Defense Research
To defense research (alternatively as a military research indicated) include all research and development activities that the military or defense that the armed forces are a country or a military alliance.
The USA is currently (2008) world leader , but China , Russia , Germany , the United Kingdom , France and Israel are also developing extensive activities in the field of arms research. NATO and the European Union also conduct their own research activities .
Apart from the large military blocs, North Korea , Brazil and South Africa are particularly active.
Sub-areas
The important areas are
- Weapons research, i.e. the direct development of weapon systems such as firearms , mines , rockets , ABC weapons and weapon platforms such as warships , tanks , fighter jets and attack helicopters
- Research on protective technologies against the effects of weapons (e.g. composite armor , reactive armor , distance-active protective measures , decoys )
- Research and development of education and communication systems such as radar systems , sonar systems , military reconnaissance satellites, drones , digital radio systems, etc.
- Strategic research, i.e. the development of operational concepts and operational doctines for armed forces, such as fighting with combined weapons, etc. See also war science .
countries
Germany
In Germany, defense research is carried out by departmental research by the Federal Ministry of Defense (BMVg) as well as by armaments manufacturers such as Krauss-Maffei Wegmann or Airbus Defense and Space .
The departmental research institutions in the BMVg's business area are:
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Central medical service of the Bundeswehr :
- Institute for Preventive Medicine of the Bundeswehr (InstPrävMedBw) in Andernach
- Institute for Microbiology of the Bundeswehr (InstMikroBioBw) in Munich
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology of the Federal Armed Forces (InstPharmToxBw) in Munich
- Institute for Radiobiology of the Bundeswehr (InstRadBioBw) in Munich
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Navy :
- Maritime Medical Institute of the Navy (SchiffMedInstM) in Kronshagen
- not belonging to any organizational area:
The formerly independent research institute of the German Armed Forces for Waterborne Sound and Geophysics (FWG) in Kiel was integrated into the Defense Technology Service for Ships and Naval Weapons (WTD 71) based in Eckernförde on February 1, 2009 . The Military History Research Office (MGFA) in Potsdam and the Social Science Institute of the Bundeswehr (SOWI or SWInstBw) in Strausberg were merged on January 1, 2013 to form the Center for Military History and Social Sciences of the Bundeswehr (ZMSBw) in Potsdam. The Bundeswehr Institute for Medical Occupational Safety and Environment in Berlin was dissolved on December 31, 2013.
Between 2010 and 2014, the BMVg issued more than 700 public research contracts with a volume of over 390 million euros. Compared with the period 2000 to 2010, for which confidential figures were most recently available, the annual order volume for arms research has more than doubled. In the years 2010–2014, 120 orders worth more than 28 million euros were received from a total of 41 German universities. These also include the universities of Tübingen, Konstanz, Frankfurt am Main, Rostock and Göttingen - universities that had declared themselves willing with a civil clause to forego military research. The front runner was the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz University of Hanover, which has received more than 5.8 million euros from the defense budget since 2010, followed by the Christian-Albrechts-Universität in Kiel (more than 3 million euros) and the University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg (more than 2.2 million euros). The research contracts include swarms of drones that are supposed to pursue enemies; but also on intelligent ammunition, handguns, radio technologies, robots and non-lethal firing and throwing devices. Other projects dealt with satellite technology and the detection of chemical warfare agents. Non-university research institutions received 588 orders worth over 360 million euros. The Fraunhofer Society in particular benefited from this .
United States
Arms research in the USA is particularly innovative and has produced numerous developments that are also used for civil purposes, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) or the Internet , which emerged from the Arpanet , a military contract development by DARPA .
Canada
In Canada, Defense Research and Development Canada is the largest government research agency that conducts research in various areas. It reports to the Canadian Ministry of Defense under the Department of National Defense . Developed u. a. a variable depth sonar system, the Black Brant sounding rocket, CRV7 air-to-surface missile.
South Africa
In South Africa arms research is carried out primarily at the CSIR in Pretoria and by Armscor .
India
The Indian Defense Research and Development Organization is based in Avadi .
literature
- Helmut Maier : Research as a weapon. Armaments research in the Kaiser Wilhelm Society and the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Metal Research 1900-1945 / 48 , 2 volumes, Göttingen: Wallstein, 2007, ISBN 3835301098