Defence technology countdown: greatest hits, unfortunate misses.

• Position: Cover story - Brief article

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* In the intricate and routinely zany world of military weaponry, the past several decades have been nothing short of a technological shock-and-awe. The flipside of so much scientific marvel, alas, is that technology can be mistaken for a magic potion. As famed historian Daniel J. Boorstin cautioned decades ago, torrents of technology can create a "fog of information" that eventually drives out knowledge.

The triumphs of technology--as well as the dangers of being overconfident in its powers to solve problems--are abundantly evident in today's military. The litanies of successes and failures are well known to National Defense readers, but there are certain technological "hits" and "misses" that, in our opinion, deserve special attention and are being highlighted in this special feature.

The "hits" list contains an assortment of high-tech devices that have won praise front U.S. troops at war in Iraq and Afghanistan--the Rover video terminal, mini-drones, bomb-disposal robots, V-hull...