, which destroyed P78-1" (Wikipedia, Anti-satellite weapon)

Then the system closes the face of the afterburner, and then that system turns the afterburner into a normal rocket. In the simplest engine solution, the aircraft uses turbojets in the atmosphere. When the flight altitude turns high enough, the system turns to use separated rocket engines. The iris at the front of the turbojet is required because the airflow can damage turbine wings. But if developers can install those orbital rocket engines with some other engine type that decreases the weight of the system. 

The staged system, where the aircraft can operate first with turbojets and then turn to ramjet and finally to scramjet, allows it to fly in the atmosphere at a higher speed using atmospheric oxygen. When that space plane jumps out from the atmosphere, it turns to use rocket mode in ramjet engines. 

There is also an idea about high-altitude airships (HAA), or High Altitude platform stations (HAPS), as the satellite launchers. Those airships can rise to altitudes of about 30 kilometers. They can launch bigger satellite carriers than jet fighters. Those platforms can be airships, balloons, or solar-powered aircraft. HAPS can also use things like internal fuel cells. The HAPS can carry a satellite launcher to high altitude and launch it there. 

The idea of aircraft-based satellite launchers is taken from the U.S. military ASAT, Anti-satellite weapon. The F-15 raises that weapon to the highest point of ballistic trajectory and then that system launches the satellite-killer missile. 

The thing in the satellite launchers is that the same systems can also transport anti-satellite (ASAT) systems to orbiters. Satellites are playing a bigger and bigger role in the modern military. Satellites offer reconnaissance information about enemy movements. And there are also killer satellites in space. ASAT systems can take those killer satellites out. So in that case, they play a counterweapon role. But of course, targeting satellites and military communication satellites are good targets for ASAT weapons. 

So, that means anti-satellite weapons will become more important than ever before. The ASAT weapons can also become more vital than ever before because of suspected fractional orbital bombardment systems (FOBS) or EMP weapons that the enemy launches at orbital trajectory. The ASAT system can eliminate those threats. 

https://www.rudebaguette.com/en/2025/07/theyre-back-from-the-dead-cold-war-f-4-phantoms-revived-to-launch-satellites-and-experts-warn-this-is-military-space-2-0/

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/europe-working-to-launch-invictus-hypersonic-space-plane-by-2031-video

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-satellite_weapon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-altitude_platform_station

Wired drones are hard for defenders.

"Ukrainian FPV drone unspooling the fiber optic cable." (Wikipedia, Fiber optic drone)

The wired, fiber optic drones are new terrifying tools for the drone world. Those drones are impossible to jam, using standard jammer systems. There are, of course, plans to use things like laser rays to cut those drones' control wires. The other thing is that there is a possibility to use extremely high-power EMP weapons against those drones. The difference between a jammer and EMP is that the last one destroys the target's electronics. Actually, that tool is not new at all. 

"In the early 2000’s, US military research agency DARPA developed an idea for a loitering munition controlled by fiber-optic cable under the Close Combat Lethal Recon program, but it was never fielded".  Those DARPA studies were so-called theoretical research. Russian and Ukrainian military forces turned that thing into reality. 

The other way could be to use other drones to follow vehicles that travel on the terrain. The drone can try to use AI-based systems that combine image and sound detection which gives a warning to the military group that the wired drone is coming. And then they can aim things like a shotgun at those drones. 

The other way is to use laser systems that are based on technology that uses lasers to terminate 30 mosquitoes in a second. Those systems require new and more powerful lasers than mosquitoes require. The problems with shotguns and machine-shotguns which are machine guns that use shotgun ammunition are that those systems require physical ammunition. The problem is that there can be thousands of drones. Laser or microwave systems can destroy electronics in those drones. 

And that is one of the things that can protect the defender. The fact is that there is not very much to do against those small and deadly systems. The advancements of drones are very fast. Those systems can operate in many ways. The operator who uses the fiber-optic drone can use wired remote control that allows those operators to stay away from the control unit that sends control signals to the drone. The laser communication systems can also transmit data to the control unit. If that data line is protected by some wall that system is impossible to detect. 

Optical fiber and straight laser communication are hard to jam. The operative distance for those drones is about 50 km. And the thing is that there are many types of variants for those systems. The drone control unit can be in a forest and the system operator can operate the system from a distance using radio-data transmission to a radio. Then that radio can be connected to those control units using electric or optical fibers. The control can happen through the internet. 

The problem with those drones is that they cannot operate over long distances behind the combat areas. The drone strike between trains can happen simply by flying them into another train. And when operators see a target they launch drone swarms against that. The fiber-optic drones require the local operators or some other way to send signals to the drones. 

And the advancement of electronics means that sooner or later the smallest possible drones can use independent target recognition and attack. When that kind of drone gets its mission it will search and attack independently. The lasers and coherent radio waves are things that are also very hard to detect. Those systems can make things like jet fighters cooperate with drone swarms. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiber_optic_drone

The next step is the Chinese robot army.

One of China's priorities in AI is to create a robot army with advanced AI control. The difference between Western nations and China is that the military and security needs are always over the law. There are no rules or limits on how those authorities can collect personal information. 

The Chinese military plans to make an autonomous robot army. Those robots can use even Kung Fu. All robots do not look like humans. Robot dogs can be very versatile systems. Those systems can cooperate with drones that can carry them to roofs and other places where they can make unexpected things. In that case, those robots can operate as teams with quadcopters. 

The robot army is the next logical step in robot and AI development. SciFi writer Isaac Asimov introduced that horrible vision in his novel "The Naked Sun". In that novel, the fictional planet called "Solaria" created the robot mass-army. 

That vision is coming into reality. The AI or large language model, LLM, is a tool that can be used to command any robot in the world. The only thing that the robot requires is an Internet connection. The house-keeping robots like robot hovers are excellent tools for house-keeping. But the question is always: what else does the system make than just clean houses? 

The robot can transmit every single word that person says to the surveillance room. The LLM operates through the modified speech-to-text and text-to-speech applications. The system can select and link certain words to the third party. That party can be the security police. So you can ask yourself why Chinese authorities support a marketing policy, that every single Chinese must get their own tablet computer and own little robot at home. 

The humanoid robots or man-shaped robots are the Swiss army knives for people. Those robots can use any tool and weapon that humans use. The humanoid robots can operate in dangerous places like highly polluted areas. Those robots can operate as housekeepers and they can visit to shop for people. But those robots can also operate as fighter pilots. 

They can connect themselves to the aircraft's communication- and computing units. The humanoid robot can communicate with other systems like drones, satellite surveillance cameras, and even mobile telephones. The humanoid robot can operate as a bodyguard. The difference between people and robots is that robot's skills are computer programs. And robot's mass memories are not like human memory. The operator can erase mission recordings after the robot does its job. 

The robot with an image sensor can recognize any target from the streets. So when a robot recognizes the "enemy" it just can attack the target. And the biggest difference between humans and robots is this: robots have no conscience. That means the robot always does its mission. So, the bodyguard robot can also have a mission to deny things like leaps to the opposite side. So, if high-ranking people talk about prohibited things those robots can arrest them. 

The robot can have a so-called ghost protocol. That means that if the person who owns a robot acts against the state, that thing like wrong words activates that attack mode. Another risk is this: if the robot comes from a country that goes to war with the country where it's shipped the seller can simply download an attack program to the robot. The humanoid robot can look like a dummy or lay figure. When the operational order comes those dummies can jump through windows and march to the gun store. And that is one of the darkest visions in robotics. 

https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2025/04/chinas-military-aims-harness-coming-chatgpt-robotics/404811/

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/us-report-reveals-china-s-plans-to-develop-an-army-of-robot-soldiers-with-advanced-ai/ar-AA1DyCku?ocid=BingNewsSerp

https://www.newsweek.com/china-killer-robots-unitree-robotics-191756

The Chinese military has started to use 3D printing drones.

"China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is testing a system aided by 3D printing and drone deliveries to help the forces repair their equipment in remote locations or during wartime. The PLA is potentially testing this capability."(Interesting Engineering/China combines 3D printing and drones to support troops in combat zones)

"According to the reports, the testing was carried out by a brigade belonging to the PLA’s Northern Theatre Command Air Force." (Interesting Engineering/China combines 3D printing and drones to support troops in combat zones)

This comes just months after the United States Army tried to get this capability and demonstrate it on the front lines.

The 3D printing drones are tools that can make repairings for damaged tools. Those systems can theoretically form any physical form. The drones require only drawings that they should follow. They can make even ships and large-scale structures. 

The 3D printing technology. Along with AI and remote control printers. 

The remote-printing tools can give civil and military users new types of flexibility. The smaller 3D printing system can be mounted in the truck.

And it can create things like drones if it has the microchips for those systems. The high-temperature system can use carbage metals or plastic carbage for the spare parts of the damaged drones. 

The system can create propellers and other parts by using waste. The system melts the waste and then transforms it into the wire, that the 3D system uses. And then. Those systems can create anything that the military needs. The system can melt metals using lasers or some microwave systems, and those tools can be more effective than nobody realizes. 

The air bubbles in the system make those machine parts and other types of 3D-printed items weak. The vacuum workspace and other kinds of things that deny the gas impact on the machine parts remove those bubbles. 

(SCMP.com/ China’s military tests remote 3D printed parts and drone delivery for battlefield: report)

(Interesting Engineering/China combines 3D printing and drones to support troops in combat zones)

The system can use lasers and high-power 3D X- or gamma-ray scanners to search the material errors. The centrifugal sling can separate those raw materials. And the shape of those AI-controlled highly advanced factories can be like a group of containers. Those 3D printing factories can be the systems that emulate living cells and form anything that the users want. 

And spectroscopes to remove artifacts from the raw materials. That allows those systems to create things like guns and other things. Like jet engine spare parts on the battlefield. The 3D printer requires the drawings and material lists from the central computers. 

If there are suitable melting systems and drones those kinds of systems can collect needed materials from their environment. And then. That 3D printing system can create needed things by following orders that the system operators give. This kind of manufacturing system is the most advanced in the world. 

The flexibility is the reason why those systems are planned to be used in space programs. Space drones, or highly maneuverable systems can fix damaged satellites and space stations. 

The space drone is the system there propellers of the regular drones are replaced with rocket engines. Or there can be the rocket. There is a platform that can aim the rocket jet to the sides of the chamber. And when the system inclines that platform it can turn the rocket jet in the wanted direction. That kind of rocket can give orbital drones very accurate movement. 

https://interestingengineering.com/military/china-pla-3d-printing-drone

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3292338/chinas-military-tests-remote-3d-printed-parts-and-drone-delivery-battlefield-report

The tiger awakens.

The new and powerful technology is the tool, that is one of the most dangerous things in the wrong hands. Wrong hands are our counter-players in the global theater. The image in the middle of the text introduces the new Chinese large-size sea drone. The robot ship can be the tool for next-generation naval power. The ship itself looks like some kind of yacht, but it's armed and dangerous. Fast and powerful sea drones that use things like Mach-6-10 railguns are feared things. 

The Chinese military is interested in AI. It is a tool that can make many systems more trusted than manned systems. The problem with manned submarines. A and warships is that they are out of control when they are at sea. That is problematic for the People's Republic of China. The authoritarian communist party causes hate, and especially new high-accurate weapons make warships dangerous for the nation's leaders. The Chinese military has modernized its weapons and other systems. The new tools are large-scale surface and underwater drones. 

"China unveils ‘Killer Whale’ stealth drone ship. The vessel which has a range of more than 7,000km will go on display alongside a collection of aerial drones at the Zhuhai air show" (SCMP, China unveils ‘Killer Whale’ stealth drone ship"

Those large- or full-size surfaces and underwater robots are following predictions. The large-size warships and nuclear submarines have space and electricity for highly advanced computers. That the AI is required to control those systems. The predictions about the full-size nuclear submarine drones that can patrol years underwater were made over 20 years ago. Those nuclear submarines can host any supercomputers. 

"A new photo has emerged of China’s mysterious stealthy corvette or light frigate, an intriguing design with low-observable features, which you can read more about here. In fact, the latest photo raises more questions than it answers, in particular, the presumed HQ-10 surface-to-air missile launcher at the rear of the deckhouse apparently being something else entirely." (TWZ.com, Our Best Look At China’s Stealthy Experimental Corvette)

The new robot surface combatants are a demonstration of the ideas and innovations. The People's Liberation Army wants to introduce the Western navies. When it demonstrates its power. The Chinese military uses industrial spying to steal information. That makes it possible to create new tools for the PLA. The PLA's new stealth corvette looks very much like Swedish Visby class corvettes. The thing is that things like magnetic rail guns that accelerate the ammunition to the speed of Mach 6-10 are things that make those corvettes deadlier than any Western vessels. Those railguns can sweep bunkers out from the beach and damage even large vehicles. 

"China’s rail gun sends smart bomb into stratosphere at hypersonic speed, then something goes wrong. Winged projectile achieves Mach 5, reaching altitude of 15km in test but was sent off course by rotation speeds, investigation shows. Lu Junyong and his team identified the cause of the problem with the help of artificial intelligence and propose solutions in peer-reviewed paper" (SCMP. China’s rail gun sends smart bomb into stratosphere at hypersonic speed, then something goes wrong)

The underwater systems that can shoot missiles, including hypersonic missiles are a very bad threat to Western navies. Those, possibly, nuclear-powered systems can hide underwater even years. And then they can also wait at the enemy, or predict enemy coasts to attack. The large-size robots can carry smaller robots that can slip into the enemy area. 

The new advanced systems are tools that can bring global politics and U.S. support to a critical point. The new advanced systems require more advanced counter systems than predicted. This means that the Pentagon must share also its latest equipment with the Far East and European theaters. 

https://interestingengineering.com/military/china-claims-breakthrough-in-electromagnetic-rail-gun

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3262607/chinas-rail-gun-sends-smart-bomb-stratosphere-hypersonic-speed-then-something-goes-wrong

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3285955/china-unveils-killer-whale-stealth-drone-ship

https://www.twz.com/sea/our-best-look-at-chinas-stealthy-experimental-corvette

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visby-class_corvette

The BAE's solar power military drone: Called the Phasa-35 can replace geostationary satellites.

 The BAE's solar power military drone: Called the Phasa-35 can replace geostationary satellites. 

Phasa-35-drone is one of the HASPs or (High-Altitude Pseudo Satellites). Most of those drones are solar-powered aircraft that use small electric engines. Those high-flying pseudo-satellites can replace orbital satellites at least in AWAC (Aiborne Warning and Control) and airborne observation systems. The typical HASP is a system that uses solar power in the daytime. And night time the system uses batteries. 

The high-flying solar-powered aircraft might look slow. But that kind of aircraft can control areas and make ELINT and other kinds of missions like in civil and military sectors. Those high-flying aircraft can use low-observable technology like stealth materials and intelligent, AI-based jammer systems. They can equipped with lidars, radars, and laser pointers that can point targets from the ground. The high-flying solar power aircraft can offer radar- and radio communication over selected areas. 

The solar-powered drone can get electricity from laser systems. The Humwee-based 10 Kw laser can deliver electricity for those HASPs. But same way things like radio masers can deliver energy to those high-flying platforms. The thing is that the ion-based stealth technology can make those systems survive.

The HASP can also act as a laser platform that points to the targets from the battlefield. And the laser or microwave-based EMP weapon can stop the incoming missiles. The laser weapon that hangs over the battlefield can drop low- and medium-altitude aircraft or drones. That kind of system can be a powerful tool. 

The fact is that the HASP system can be hypersonic if it uses the right propulsion. The electric jet engines or nuclear power can make HASPs more powerful than their creators ever imagined. 

However, the HASP can also use RTG (radioisotope thermoelectric generators). That makes it possible to travel at nighttime. The engineers can mount the RTG system in smaller drones like Predators. The RTG can rotate the same electric engines with solar power systems. 

In some visions, very large drones can use full-scale SMR (Small modular reactors). Those portable modular nuclear reactors or microreactors can give 20 kW power output for their electric power. In some visions. The idea of those high-altitude drones is taken from Convair NB-36H nuclear-powered strategic bomber. The modern systems are more capable than those 1950's systems. Those systems can use electric jet engines for traveling. And they can be highly supersonic stealth bombers or even space planes that can operate either atmosphere or orbital trajectories. 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/fb-5686833/WHAT-PHASA-35-SOLAR-POWERED-DRONES-KEY-STATS.html

https://interestingengineering.com/military/bae-drone-replace-geostationary-satellites

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/westinghouse-unveils-small-modular-nuclear-reactor-2023-05-04/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_modular_reactor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_NB-36H

GPS-bullets and shooting across the corner

GPS-bullets and shooting across the corner

GPS-bullets

Shoot across the corner is one of the vital things in modern urban warfare. That's why there is created the bullets, what are acting like missiles. And the newest technology is predicted to be the GPS bullet, which is created for use against targets, what location is known. This thing would be a modified version of the laser-guided bullet(1). And because all successors of laser-guided ammunition have been GPS-guided projectiles, there is a possibility, that the GPS-guided bullets are also in use in some areas and armies. 

People think that GPS-guided projectiles are effective only against solid targets. The GPS-guided projectiles like a grenade(3) or a bullet can also be used against the moving target. In that case, the shooter keeps the pointing system to the target, and that system will send the location data of target to the satellite, what will send the data to the bullet, and tells, how it must fly. 

The GPS-guided bullet is the most advanced ammunition in the world. This bullet would be used against targets, what position is known, or the tactical guidance system can follow the target, and then update the position of the target even thousands of times per second. This kind of bullets can also have even tens of thousands of waypoints, and that means that they can shoot across the corner and this makes them more suitable than the laser-guided bullets. 

The GPS-bullet is also extremely dangerous because if the targeted person's location is known, the bullet can find that person very sharply. The idea of guided bullets is the same as the guided artillery ammunition. They are acting like small missiles when they are traveling across the air. The GPS must only know the location of the target, and then the computer tells can the bullet be effective, and then it tells the shooter when to pull the trigger.

Corner shot (3) gun, what is created to shoot across the corner 

There is also created guns, which have the articulation that the gun can turn to the right position when the shooter wants to shoot across the corner. Those guns are equipped with screens, which shows the aiming point, and the data is collected from a small action camera. This type of weapon can also send the image to the HUD-screen, which is on the front of the eye of the shooter. When we are thinking intelligent weapons, they can have a small button, which is used to turn the position of the articulation by machine, and that will make possible to aim the gun sharply. 

Those operators, who use that kind of guns can also be equipped with quadcopters, what are the size of the tinderbox. That kind of helicopters can move inside the building, and then tell the location of the enemy to operators. But they can also be equipped with small-caliber weapons like pocket pistols, or they can blow up themselves. They can also have the capacity to launch ammunition by using electric induction, which means that ammunition is launched by the electric spark. 

(1)

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/us-militarys-ultimate-sniper-armed-laser-guided-bullets-45157

(2)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M982_Excalibur

(3)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CornerShot

Image:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Cornershot_eurosatory2006.jpg

Helium 3 and the fusion with military solutions

Helium 3 and the fusion with military solutions

Helium 3 and nanocrystals are giving the possibility to create a new type of energy source, but also the development of the new type of nuclear weapons is possible if the researchers would get helium 3 in their hands. The difference between helium 3 and tritium is that the last one is the isotope of hydrogen.

The helium 3 can be used in nuclear fusion alone, but if researchers would want to use tritium, they must make fusion along with deuterium. The problems with that thing are the things, where we are returning later in this text.

The tritium has two neutrons and one proton in its nucleus, and helium 3 has two protons and one neutron in its nucleus. But tritium has one electron in the outer layer, which makes it act like hydrogen in chemical processes. That means the last one is very reactive gas.  Tritium is planned to use with deuterium what is hydrogen isotope with one neutron and one proton in its nucleus.

One of the most well-known ways to make fusion is to use deuterium and tritium. In this version, the high power laser ray would cause that the nucleus of those isotopes would start to melting to helium, but the thing is that material needs extremely high temperature. The fusion reactor is equipped with high-power magnets, what mission is to keep the fusion material without the touch of the wall of the reactor, what seems little bit donuts, and the magnetic accelerators would rotate and press cave in the extremely hot gas.

The contact with high-temperature plasma and the wall of the reactor would cause the melting the tube, where the plasma travels with extremely high speed, and the magnetic field would press the plasma ring with lasers to 40 million degrees of kelvin. The use of magnetic pressurizer is extremely important because none physical material would stand the heat without vaporizing. 

The use of tritium and deuterium in the fusion is a very popular and long known way to create nuclear fusion, but the problem is that deuterium and tritium fusion needs 40 million kelvin degrees temperature. The production of tritium would happen by bombing the lithium-6 or deuterium with neutrons. The thing in the neutron bombing is that there is needed the neutron source, and that means that this process is needed the nuclear reactor, or sharply to say fission reactor.

That thing doesn't decrease the level of radioactive nuclear waste, and the need for fission and highly radioactive waste would also break the development of acting fusion reactor. But if we would think to use tritium in nuclear weapons, the problem is that this radioactive isotope exists only about eleven years. And that makes problems to store that isotope.

So if we would want to replace fission reactors with fusion reactors, we would need some other fuel source than lithium-6 or deuterium.  If the nuclear researchers would allow using helium 3, that would make possible to store that isotope in the crystals of plutonium. If in some hydrogen bombs is used the plutonium dust, what would drive together, that will make possible to create nuclear detonators, what power output is very sharply calculated.

The use of plutonium crystals would make bigger contact layer with fission material, and the helium 3 would make the increase of power. That crystal dust can drive together by using the detonators or simply the pressure bottle. Or in some scenarios, the plutonium dust would be equipped with the iron bite, which allows pulling those crystals in one bite, and then that will launch the nuclear fission. Those kinds of things are ever spoken when we are discussing the bringing helium 3 from the Moon to Earth.