THE BEST Military

While the term “smokescreen” is used to describe a ruse that conceals the truth, its origins are much more literal – a tactic in which the military conceals operations with smoke. In this 1923 footage, a plane drops a curtain of titanium tetrachloride to hide ships, a technique that would go on to be used during WWII.

Jared Owen always does a great job explaining how things work by creating 3D animations of their inner workings. This time, he walks us through the caterpillar-tracked M1A2 Abrams tank, which weighs in at an incredible 68 tons, and can cross just about any terrain. We had no idea these things were powered by jet fuel.

Carry your computer and organize your everyday work essentials in this military-style messenger bag from Mercury Tactical Gear. Its main compartment is padded, and includes a removable laptop case with its own handle, while its exterior features MOLLE webbing and three detachable accessory pouches.

This version of Leatherman’s versatile multitool is designed for military use. It has tools for everyday tasks, along with firearm maintenance including pliers, wire cutters, a blade, screwdriver, pry tools, a carbon scraper, and a front sight adjuster. Its has Cerakote handles, and comes with a MOLLE-compatible sheath.

We’ve seen some pretty damned impressive remote-controlled planes over the years, but this Mibo A-10 Thunderbolt II might be the best yet. The insanely detailed model has real jet engines, and even makes machine gun sounds and fires flares.

Drones can capture amazing imagery, but they can wreak havoc in the wrong hands. To eliminate threats from UAVs, Israeli defense tech company Rafael has created Drone Dome, a system that can jam drone communication or pluck them out of the sky using a laser. It can spot objects as small as 0.02 sq. ft. from 2.1 miles away.

General Motors Defense presents a troop transporter based on the rugged Chevy Colorado ZR2 pickup. It’s got an open air design with a roll cage, secure seating for nine, skid plates, and beefy off-road suspension and tires. Its minimal structure and mounting points allow it to be deployed from a helicopter using a sling.

There are probably easier ways to ferry a bunch of people and bicycles across a river, but we can’t think of a cooler way than by driving four M3 amphibious military vehicles into the water and then joining them together to shuttle the riders across the water. HD1080ide shot this video during a bike festival in Großenwieden, Germany.

Best known for their iconic, in-depth auto repair manuals, Haynes also offers a series of books which delve into the design, construction, and operation of famous military planes like the F/A-18 Hornet, Grumman F-14 Tomcat, and the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird.

For a DARPA tech demo, CMU National Robotics Engineering Center developed wheels which can transform back and forth between round and triangular shapes instantly, with tank-like grip on soft surfaces in track mode, and a more conventional ride in wheel mode.

Wendover Productions made this great overview of how submarines work. The video goes over crew shifts, food, communications technology, and the watercraft’s weaknesses. It’s amazing what man’s thirst for revenge can accomplish.

Aircraft carriers are one of the most imposing forms of military might. Wendover Productions shares some trivia about how these cities at sea work, such as their massive workforce, how they resupply, and the fact that they never travel alone.

An upgraded version of Rezvani’s TANK utility vehicle designed to protect its occupants in an ambush. Its glass and armor can handle high-caliber weapon fire, it packs night vision, bomb protection, electrified door handles, gas masks, magnetic deadbolts and more.

While it’s certainly not as capable as Howe & Howe’s personal tank, this highly-modded Arctic Cat Wildcat 4 1000 ATV from Israeli outfit Plasan is actually a military-grade machine. It features a roof-mounted weapon system, B6+ composite armor, and room for 3 occupants.

NuBluTV kicks off with an awesome new series, in which 7 Special Ops veterans use modern tactics to see if they could have changed the course of historic battles. Think Mythbusters, but with a military spin. Watch them take on Blackbeard in their premiere episode here.

We spent a day at The Range Complex getting to know some our country’s finest, veterans of the U.S. Army’s elite Delta Force unit. We were given just a taste of how they train, and how their Tahoes and Suburbans provide the ideal transportation for their dangerous missions.

Pilot Linkerius posted this incredible seat-of-your-pants footage of a PC-7 trainer aircraft being flown on an extremely low-altitude course. A Nap-of-the-Earth (NOE) flight is designed to help fighter pilots avoid detection by enemies via radar or visual reconnaissance.

GM and the US Army created this badass concept truck for military operations. The 6.5 ft. tall truck runs quietly thanks to a hydrogen-electric 4WD drivetrain, its power pack can be removed to power field operations, and can produce clean drinking water as a by-product.

Awe-inspiring video of dozens of members of the U.S. military’s 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, all packed into C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, then doing a static line jump over a test drop zone at Fort Bragg, NC. It’s mindblowing that nobody’s chutes got tangled doing this.

Pop Chart Lab’s newest print contains an illustration of every (known) United States military combat vehicle that’s currently in service. The 24″x 36″ chart groups the 180 vehicles into several classes, sub-classes and branch.

This military style watch features a black ion-plated stainless steel case with a gun-grip material bezel. Luminous hands make it easy to read at night. Comes with four Cordura camo watchbands and a rugged storage box.

Video of Marines from the 3rd Marine Logistics Group, 9th Engineer Support Battalion showing how they breach a concrete wall, standing their ground against the explosive charge, protected only by a ballistic blanket and each other.

Amazing footage of an F-35 Lightning II fighter jet as it takes off from an insanely short runway that works like a ski jump to angle the plane into the air. Stick around, and you’ll be treated to a vertical landing too.

Awe-inspiring footage captured from the F-18 fighter jet cockpits of The Pukin Dogs of U.S. Navy Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-143 as they skim along close to the ground, mountain tops and water, pulling dizzying rolls along the way.

The U.S. Navy’s electromagnetic cannon shows off its firepower, tearing through sheets of solid steel like they were tissue paper. And in case you think you could run and hide, it can reach out and touch its target from over 115 miles away.

U.S. Marine Corps Captain William Mahoney recounts the harrowing experience of landing an AV-8B Harrier jet on the USS Bataan without his nose gear. The VTOL aircraft and its pilot were saved by what amounts to a simple hack.