Every test at the US Army's mad science lab

Tech Insider : Business, Style

Inside the Natick Soldier Systems Center, the US Army puts its own gear through extreme tests—burning uniforms, freezing equipment, and pushing soldiers to their limits—to make sure everything can survive the harshest environments on Earth.

Drones are key to protecting the Arctic where humans can't, but getting them to work in the cold is a challenge

Tech Insider : Business, Technology, Travel
A man in camouflage and a fluffy hat kneels working on a large drone in the snow
Drones have big advantages in the huge and largely empty Arctic, but the cold also makes them hard to operate.

COLE BURSTON/AFP via Getty Images

NATO soldiers say they can't let their guns get too warm if they want them to work on frozen battlefields

Tech Insider : Business, Environment, Technology
A NATO soldier moves during a training course in northern Finland in January 2026.
NATO military personnel training in Finland say they can't let their guns get too warm if they want them to work in the Arctic.

Jake Epstein/Business Insider

For Western forces in the Arctic, the cold itself is one of their toughest enemies

Tech Insider : Business, Environment
A NATO soldier rides a snowmobile in northern Finland in January 2026.
In Arctic warfare, surviving the elements is a fight all on its own.

Jake Epstein/Business Insider

Snowmobiles, skis, and laser tag: How NATO soldiers train for Arctic assaults

Tech Insider : Business, Environment, Travel
A Finnish soldier walks on her skis in northern Finland in January 2026.
A small group of NATO soldiers are in the middle of an Arctic warfare training course in northern Finland.

Jake Epstein/Business Insider

NATO countries preparing for Arctic war are betting on this rugged 6x6 armored personnel carrier

Tech Insider : Business, Environment, Sports
A Patria CAVS 6x6 is seen on a forest road with a thin layer of snow.
Patria's CAVS 6x6 was built in Finland, a country known for building systems that can perform in brutal arctic conditions.

Patria

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