wasp

Why does a two-bit Alabama town have two spy drones?

I would like to quote from the Web site of the City of Gadsden, Ala. (pop. 104,303):

Gadsden is the perfect place to live, raise a family and retire, while you enjoy relaxation, historical and scenic sites, cultural events and all sorts of entertainment and activities.

Why, then, would anyone in this perfect place have ordered two surveillance drones (in 2010, apparently) for use by the police department?

A similar question appears to have occupied the sleuths at the Gadsden Times. For in an act of concerned public-spiritedness, they confronted police chief John Crane with this disturbing information.

The … Read more

Hard-core Wasp knife makes its point

Looking at the 5 1/4-inch blade on the Wasp Injector Knife, it quickly becomes apparent that despite its name, this tool is not made for stabbing pesky insects. No, it's for much, much peskier creatures.

The $379.95 weapon--which would most logically be used for diving, hunting, or self defense--instantly injects a freezing-cold ball of compressed gas, approximately the size of a basketball, into the unlucky recipient.

The injection freezes all tissues and organs surrounding the point of entry and will drop many of the world's largest land predators, according to Wasp Injection Systems, creator of the … Read more

Air Force commits to micro air vehicle

The U.S. Air Force has gone all-in by authorizing full production of the AeroVironment backpack-sized Wasp III micro air vehicle, which will soon to be standard issue for combat controllers and USAF special ops, according to the Pentagon. This follows the U.S. Marine Corps' purchase of a Wasp III system, which it plans to deploy at the platoon level as a complement to the Raven (PDF).

Weighing in at a mere 1 pound, the plane's diminutive 29-inch wingspan can still loft a variety of hefty payloads in addition to its infrared cameras that stream video directly to … Read more