tactical assault light operator suit

The U.S. military's fascination with the science-fiction future of mechanized warfare stretches back a half-century.

U.S. Special Operations Command wants to equip small teams of operators with advanced smart-soldier gear to stay connected with intel assets anywhere in the world — even if they have to tap into commercial phone networks

Rather than focusing on physical advantages like body armor or load-bearing exoskeletons, the so-called  'hyper enabled operator' of the future will be cognitively enhanced, able to "think better and think faster"

U.S. special operations forces could eventually deploy with an articulated mechanical 'third arm' that could potentially detect, track, and classify incoming unmanned aerial systems

U.S. special operations forces are currently field testing a lightweight combat armor designed to cover more of an operator's body than previous protective gear

While SOCOM promised a veritable Iron Man-style tactical armor by 2018, officials told Task & Purpose that much-hyped exoskeleton will likely never get off the launch pad