Android app will allow troops to call in airstikes
Posted by: Jon Ben-Mayor on 10/17/2013 07:42 AM
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Troops stuck in a firefight will be able to phone in an airstrike through an app being developed by the US military and Draper Laboratory; the Android Terminal Assault Kit (ATAK) is a map-based prototype app being designed to "save lives."
Special Forces recently began limited use of a prototype of the app during operations overseas, and wider fielding could follow next year.
Draper is working with the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Information Directorate in Rome, N.Y., to develop the app’s video whiteboarding capability, and incorporate user input into new features. Draper began working on the app under the informal name “TacDroid” in 2010.
In initial operations in Afghanistan, troops called in airstrikes using GPS receivers, while keeping a wide variety of information including the location of friendly forces and civilians; as well as the status of nearby aircraft and their approaching speeds, time they may reach targets, and munitions onboard, in their heads, and discussing it with pilots in aircraft overhead. This created the potential for transcription, communication and memory errors.
The military later upgraded this capability with rugged laptop computers that are primarily useful for mission planning and some vehicle mounted operations, even though they are intended for field use by dismounted troops. While the laptops are small, the software is better suited for use in operations centers than in the midst of battle, causing some troops to avoid taking them on missions.
ATAK uses the Android OS to introduce a mobile computing solution through tablets and other handheld devices that connect with military radios and boot up quickly, are more intuitive to operate during the stress of battle, minimize heads-down time, and much easier to carry than the laptops. Tablets can fit into cargo pockets in pants and jackets; smaller handheld devices can be strapped to wrists and forearms.
The military services have used ATAK during variety of live-fire exercises with aircraft including F16s and A10s, and have demonstrated the ability to call in airstrikes that successfully neutralized targets with at least 50% fewer clicks from the users than the laptop-based systems.
Operators who used the app during the exercises also indicated that by keeping all of the information in a well organized, easy to access display, the likelihood of friendly fire accidents, civilian casualties and collateral damage would be significantly reduced.
Draper engineers went through military training exercises that replicated some of the challenges that troops face in the field in order to better understand the way they think. Doing so enabled the engineers to design the app so that troops could use it after watching an embedded 15 minute video, rather than go through days or weeks of training as is typical with the alternative systems.
Special Forces recently began limited use of a prototype of the app during operations overseas, and wider fielding could follow next year.
Draper is working with the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Information Directorate in Rome, N.Y., to develop the app’s video whiteboarding capability, and incorporate user input into new features. Draper began working on the app under the informal name “TacDroid” in 2010.
In initial operations in Afghanistan, troops called in airstrikes using GPS receivers, while keeping a wide variety of information including the location of friendly forces and civilians; as well as the status of nearby aircraft and their approaching speeds, time they may reach targets, and munitions onboard, in their heads, and discussing it with pilots in aircraft overhead. This created the potential for transcription, communication and memory errors.The military later upgraded this capability with rugged laptop computers that are primarily useful for mission planning and some vehicle mounted operations, even though they are intended for field use by dismounted troops. While the laptops are small, the software is better suited for use in operations centers than in the midst of battle, causing some troops to avoid taking them on missions.
ATAK uses the Android OS to introduce a mobile computing solution through tablets and other handheld devices that connect with military radios and boot up quickly, are more intuitive to operate during the stress of battle, minimize heads-down time, and much easier to carry than the laptops. Tablets can fit into cargo pockets in pants and jackets; smaller handheld devices can be strapped to wrists and forearms.
The military services have used ATAK during variety of live-fire exercises with aircraft including F16s and A10s, and have demonstrated the ability to call in airstrikes that successfully neutralized targets with at least 50% fewer clicks from the users than the laptop-based systems.
Operators who used the app during the exercises also indicated that by keeping all of the information in a well organized, easy to access display, the likelihood of friendly fire accidents, civilian casualties and collateral damage would be significantly reduced.
Draper engineers went through military training exercises that replicated some of the challenges that troops face in the field in order to better understand the way they think. Doing so enabled the engineers to design the app so that troops could use it after watching an embedded 15 minute video, rather than go through days or weeks of training as is typical with the alternative systems.
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