Computers and Technology in the Military

1. Computers and Technology in the Military Melissa Arena Robert Outlaw Steve Fisher Kelvin Jackson

2. Computers and Technology in the Military • Computer technology has helped develop the accuracy of the military. • AMREL (FCD) is a big computer supplier for the military. • It is used in all aspects of the military: • Army • Navy • Air Force

3. Computers and Technology in the Military • Used in: • Communications • Training • Aircraft Targeting Systems • Aircraft and Mine Detection • Testing • Battlefield Management • Biometrics Identification

4. Wearable Computers • U.S. Armed Forces are adopting wearable computers. • Devices that are attached or integrated into an individual’s clothing. • Considered to be the electronic heart of the soldier of the future. • Devices will be more rugged than a commercial wearable.

5. Wearable Computers Cont. • Missions are more critical than just scheduling meetings or doing inventory. • Computers are being developed that are wired into clothing. • Have the capabilities to: • Track enemy targets • Network the soldier with air, land, and sea forces • Monitor his/her physical health • Translate native language

6. Wearable Computers Cont. • Offer awareness to the infantry solider • Help separate friend from foe • Will help infantry men use digitally distributed orders, maps, and intelligence. • Must be light, rugged, easy to use. • Has several different inputs: • Keyboard • Biometrics • A display in view of the user

7. Wearable Computers Cont. • Becoming very common among utility linemen, telecommunications technicians, aircraft mechanics, and medical personnel. • Play a role in simulated exercises to retrieve hostages. • Devices relay data from unmanned aerial vehicles and from other units to tell soldiers where the enemy and the hostages are.

8. Market Potential • Market should grow to about $560 million worldwide by 2008. • Government/Military/Homeland Security applications would take up abut $74 million.

9. Land Warrior • Integrates everything the foot soldier wears and carries into a close-combat fighting system. • Enhances his situational awareness, lethality, and survivability. • Uses Microsoft 2000 • Straps to the soldier’s lower back. • If lost, can still continue

10. Land Warrior Cont. • Can receive updates with new maps and orders that are viewed on a monocular helmet mounted display. • Can see where they stand in relation to other squad or platoon members. • Can find out enemy positions.

11. Land Warrior Cont. • Through the helmet mounted display: • Computer generated data • Digital maps • Intelligence Information • Troop locations • Imagery

12. Land Warrior Cont. • Controls menu-driven displays from a touch control unit on his chest strap. • Or with two buttons near his trigger finger that enable him to maintain a firing position. • Offers protection from code viruses, worms, and malicious codes. • As well as system power management.

13. Land Warrior Cont. • Can resist wear and tear, as well as thermal hazards. • Do not have ballistic protection. • Casing and rugged material however, may offer additional bulletproof protection to the solider. • Squad leaders have handheld displays with wrist mounted keyboards.

14. Objective Force Warrior • Seeks to improve on Land Warrior beyond 2010. • Develop wearable computers to almost be part of the soldier’s skin. • Get to the point where the individual doesn’t know it is there. • Biggest Challenge • Sufficient power without generating excess heat.

15. Objective Force Warrior Cont. • Spread heat throughout the uniform • Give the main power source odd shapes so it doesn’t draw the attention of enemy sensors. • Second biggest challenge: • Short battery life • Looking into air batteries which work on air and water • Still have reliability issues and fuel cells.

16. Objective Force Warrior Cont. • Future capabilities include: • Facial recognition • Language translation • Goal is to have a device that interprets a language and feeds it back to the operator in English.

17. Wiring in the Clothing • Exploring ways to weave electric wires and fiber optics into textile materials. • Not be bothersome weight or bulk.

18. Fiber Keyboard • Keyboard would be pressure sensitive • Not touch sensitive • Land Warrior’s soldier control unit is a box that sits on the chest. • Goal: to produce a keypad on the sleeve

19. Microvision • Nomad helmet mounted display enables the commander to keep his head outside the vehicle. • Provides electronic information that is visible under all lighting conditions • Enables the leader to remain aware of the situation without having to duck into the vehicle.

20. General Dynamics • Providing the U.S. Air Force with 10 prototype tablet computers • Powered by direct liquid fuel cells • Potential replacement for the service’s current ground air traffic control computers. • Trying to accomplish compatibility with night vision goggles, increase daylight readability, able the computer to boot in stealth mode without audio or video detection, and to operate with a passive touch screen.

21. Navy • Computers have changed the way the Navy operates. • Has drastically helped to improve navigation. • The Navy uses Sonar • Also uses G.P.S. (global positioning system)

22. Sonar • SOund NAvigation and Ranging • Method or equipment for determining the presence, location, or nature of objects in the sea, by underwater sound. • Sonar can be: • Active in operation • Passive in operation

23. Sonar Cont. • Why use Sonar? • Electromagnetic waves don’t travel well through water. • Sounds waves do. • High speed and long range. • Sound energy is primary means of detection and communication.

24. Sonar Cont. • Active Sonar: • Emits pulses of sounds waves. • Reflect off the target and return to the ship. • Computers can quickly calculate distance between the submarine and the target. • Passive Sonar: • Involves listening to sounds generated by target.

25. Global Positioning System (G.P.S.) • Use G.P.S. to navigate in the sea or ocean. • Determines longitude and latitude. • Does not work when the submarine is under water.

26. Inertial Guidance Systems • Keep track of the ship’s motion from a fixed starting point • By using Gyroscopes • A rotating wheel that maintains stabilization. • Accurate to 150 hours of operation • Must be re-aligned by other surface dependent navigational systems • GPS / Radio / Radar / Satellite

27. Computers in the Army • New program called FCS (Future Combat Systems) • Renovate the entire army. • New vehicles, radio system, and weapons.

28. Transport Tanks Artillery Recon vehicles FCS Vehicles

29. What FCS Vehicles Do. • Transport vehicles will transport soldiers and supplies where they need to be either remotely or by following one other vehicle that knows where it is going. • FCS Tanks will be unmanned, small, and versatile. • FCS Artillery will be able to hit targets from non-direct line of sight locations with extreme accuracy. • FCS Recon vehicles will be remotely controlled, small, and fast. They will be able to report enemy positions, movement, and numbers better than anything that that army has now.

30. “Jitters” • New communication system for the entire military. • “Jitters” is trying to connect the entire military into one big communication system. • Allows extreme accuracy for aerial assaults covering troops and better communication between troops. • Attacks executed with better precision.

31. FCS Weapons • Self propelled ammunition will be used to extend range of weapons and power of weapons. • Armed Robotic Vehicle (ARV) comes in 2 versions, reconnaissance and assault. • Many, many, many more.

32. U.S. Air Force • Much of the computer technology the Air Force uses is in … • Cockpit Systems • Weapon Systems • Lasers

33. Inside The Planes • The Air Force uses high tech computer / technology systems for better maneuvering, combat control, and weapon precision.

34. Some Of The Planes…. • The F-16 is one of the most common types of planes the air force uses. • the pilot has excellent flight control through its "fly-by-wire" system • a highly accurate inertial navigation system in which a computer provides steering information to the pilot

35. More of the planes…. • The B-1B Lancer is another very common plane. • offensive avionics system includes high-resolution synthetic aperture radar, capable of tracking, targeting and engaging moving vehicles as well as self-targeting and terrain-following modes • Also has an extremely accurate Global Positioning System-aided Inertial Navigation System

36. Even More Planes • F-117 Nighthawk is one of the more rare planes. • World’s first operational aircraft designed to exploit low-observable stealth technology. • Equipped with sophisticated navigation and laser guided weapons.

37. Weapons • The AGM-130 is a powerful Air to surface missile. • Equipped with either a television or an imaging infrared seeker and data link. • The seeker provides the launch aircraft a visual presentation of the target as seen from the weapon.

38. More weapons • The AGM-65 Maverick is similar to the 130. • equipped with an electro-optical television guidance system. • B also has a screen magnification capability that enables the pilot to identify and lock on smaller and more distant targets

39. Even More Weapons! • The AIM 9 Sidewinder is an air to air missile • Equipped with with an infrared homing system.

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