Energy determines mobility, endurance, and operational reach. Propulsion and thermal systems sit at the intersection of physics, engineering, and logistics—governing how platforms move, how long they last, and where they can operate.
IDST Intelligence Briefings
Engines, power generation, batteries, fuel systems, thermal management, and alternative energy solutions.
Why This Magazine Exists
Performance specifications alone are misleading. This sub-magazine exists to examine energy as a systems problem, where efficiency, sustainment, thermal signature, and logistics matter as much as raw power.
What We Track
- Propulsion technologies across domains
- Energy storage and generation
- Thermal management and signature reduction
- Fuel logistics and sustainment challenges
Latest Analysis & Intelligence
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The Unsung Hero of Electric Mobility: How a Tiny Inverter is Revolutionizing Military Vehicle Power
When it comes to the global shift toward electrification, most of the attention is placed on batteries and motors. These two components are often celebrated as the engines of change, driving the move toward sustainable and efficient mobility. Yet, quietly positioned between them lies an equally vital system—the traction power inverter. Acting as both the…
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Beaming Moonlight: How a Lunar Power Grid Could Revolutionize Space Exploration
Imagine a future where a rugged lunar rover, its solar panels plunged into the deep freeze of a two-week lunar night, doesn’t power down. Instead, it receives a steady, invisible beam of energy from a satellite overhead, giving it the power to keep exploring. This isn’t science fiction—it’s the promising concept of a Lunar Power…
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Nuclear-Powered Warships: The High-Stakes Debate Over Naval Propulsion
For decades, nuclear power has been the silent force beneath the waves, driving the world’s most advanced submarines. This technology grants them the ability to remain submerged for months, travel vast distances undetected, and operate free from the logistical tether of conventional fuel supplies. Yet on the surface, nuclear propulsion tells a very different…
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Electrospray Thrusters: Powering the Next Generation of Small Satellites
As the space industry shifts toward smaller, more agile satellites, traditional propulsion systems often fall short of meeting the demands of precision, efficiency, and scalability. A breakthrough technology is emerging to fill this gap: electrospray thrusters. Compact yet powerful, these devices are redefining what’s possible in satellite propulsion, offering unprecedented levels of efficiency and…
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The Next Semiconductor Revolution: How DARPA’s Ultra-Wide Bandgap Program Is Redefining Power Electronics
In the world of microelectronics, efficiency is everything. From data centers and electric grids to radar systems and electric vehicles, the quest for smaller, faster, and more power-efficient devices has driven decades of innovation. Yet silicon—the workhorse of the semiconductor industry—is reaching its physical and performance limits. To break through these barriers, the Defense Advanced…
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The Ultimate Power Source: The Global Race to Build Space Solar Farms
The quest for limitless, clean energy has found a new frontier: space. As the world grapples with climate change and the urgent need to decarbonize, a revolutionary technology is moving from science fiction to strategic reality. Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) stands at the forefront of this revolution, offering the potential for unlimited, renewable electricity generation.…
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The Battle-Proven Battery: Why Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) is the Military’s Cathode of Choice
In today’s battlespace, power is as critical as firepower. From portable radios and drones to electric vehicles and directed energy weapons, modern militaries depend on reliable energy storage to gain and sustain a tactical edge. The humble battery, once an afterthought, has become a strategic enabler. Among the competing chemistries, Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) has…
Related Domains & Cross-Cutting Themes
Autonomous platforms, materials science, climate constraints, infrastructure, and survivability.
Industrial capacity and supply chains
Cyber-physical security
Climate, geography, and environmental stress
Human-machine coordination
System survivability under disruption
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