John describes locusts that look like horses prepared for battle, wearing golden crowns, with human faces, women's hair, lion's teeth, and iron-like breastplates. The noise of their wings sounds like the roaring rush of many horse-drawn chariots into battle. They have stings in their tails like scorpions and are given the power to torment those without the seal of God for five months.
Almost anyone who reads this believes John is talking about modern day military equipment and John was using things he knew and saw to describe what he had never seen.
Here is a similar example:
From our earthly perspective we understood that Herod did not want Jesus to live and sent his minions to kill babies.
Mary and Joseph with baby Jesus fled to Egypt and found refuge there (Mathew 2).
John in his heavenly vision saw a woman about to give birth and a dragon trying to devour the baby.
The woman flees to the wilderness and God gives her refuge.
Revelation 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
