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95-595: The Avenger was originally developed for the United States Armed Forces and is currently used by the U.S. Army . The Avenger system was also used by the U.S. Marine Corps . Originally developed as a private venture by Boeing in the 1980s, the Avenger was developed over a period of only 10 months from initial concept to delivery for testing to the U.S. Army. Initial testing was conducted in May 1984 at

190-556: A Stryker armored vehicle fitted with heavier weapons to replace the outdated, unarmored, and undergunned Avenger Humvee. In November 2022, four Avenger air defense systems were included as part of a $ 400 million military aid package supporting Ukraine during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine to defend critical civilian infrastructure against cruise missile and Iranian-made Shahed-136 lethal drone attacks which were launched by Russia in October 2022 . Another eight were included in

285-511: A laser rangefinder in combination with an antenna on the warhead to direct the missile on target. The Stingers shot down an MQM-170C Outlaw and a smaller, unidentified system, demonstrating the fuze's ability to detect and destroy moving mini-drones weighing as little as 2–20 kg (4.4–44.1 lb). On 30 September 2020, the U.S. Army awarded General Dynamics a contract to deliver the Interim Maneuver SHORAD (IM-SHORAD),

380-499: A Stryker with the Avenger turret to fulfill the Army's Interim Maneuver-Short-Range Air Defense (IM-SHORAD) requirement, the Army ultimately decided against the idea, feeling it would require major modifications to the vehicle and because of the company's desire for the service to supply the turrets, of which there were a limited amount existing readily in the inventory. During a 2017 joint French-Egyptian naval exercise, an AN/TWQ-1 Avenger

475-688: A laser rangefinder on them is difficult. The first commercial laser rangefinder was the Barr & Stroud LF1, developed in association with Hughes Aircraft , which became available in 1965. This was then followed by the Barr & Stroud LF2, which integrated the rangefinder into a tank sight, and this was used on the Chieftain tank in 1969, the first vehicle so-equipped with such a system. Both systems used ruby lasers. Laser rangefinders are used extensively in 3D object recognition , 3D object modelling, and

570-500: A modified heavy Humvee . The turret has two Stinger missile launcher pods, each capable of firing up to 4 fire-and-forget infrared / ultraviolet guided missiles in rapid succession. The Avenger can be linked to the Forward Area Air Defense Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence (FAAD C3I) system, which permits external radar tracks and messages to be passed to the fire unit to alert and cue

665-639: A package in January 2023. The first arrived in Europe in early February and were seen in service by late March. Ukraine has received in total some 20 units, as of September 2024, with the crews being trained in Europe by United States instructors. The Avenger comes mainly in three configurations, the Basic, Slew-to-Cue, and the Up-Gun. The Basic configuration consists of a gyro-stabilized air defense turret mounted on

760-669: A room. These devices can be found in hardware stores and online marketplaces. Laser rangefinders can vary in price, depending on the quality and application of the product. Military grade rangefinders need to be as accurate as possible and must also reach great distances. These devices can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. For civilian applications, such as hunting or golf, devices are more affordable and much more readily accessible. Laser rangefinders are divided into four classes and several subclasses. Laser rangefinders available to consumers are usually laser class 1 or class 2 devices and are considered relatively eye-safe. Regardless of

855-632: A single organization. The mission of Army Aviation is to find, fix and destroy any enemy through fire and maneuver and to provide combat support and combat service support in coordinated operations as an integral member of the combined arms team. Major aircraft include the AH-64 Apache , which serves as the Army's attack helicopter, the UH-60 Black Hawk , and the CH-47 Chinook for troop and cargo transport. Army Aviation also flies

950-458: A special operations force, Army Rangers are generally better equipped than standard infantry, utilizing the FN SCAR rifle. Army Special Forces , commonly known as Green Berets after their iconic headgear, are among the most elite soldiers in the Army. Special Forces conduct: Army Special Forces are trained in military free-fall parachuting and combat diver skillsets. They are considered

1045-414: A target to within a meter at distances on the order of three kilometers. Despite the beam being narrow, it will eventually spread over long distances due to the divergence of the laser beam, as well as due to scintillation and beam wander effects, caused by the presence of water droplets in the air acting as lenses ranging in size from microscopic to roughly half the height of the laser beam's path above

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1140-472: A test on Eglin Air Force Base , marking the missile's first interception of a UAV target. While Stingers are usually loaded with direct impact warheads for use against aircraft and cruise missiles, these were equipped with proximity fuzes that enabled them to detonate near the target, giving them the ability to destroy small UAVs. Since small UAVs do not produce large heat signatures, the Avenger uses

1235-483: A test. Boeing have proposed that the Avenger PMS turret could be mounted on other vehicles such as Unimog truck, BV-206 all-terrain vehicles, M113 APC, and M548 tracked cargo carrier as well as being used as a stationary ground mount on a pallet for defense of static targets. The Avenger PMS has been demonstrated with a mock-up of two 70 mm helicopter-type rocket pods carrying a total of 36 rockets to give

1330-522: A tripod or directly on a vehicle, ship, jet, helicopter or gun platform. In the latter case the rangefinder module is integrated with on-board thermal, night vision and daytime observation equipment. The most advanced military rangefinders can be integrated with computers. To make laser rangefinders and laser-guided weapons less useful against military targets, various military arms may have developed laser-absorbing paint for their vehicles. Regardless, some objects don't reflect laser light very well and using

1425-483: A wide variety of computer vision -related fields. This technology constitutes the heart of the so-called time-of-flight 3D scanners . In contrast to the military instruments, laser rangefinders offer high-precision scanning abilities, with either single-face or 360-degree scanning modes. A number of algorithms have been developed to merge the range data retrieved from multiple angles of a single object to produce complete 3D models with as little error as possible. One of

1520-570: Is assigned a role and domain. The Army conducts land operations. The Navy and Marine Corps conduct maritime operations, the Marine Corps specializing in amphibious and maritime littoral operations primarily for supporting the Navy. The Air Force conducts air operations. The Space Force conducts space operations. The Coast Guard is unique in that it specializes in maritime operations and is also a law enforcement agency. From their inception during

1615-578: Is capable of providing magnetic azimuth, inclination, and height (length) of targets. Some rangefinders can also measure a target's speed in relation to the observer. Some rangefinders have cable or wireless interfaces to enable them to transfer their measurement(s) data to other equipment like fire control computers. Some models also offer the possibility to use add-on night vision modules. Most handheld rangefinders use standard or rechargeable batteries. The more powerful models of rangefinders measure distance up to 40 km and are normally installed either on

1710-451: Is given by where c is the speed of light and t is the amount of time for the round-trip between A and B. where φ is the phase delay made by the light traveling and ω is the angular frequency of optical wave. Then substituting the values in the equation, In this equation, λ is the wavelength ⁠ c / f ⁠ ; Δφ is the part of the phase delay that does not fulfill π (that is, φ modulo π ); N

1805-555: Is led by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , who is the military head of the armed forces and principal advisor to the president and secretary of defense on military matters. Their deputy is the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . Other members include the chief of staff of the Army , commandant of the Marine Corps , chief of naval operations , chief of staff of the Air Force , chief of space operations , and

1900-584: Is now one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Should it be called into active duty again, it would constitute a seventh branch of the Armed Forces. The United States Space Force was established as an independent service on 20 December 2019. It is the sixth branch of the U.S. military and the first new branch in 72 years. The origin of the Space Force can be traced back to

1995-522: Is the integer number of wave half-cycles of the round-trip and Δ N the remaining fractional part. Time of flight - this measures the time taken for a light pulse to travel to the target and back. With the speed of light known, and an accurate measurement of the time taken, the distance can be calculated. Many pulses are fired sequentially and the average response is most commonly used. This technique requires very accurate sub- nanosecond timing circuitry. Multiple frequency phase-shift - this measures

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2090-492: Is the use of laser rangefinder technology during the automation of stock management systems and production processes in steel industry. Laser rangefinders are also used in several industries like construction, renovation and real estate as alternatives to tape measures , and was first introduced by Leica Geosystems in 1993 in France . To measure a large object like a room with a tape measure, one would need another person to hold

2185-527: Is the world's 12th-largest maritime force. The history of the U.S. Armed Forces dates back to 14 June 1775, with the creation of the Continental Army , even before the Declaration of Independence marked the establishment of the United States. The Continental Navy , established on 13 October 1775, and Continental Marines , established on 10 November 1775, were created in close succession by

2280-555: Is unique in that it is a military branch specializing in maritime operations and also a law enforcement agency. The United States Army (USA) is the United States Armed Forces' land force and is the largest and oldest service. Originally established in 1775 as the Continental Army , it consists of one million soldiers across the Regular Army, Army Reserve , and Army National Guard . The Army serves as

2375-723: The 10th Mountain Division , 11th Airborne Division , 25th Infantry Division , 82nd Airborne Division , 101st Airborne Division , and 173rd Airborne Brigade have a cavalry squadron equipped with the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle . The Field Artillery's mission is to destroy, suppress or neutralize the enemy by cannon, rocket or missile fire. Rocket systems include the M142 HIMARS and M270 multiple launch rocket system , which are corps-level assets found in field artillery brigades. Towed artillery includes

2470-523: The 11th Airborne Division , 82nd Airborne Division , and 173rd Airborne Brigade are capable of airborne operations, in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force's transport aircraft. Finally, Infantry Brigade Combat Teams assigned to the 10th Mountain Division specialize in mountain warfare . Standard Infantry Brigade Combat Teams are assigned to the 25th Infantry Division , which offers additional training in jungle warfare . Armored Brigade Combat Teams comprise mechanized infantry battalions mounted in

2565-400: The 4th Infantry Division . Each Armored Brigade Combat Team also possesses a cavalry squadron equipped with M2 Bradleys for scouting and security. Stryker Brigade Combat Teams from the 2nd Infantry Division , 4th Infantry Division , 11th Airborne Division , 2nd Cavalry Regiment , and 3rd Cavalry Regiment have a cavalry squadron equipped with Strykers . Infantry Brigade Combat Teams from

2660-524: The 75th Ranger Regiment are an elite special operations infantry force in the United States Army Special Operations Command , specializing in air assault and airborne infiltration methods. The three primary missions of the 75th Ranger Regiment are special operations raids , forcible entry operations, such as an airfield seizure to enable the Air Force to bring in more forces, and special reconnaissance . As

2755-749: The Air Force Space Command , which was formed 1 September 1982 and was a major command of the United States Air Force. The U.S. Congressional Research Office annually publishes a List of Notable Deployments of U.S. Military Forces Overseas since 1798. Presidential command over the U.S. Armed Forces is established in Article II in the Constitution whereby the president is named as the " Commander in Chief of

2850-546: The American Revolutionary War , the U.S. Armed Forces have played a decisive role in the country's history . They helped forge a sense of national unity and identity through victories in the early-19th-century First and Second Barbary Wars . They played a critical role in the territorial evolution of the U.S. , including the American Civil War . The National Security Act of 1947 created

2945-733: The Dakota Access Pipeline near Standing Rock, the North Dakota National Guard deployed an Avenger system as an observation platform. It was employed for over a month to observe areas within Morton County where numerous instances of criminal trespass and mischief had occurred. The unarmed Avenger was used to support public safety in southern Morton County. The Avenger system was removed in order to deescalate any tensions its presence may have caused. In April 2017, an Avenger fired Stingers at two UAVs in

AN/TWQ-1 Avenger - Misplaced Pages Continue

3040-538: The Department of the Navy , which is a military department under the leadership of the secretary of the Navy and the under secretary of the Navy . The U.S. Marine Corps itself is led by the commandant of the Marine Corps and the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps , both generals who are advised by the sergeant major of the Marine Corps . The Marine Corps statutory mission is outlined in 10 U.S.C.   § 5063 and as originally introduced under

3135-690: The FIM-92 Stinger man-portable air-defense system , AN/TWQ-1 Avenger for short range air defense , and the counter rocket, artillery, and mortar 20mm gun system. The Iron Dome provides air defense against rockets, artillery, mortars, missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles. The MIM-104 Patriot is capable of defeating a wide range of threats including aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, ballistic and cruise missiles, and Weapons of Mass Destruction. The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense protects strategic critical assets by conducting long-range endo-and-exo-atmospheric engagements of ballistic missiles using

3230-620: The M119 howitzer in infantry brigade combat teams and the M777 howitzer found in both infantry and Stryker brigade combat teams. The M109 self-propelled howitzer is utilized in armored brigade combat teams. During the Cold War, Army field artillery was responsible for the service's ballistic missile programs, including the PGM-11 Redstone , which was the first large ballistic missile in

3325-671: The M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle . Divisions with Armored Brigade Combat Teams include the 1st Infantry Division , 3rd Infantry Division , 4th Infantry Division , 1st Armored Division , and 1st Cavalry Division . Stryker Brigade Combat Teams are centered around Stryker infantry battalions operating out of the Stryker . Divisions with Stryker Brigade Combat Teams include the 2nd Infantry Division , 4th Infantry Division , 11th Airborne Division , 2nd Cavalry Regiment , and 3rd Cavalry Regiment . United States Army Rangers with

3420-540: The M242 Bushmaster as its close defense weapon. Test firing demonstrations of this variant took place in 2004. It is modified by re-locating the M3P machine gun over the turret cab to allow a 360-degree field of fire, increasing ready-use machine gun ammunition stowage to 600 rounds, and providing the option to substitute launchers for 2 FGM-148 Javelin missiles in place of 1 Stinger pod. In February 2012, Raytheon

3515-712: The MQ-1C Gray Eagle drone. A specialized unit within Army Aviation, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) serves as a special operations unit and operates modified variants of the MH-60 Black Hawk, MH-47 Chinook, and the MH-6 Little Bird . The U.S. Army is organized into four major Army Commands, nine Army Service Component Commands which serve as the Army component and joint force land component commanders for

3610-534: The Marine Corps Reserve . The Marine Corps maintains a very close relationship with the U.S. Navy, its sister service in the Department of the Navy. Although the Marine Corps has previously operated as an independent land force alongside the Army, its primary purpose is to serve as part of a unified naval service alongside the Navy in the maritime domain. The U.S. Marine Corps is organized under

3705-474: The National Security Act of 1947 , with its three primary areas of responsibility including: Laser rangefinder A laser rangefinder , also known as a laser telemeter , is a rangefinder that uses a laser beam to determine the distance to an object. The most common form of laser rangefinder operates on the time of flight principle by sending a laser pulse in a narrow beam towards

3800-738: The Second Continental Congress in order to defend the new nation against the British Empire in the American Revolutionary War . These forces demobilized in 1784 after the Treaty of Paris ended the Revolutionary War. The Congress of the Confederation created the current United States Army on 3 June 1784. The United States Congress created the current United States Navy on 27 March 1794 and

3895-554: The chief of the National Guard Bureau . The commandant of the Coast Guard is not an official member of the Joint Chiefs, but sometimes attends meetings as one of the military service chiefs. The senior enlisted advisor to the chairman is the most senior enlisted member in the United States Armed Forces. Leadership of the Armed Forces, to include the president of the United States, the secretary of defense ,

AN/TWQ-1 Avenger - Misplaced Pages Continue

3990-533: The deputy secretary of defense , deputy secretary of homeland security , and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . Military leadership, including the secretary of defense, the secretary of Homeland Security, and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also sit on the National Space Council . Unified combatant commands are joint military commands consisting of forces from multiple military departments, with their chain of command flowing from

4085-603: The joint force land component , Navy components are typically dual-hatted as the joint force maritime component , and Air Force components are typically dual-hatted as the joint force air component , with the theater special operations command dual-hatted as the joint force special operations component, and Space Force component typically dual-hatted as the joint force space component. Combat support agencies are Department of Defense agencies with combat support missions that service operating forces planning or conducting military operations. This includes support during conflict or in

4180-615: The military forces of the United States . The armed forces consist of six service branches : the Army , Marine Corps , Navy , Air Force , Space Force , and Coast Guard . All six armed services are among the eight uniformed services of the United States , along with the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps . Each of the different military services

4275-465: The rifleman's rule , but it's usually much easier if you let a rangefinder do it when you are out hunting. In golfing where time is most important, a laser rangefinder comes useful in locating distance to the flag. However not all features are 100% legal for golf tournament play. Many hunters in the eastern U.S. don't need a rangefinder, although many western hunters need them, due to longer shooting distances and more open spaces. An important application

4370-558: The secretary of Homeland Security and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are members of the United States National Security Council , which advises the president on national security, military, and foreign policy matters. The national security advisor , the homeland security advisor , and the deputy national security advisor may also be members of the United States Armed Forces. The National Security Council Deputies Committee also includes

4465-410: The sergeant major of the Army . The Army's primary responsibility is to conduct prompt and sustained land combat as part of the joint force. Army landpower focuses on destroying an enemy's armed forces, occupying its territory, and breaking the will of an adversary. The five core competencies of the Army are: The thirteen specified functions of the Army are: The Infantry Branch forms the core of

4560-541: The unified combatant commands , and thirteen direct reporting units. The United States Marine Corps (USMC) serves as the U.S. Armed Forces' naval land force, responsible for executing amphibious warfare and operating in the maritime littorals in support of the U.S. Navy. Originally established in 1775 as the Continental Marines , the Marine Corps consists of the Regular Marine Corps and

4655-491: The Air Force through its Air and Missile Defense Commands and the Space Force through Army Space and Missile Defense Command, given their shared missile defense and space roles. In 1962, Air Defense Artillery achieved the first intercept of a ballistic missile with a nuclear-tipped Nike Zeus and operated the Nike Zeus as an anti-satellite weapon after completing a successful intercept in 1963. Army Aviation, distinct from

4750-416: The Armed Forces principal land service, responsible for conducting land warfare operations. The U.S. Army is organized under the Department of the Army , which is a military department under the leadership of the secretary of the Army and under secretary of the Army . The U.S. Army itself is led by the chief of staff of the Army and vice chief of staff of the Army , both generals who are advised by

4845-593: The Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States." The United States Armed Forces are split between two cabinet departments, with the Department of Defense serving as the primary cabinet department for military affairs and the Department of Homeland Security responsible for administering the United States Coast Guard . The military chain of command flows from

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4940-408: The Army's Yakima Training Center in the U.S. state of Washington . During testing three FIM-92 Stinger missiles were fired. During the first test firing, on April 1984, the system achieved a direct hit while the Avenger was moving at 20 miles per hour (32 km/h). The second test firing, conducted at night while stationary, also achieved a direct hit. The third test firing, conducted while on

5035-598: The Avenger system was deemed operationally effective and began replacing the M163 and M167 VADS . Two variants were deployed based on the Humvee chassis: M998 HMMWV Avenger and M1097 Heavy HMMWV Avenger. The first operational deployment of the system occurred during the buildup for the Persian Gulf War . With the success of this deployment, the U.S. Army signed an additional contract for another 679 vehicles, bringing

5130-629: The Department of Defense's military departments. The United States Coast Guard is nominally under the Department of Homeland Security , but may be transferred to the Department of Defense's Department of the Navy (which is the civilian entity that oversees the coequal U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy) at the direction of the President or Congress. With the exception of the Coast Guard, the military services only organize, train, and equip forces. The unified combatant commands are responsible for operational control of non-service retained forces. Each of

5225-709: The HMMWV. Eight of the unit's Avengers were modified to this configuration. With the 3rd ACR's redeployment from Iraq, the Up-Gun Avenger completed its role in Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Avengers have been scheduled to be converted back to STC systems. Boeing teamed with Shorts Brothers PLC (now part of Thales ) to offer an Avenger system in which one Stinger pod was replaced with a pod of four Starstreak Hyper-velocity laser-guided missiles, in

5320-512: The President of the United States to the secretary of defense (for services under the Defense Department) or secretary of homeland security (for services under the Department of Homeland Security), ensuring civilian control of the military . Within the Department of Defense, the military departments ( Department of the Army , United States Department of the Navy , and Department of the Air Force ) are civilian led entities that oversee

5415-459: The Regiment's 2005 deployment to Iraq. The modification was designed to allow the Avenger to perform unit and asset defense in addition to its air defense mission. The right missile pod was removed and the M3P 12.7 mm (.50) cal machine gun was moved to the pod's former position. This allowed for the removal of the turret's cab safety limits which enabled the gun to be fired directly in front of

5510-489: The U.S. Air Force and its predecessors, began as part of the field artillery in 1942. Small spotter planes were used to spot for artillery and naval bombardment, as well as to perform observation. These few aircraft formed the core of Army Aviation once the U.S. Air Force gained independence. In 1983, the Army created the Aviation Branch, for the first time since the Air Force's independence consolidating aviation under

5605-733: The U.S. arsenal, the MGM-31 Pershing , and the Pershing II . In 2023, the Army is intending to field the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon and has reestablished larger artillery formations like the 56th Artillery Command . The Air Defense Artillery is responsible for defending geopolitical assets and providing maneuver forces with the freedom to move on the battlefield by deterring the enemy and destroying aerial threats, missile attacks, and surveillance platforms. Weapons employed by Air Defense Artillery include

5700-583: The United States is the United States Armed Forces' commander-in-chief . The United States Coast Guard traces its origin to the formation of the Revenue Cutter Service on 4 August 1790, which merged with the United States Life-Saving Service on 28 January 1915 to establish the Coast Guard. The United States Air Force was established as an independent service on 18 September 1947; it traces its origin to

5795-453: The ability to be used against un-armored and lightly armored ground vehicles. In the 1990s Boeing teamed with Matra of France to offer the Avenger modified by the substitution of standard triple launcher boxes for Matra Mistral missiles in place of the quadruple Stinger pods of the standard Avenger. One demonstrator vehicle was built in 1992 and test firings took place in France. The project

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5890-544: The active force and seven were in the Army National Guard. Of the over 1,100 Avengers built only about 400 remain in service. In March 2018, in response to renewed Russian aggression since the 2014 annexation of Crimea , the 678th Air Defense Artillery Brigade deployed to Europe, the first time an American air defense unit had been sent there since the Cold War. The Army plans to deploy 72 Avenger sets to support U.S. European Command . During protests regarding

5985-407: The advantages offered by laser rangefinders over other methods of computer vision is in not needing to correlate features from two images in order to determine depth-information like stereoscopic methods do. Laser rangefinders used in computer vision applications often have depth resolutions of 0.1 mm or less. This can be achieved by using triangulation or refraction measurement techniques unlike to

6080-531: The armed forces and forms military policy with the DoD and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), both federal executive departments , acting as the principal organs by which military policy is carried out. The U.S. Armed Forces are one of the world's largest military forces in terms of personnel. They draw their personnel from a large pool of professional volunteers . The U.S. has used military conscription , but not since 1973. The Selective Service System retains

6175-537: The chance that the rangefinder can be jammed . It is possible to use Doppler effect techniques to judge whether the object is moving towards or away from the rangefinder, and if so, how fast. The precision of an instrument is correlated with the rise time , divergence, and power of its laser pulse, as well as the quality of its optics and onboard digital signal processing . Environmental factors can significantly reduce range and accuracy: In good conditions, skilled operators using precision laser rangefinders can range

6270-410: The coequal military service branches organized within each department. The military departments and services are responsible for organizing, training, and equipping forces, with the actual chain of command flowing through the unified combatant commands . The Joint Chiefs of Staff , although outside the operational chain of command, is the senior-most military body in the United States Armed Forces. It

6365-677: The conduct of other military activities related to countering threats to U.S. national security. This mission is focused on providing support to echelons at the CCMD level and below and may not encompass the full scope of the CSA's mission. The United States Armed Forces is composed of six coequal military service branches. Five of the branches, the United States Army , United States Marine Corps , United States Navy , United States Air Force , and United States Space Force , are organized under

6460-415: The current United States Marine Corps on 11 July 1798. All three services trace their origins to their respective Continental predecessors. The 1787 adoption of the Constitution gave Congress the power to "raise and support armies," to "provide and maintain a navy", and to "make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces", as well as the power to declare war . The President of

6555-401: The different military services is assigned a role and domain. The U.S. Army conducts land operations, while the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps conduct maritime operations, with the Marine Corps specializing in amphibious and maritime littoral operations in support of the Navy. The U.S. Air Force conducts air operations, while the U.S. Space Force conducts space operations. The U.S. Coast Guard

6650-416: The distance of point-blank shooting to snipers and artillery. They can also be used for military reconnaissance and engineering. Usually tanks use LRF to correct the direct shoot solution. Handheld military rangefinders operate at ranges of 2 km up to 25 km and are combined with binoculars or monoculars . When the rangefinder is equipped with a digital magnetic compass (DMC) and inclinometer it

6745-438: The distance to an object. The light atmospheric absorption attenuation method requires unmodulated incoherent light sources and low-frequency electronics that reduce the complexity of the devices. Due to this, low-cost light sources can be used for range-finding. However, the application of the method is limited to atmospheric measurements or planetary exploration. Rangefinders provide an exact distance to targets located beyond

6840-407: The earth. These atmospheric distortions coupled with the divergence of the laser itself and with transverse winds that serve to push the atmospheric heat bubbles laterally may combine to make it difficult to get an accurate reading of the distance of an object, say, beneath some trees or behind bushes, or even over long distances of more than 1 km in open and unobscured desert terrain. Some of

6935-453: The force around the world, including around 800 military bases outside the U.S. The U.S. Air Force is the world's largest air force, followed by the U.S. Army Aviation Branch . The U.S. Naval Air Forces is the fourth-largest air arm in the world and is the largest naval aviation service, while U.S. Marine Corps Aviation is the world's seventh-largest air arm. The U.S. Navy is the world's largest navy by tonnage . The U.S. Coast Guard

7030-609: The formation of the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps , which was formed 1 August 1907 and was part of the Army Air Forces before being recognized as an independent service in the National Security Act of 1947. The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps was formerly considered to be a branch of the United States Armed Forces from 29 July 1945 until 3 July 1952, and

7125-432: The gunner. The Slew-to-Cue (STC) subsystem allows the commander or gunner to select a FAAD C3I reported target for engagement from a display on a Targeting Console developed from VT Miltope's Pony PCU. Once the target has been selected, the turret can be automatically slewed directly to the target with limited interaction by the gunner. The Up-Gun Avenger was developed specifically for the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment for

7220-630: The hopes of attracting a U.S. Army contract under the Forward Area Air Defense System Line-of-Sight Rear (FAADS-LOS-R) program. Test installation was carried out in mid-1990 and firing trials followed from mid-1991 in the U.K. Starstreak would have complemented the Stinger by improving the overall systems ability to deal with low hovering helicopters which frequently do not provide enough contrast for lock-on by infrared guided missiles. Starstreak also has

7315-452: The laser light might reflect off leaves or branches which are closer than the object, giving an early return and a reading which is too low. Alternatively, over distances longer than 360 m, if the target is in proximity to the earth, it may simply vanish into a mirage , caused by temperature gradients in the air in proximity to the heated surface bending the laser light. All these effects must be considered. The distance between point A and B

7410-501: The modern U.S. military framework, establishing the National Military Establishment (later the Department of Defense or DoD) headed by the secretary of defense and creating both the U.S. Air Force and National Security Council ; in 1949, an amendment to the act merged the cabinet-level departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force into the DoD. The president of the U.S. is the commander-in-chief of

7505-417: The more popular manufacturers are Caddytalk, Opti-logic Corporation, Bushnell, Leupold, LaserTechnology, Trimble, Leica, Newcon Optik, Op. Electronics, Nikon , Swarovski Optik and Zeiss . Many rangefinders from Bushnell come with advanced features, such as ARC (angle range compensation), multi-distance ability, slope, JOLT (Vibrate when the target is locked), and Pin-Seeking. ARC can be calculated by hand using

7600-685: The most versatile special operations force in the entire world, operating as a multi-purpose force since 1952. The Armor Branch traces its history back to the United States Cavalry and are responsible for tank and cavalry reconnaissance operations. The U.S. Army fields the M1 Abrams main battle tank in Armored Battalions as part of Armored Brigade Combat Teams across the 1st Armored Division , 1st Cavalry Division , 1st Infantry Division , 3rd Infantry Division , and

7695-706: The move and in the rain, did not achieve a direct hit, but did pass within the missile's kill range, so the shot was scored as a tactical kill. All three test shots were conducted by operators who had never fired the missile before. In 1987, the U.S. Army awarded the first production contract for 325 units. On 1 November 1988, the first unit was delivered. In 1989, the system began its Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) series of tests. The tests were conducted in two stages with Stage 1 consisting of acquisition and tracking trials at Fort Hunter Liggett , California , and Stage 2 consisting of live-fire testing at White Sands Missile Range , New Mexico . In February 1990,

7790-416: The object and measuring the time taken by the pulse to be reflected off the target and returned to the sender. Due to the high speed of light , this technique is not appropriate for high precision sub-millimeter measurements, where triangulation and other techniques are often used instead. Laser rangefinders are sometimes classified as type of handheld scannerless lidar . The pulse may be coded to reduce

7885-473: The phase shift of multiple frequencies on reflection then solves some simultaneous equations to give a final measure. Interferometry - the most accurate and most useful technique for measuring changes in distance rather than absolute distances. Light attenuation by atmospheric absorption - The method measures the attenuation of a laser beam caused by the absorption from an atmospheric compound ( H 2 O , CO 2 , CH 4 , O 2 etc.) to calculate

7980-669: The power to conscript males, requiring the registration of all male citizens and residents of the U.S. between the ages of 18 and 25. The U.S. Armed Forces are considered the world's most powerful military, especially since the end of the Cold War . The military expenditure of the U.S. was US$ 916 billion in 2023, the highest in the world, accounting for 37% of the world's defense expenditures . The U.S. Armed Forces has significant capabilities in both defense and power projection due to its large budget, resulting in advanced and powerful technologies which enable widespread deployment of

8075-438: The president, to the secretary of defense, to the commanders of the combatant commands. Each service organizes, trains, and equips forces that are then presented to the unified combatant commands through service component commands. Special Operations Command and Cyber Command also present theater special operations commands or joint force headquarters – cyber to other combatant commanders. Army components are typically dual-hatted as

8170-780: The service's land combat power. U.S. Army infantry are generally equipped with the M4 carbine and M249 light machine gun , which will be replaced by the XM7 rifle and XM250 . Infantry is a core part of the Army's Brigade Combat Teams . The most numerous variant, the Infantry Brigade Combat Team, comprises light infantry battalions who fight on foot. Infantry Brigade Combat Teams of the 82nd Airborne Division are air assault capable, with infantry soldiers being transported by U.S. Army Aviation UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters. Infantry Brigade Combat Teams of

8265-588: The system greater multi-mission utility. Other missiles such as the Bofors RBS 70 /Bolide have been proposed for use on the Avenger PMS. In March 2017, Boeing revealed a modernized Avenger system fitted with AIM-9X Sidewinder and Longbow Hellfire missiles on the sides and a directed energy weapon affixed to the top. It is also planned to be integrated onto other platforms including the JLTV , Stryker , and Bradley Fighting Vehicle . While Boeing had configured

8360-408: The tape at the far wall and a clear line straight across the room to stretch the tape. With a laser measuring tool, the job can be completed by one operator with just a line of sight. Although tape measures are technically perfectly accurate, laser measuring tools are much more precise. Laser measuring tools typically include the ability to produce some simple calculations, such as the area or volume of

8455-556: The time of flight techniques used in LIDAR . Special laser rangefinders are used in forestry . These devices have anti-leaf filters and work with reflectors . Laser beam reflects only from this reflector and so exact distance measurement is guaranteed. Laser rangefinders with anti-leaf filter are used for example for forest inventories . Laser rangefinders may be effectively used in various sports that require precision distance measurement, such as golf , hunting , and archery . Some of

8550-933: The total order to 1,004 units. The Avenger was again deployed in support of NATO operations during the Bosnian War . The Avenger system received widespread public exposure when it was placed around the Pentagon during the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks of 2001. The Avenger was also deployed during the U.S. military's operations in Afghanistan and Iraq . In 2004, the U.S. Army had 26 battalions with Avenger Short-Range Air Defense (SHORAD) capabilities, but prioritization of other weapon systems during operations in Afghanistan and Iraq caused that number to drop to nine by early 2017, of which two were within

8645-464: The vehicle. A program was instituted to remove one of the missile pods and move the machine gun to that position to enable a 360° field of fire. The upgrade also increased the ammunition capacity to 650 rounds. Another potential variant proposed by Boeing is an Avenger with a Directed Energy Weapon (DEW). Boeing completed an initial test of a 1 kW laser mounted where the right missile pod would be. The M3P 12.7 mm (.50) cal has been replaced by

8740-506: The world's largest air-transportable X-band radar. The Ground-Based Midcourse Defense is an anti-ballistic missile system operated by Army Space and Missile Defense Command to defend the United States homeland against an intercontinental ballistic missile attack. Major Air Defense Artillery units include the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command and Army Space and Missile Defense Command's 100th Missile Defense Brigade . Air Defense Artillery has an extremely close relationship with

8835-540: Was awarded a contract to develop the AI3, a modified AIM-9 Sidewinder missile mounted on the Avenger launcher, to perform counter rocket, artillery, mortar (C-RAM), counter unmanned aerial vehicle (C-UAV), and counter cruise missile duties. In 2013, the US Army decided to not buy the system. In August 2014, the system successfully intercepted a UAV and cruise missile target featuring a semi-active radar homing seeker in

8930-466: Was dropped around 1997. Due to the lack of serious airborne threats during much of the Iraq War, along with the pressing need for ground assets for combat roles such as convoy protection, the Avenger was pressed into this role. The FLIR / laser rangefinder combined with the 12.7 mm (.50) cal machine gun has proved to be very effective, but was limited by no-fire zones, particularly to the front of

9025-591: Was mounted onto the helicopter flight deck of a Mistral-class amphibious assault ship to provide ad-hoc close-range air defense. The ship was originally slated to be sold to Russia , but the sale was canceled due to international sanctions imposed on Russia following the Annexation of Crimea . The ship was sold to the Egyptian navy without the originally planned Russian air defense systems. United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are

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