The US Military Is Chopping Up Its Iron Man Suit For Parts
By Patrick Tucker Technology Editor Read bio
February 7, 2019
SOCOM’s much-anticipated super suit won’t be here for Christmas.
When Adm. William McRaven announced in May 2013 that the military would create a next-generation, bulletproof super suit for elite soldiers, the effort immediately became an object of hype, speculation, and skepticism. The Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit, or TALOS, project — more popularly known as Iron Man — sounded like it came from a Stan Lee fever dream. It was meant to endow its wearer with enhanced tactical awareness and the physical strength and endurance of motor and metal, thanks to computerized, networked helmets and, in particular, a futuristic exoskeleton the soldier would wear beneath light, impenetrable body-armor. And for years, officials with United States Special Operations Command, or SOCOM, which McRaven led, promised that they were making progress. The dwarves of Svartalfheim, so to speak, were perfecting their offering in anticipation of much-delayed reveal.
On Wednesday, James Smith, SOCOM’s acquisition executive, announced that the final product would not match the sales pitch. In fact, the bits and pieces of the project would not come together to form a comic-book-like super suit.
https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2019/02/us-military-chopping-its-iron-man-suit-parts/154706/?oref=d-topstory
