PHOTOS: Latest weapons in the US armoury

The American military prides itself to be as the most technologically advanced force in the world. And year by year, the nation has been churning out newer weapons that give its soldiers on the battlefield an edge over their enemy.

Let's check out some such weapon systems that the United States has developed in the last one year.

Green Eyes-Escalation of Force Kit Integration with the CROWS System: The system emits a wide band of green light that temporarily disrupts a person's vision so that driving a vehicle or aiming a weapon becomes difficult if not impossible.

One application would be to warn civilians away from checkpoints and other areas where their safety is at risk. At closer distances, the lasers provide an immediate, non-lethal capability to deter aggressive actions.

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5.56mm M855A1 Enhanced Performance Round: Since June, the Programme Executive Office for Ammunition at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey has fielded about 30 million new 5.56mm M855A1 Enhanced Performance Rounds in Afghanistan.

The bullet has been redesigned and now features a larger steel penetrator on its tip. A notable feature of the EPR is that its bullet features a copper core.

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40mm Infrared Illuminant Cartridge, M992: Soldiers now have capabilities to engage the enemy far more effectively during nighttime operations.

The US Army's new infrared illuminating cartridges/projectiles produce infrared light that is invisible to the naked eye, but is clearly visible through night vision devices that US soldiers use in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Husky Mark III, 2G 2-Seat Prototype: This landmine detection vehicle is blast survivable, overpass capable and field reparable.

Officials said the second generation 2-seat prototype is a natural evolution of the larger MK III Husky.

The Husky Mark III/2G 2-Seat Prototype responds to the immediate warfighter need to mitigate the risks of task overload on the Husky operator, increases the Route Clearance Package's ability to find and neutralize improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, and provides direct fire capability for the lead vehicle of the RCP. 

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Jackal Explosive Hazard Pre-Detonation System: The Jackal is an improvised explosive device, or IED, defeat system designed to remove the threat of IEDs against Soldiers, tactical vehicle platforms and overall mission success.

In 2010, the US Armament Research, Development and Engineering Centre developed and fielded Jackal to soldiers throughout Iraq to help counter roadside bombs.

In particular, Jackal neutralises the lethal IED threats putting soldiers at risk during route clearance and convoy-related missions.

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M240L 7.62mm Lightweight Medium Machine Gun: The new machine gun reduces the weight of the existing M240B without compromising reliability.

"The titanium M240L represents a leap in weapons technology inspired by soldier feedback. The lessons learned from this programme will undoubtedly benefit future weapons systems that will maintain our continued advantage on the battlefield," said Col Douglas Tamilio, Project Manager Soldier Weapons for PEO Soldier.

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Mortar Fire Control System-Dismounted: The MFCS-D reduces time to fire first round from eight minutes during the day and 12 minutes at night to less than two minutes for both day and night. The kit consists of ruggedised computers, battery power supplies, displays, navigation and pointing hardware, and associated mounting hardware.

The system enhances the responsiveness of the M120A1 120mm Towed Mortar System, enabling digital coordination of multiple systems and fire support network and significantly reducing time required to emplace, fire and displace the weapon.

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RG-31 Robot Deployment System: The need for a low-cost and lightweight solution in transporting and deploying route clearance robots in combat brought on the development of the TARDEC RG-31.

The system enables soldiers to comfortably transport, deploy and operate road clearance robots from the protected area inside the vehicle. 

The RDS kit allows for route clearance units to use the full range of robotics capabilities without having to physically unload and deploy the equipment out the back of the vehicle by hand, exposing them to enemy threats. The system will have a positive impact on how soldiers transport, deploy, and engage roadside threats in combat for years to come, officials said.

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Soldier Wearable Integrated Power Equipment System: SWIPES, utilises the MOLLE vest and integrates force protection electronics and communications equipment with an advanced battery power source.

Able to extend battery power up to 200 hours, the Soldier Power System is wearable and rechargeable. The zinc-air batteries strap to the torso or the sides and allow troops to shed 16 pounds of weight over previous systems -- extremely important considerations for today's gear-laden, electronic-dependent, ground soldier.

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mCare Project: mCare, short for mobile care, is a cell phone based bi-directional messaging system developed by the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command's Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Centre.

mCare was developed by modifying commercial off-the-shelf technologies to meet the unique needs of the Army Medical Department. Secure, HIPAA-compliant messaging system was needed to operate on wounded soldiers' existing mobile devices, in a manner uniquely distinct from text messaging or email.

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