Revision Military presented its Kinetic Operations Suit at the 2015 Special Operations Forces Industry Conference. On Dec. 8, 2012, mem...
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| Revision Military presented its Kinetic Operations Suit at the 2015 Special Operations Forces Industry Conference. |
As the rescue force, led by 28-year-old Chief Petty Officer Nicolas Checque, approached a building within the Taliban compound, a nearby sentry identified the approaching American commandos and darted inside, ostensibly to alert his fellow fighters to the coming assault. Realizing the Taliban guards knew they were there and would likely kill the hostage, Checque engaged the guard and sprinted through the door to face the enemy, according to military records.
The mission was, in some ways, a success: The hostage was rescued and flown to safety. But there were casualties -- Checque was killed by the barrage of close-range fire. Checque's sacrifice isn't just another story of courage and valor from the annals of U.S. military history: Just one year later, it would end up reigniting the U.S. military's attempt to reimagine the warfighter of the future -- one cloaked in the safety of a suit of robotic armor.
The military called this particular, Checque-inspired suit the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit, or TALOS for short. To the press, it was known colloquially as the "Iron Man" suit. It was the hottest topic in defense circles -- until, in 2019, the project was abruptly shut down. As the rescue force, led by 28-year-old Chief Petty Officer Nicolas Checque, approached a building within the Taliban compound, a nearby sentry identified the approaching American commandos and darted inside, ostensibly to alert his fellow fighters to the coming assault.
Realizing the Taliban guards knew they were there and would likely kill the hostage, Checque engaged the guard and sprinted through the door to face the enemy, according to military records. The mission was, in some ways, a success: The hostage was rescued and flown to safety. But there were casualties -- Checque was killed by the barrage of close-range fire.
Checque's sacrifice isn't just another story of courage and valor from the annals of U.S. military history: Just one year later, it would end up reigniting the U.S. military's attempt to reimagine the warfighter of the future -- one cloaked in the safety of a suit of robotic armor.
The military called this particular, Checque-inspired suit the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit, or TALOS for short. To the press, it was known colloquially as the "Iron Man" suit. It was the hottest topic in defense circles -- until, in 2019, the project was abruptly shut down.