thedrifter
10-07-07, 04:51 PM
New gear gives troops high-tech advantage
By Matthew Cox - mcox@militarytimes.com
Posted : October 15, 2007
LONDON — A new generation of gear for troops is emerging that’s techy enough to make any gadget geek jealous.
Small, lightweight and rugged are the themes defense contractors are aiming for to make highly sophisticated equipment designed to help troops and commanders formulate, communicate and navigate faster than ever before.
General Dynamics C4 Systems is about to go into production on a rugged, compact laptop computer called the GoBook MR-1, which weighs about 2 pounds and is less than half the size of a standard laptop.
“This is the first of its kind,” said Sandy McCaskie, General Dynamics’ managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa Computing Technologies, at the 2007 Defense Systems and Equipment International (DSEi) Exhibition here in mid-September. General Dynamics officials hope to draw interest from civilian and military markets.
The system measures 4.3-by-6 inches and runs on a Windows XP Pro operating system. Power options include three- and six-hour lithium polymer batteries. It’s scheduled to go into full production by the end of the month, McCaskie said, and will feature a touch screen that is viewable in direct sunlight, a challenge that has long plagued laptop designers.
To make its new mini-laptop flexible, General Dynamics is designing it with “slice technology.”
The battery attaches and covers the entire bottom of the computer. It can be removed, and “slices,” or thin hardware additions, can be stacked between the computer and the battery to give it more capabilities.
Options being considered are various modems and a Common Access Card card reader, McCaskie said.
Other systems at the DSEi show are being designed specifically for troops in combat.
A lightweight system designed to help platoon members communicate and navigate is scheduled to go into production this year.
Called MILTRAK, the system from Thales UK consists of a navigation module the size of a paperback book and a display that resembles a medium-sized cell phone. Small enough to wear on troops’ load-bearing gear, the module features a Global Positioning System device, a microprocessor for handling incoming messages and a digital compass. The display has a tiny, full-color screen that can be used to view maps, images and messages from commanders.
MILTRAK weighs about 2 pounds. It can be connected to several voice and data radios.
The system allows troops to plan and share routes and maps while planning for missions, to identify and mark targets for handoff to other units, and to quickly identify casualties and their location, Thales’ Peter Whyte said.
“What we have tried to do is simplify this as much as possible,” he said.
Ellie
By Matthew Cox - mcox@militarytimes.com
Posted : October 15, 2007
LONDON — A new generation of gear for troops is emerging that’s techy enough to make any gadget geek jealous.
Small, lightweight and rugged are the themes defense contractors are aiming for to make highly sophisticated equipment designed to help troops and commanders formulate, communicate and navigate faster than ever before.
General Dynamics C4 Systems is about to go into production on a rugged, compact laptop computer called the GoBook MR-1, which weighs about 2 pounds and is less than half the size of a standard laptop.
“This is the first of its kind,” said Sandy McCaskie, General Dynamics’ managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa Computing Technologies, at the 2007 Defense Systems and Equipment International (DSEi) Exhibition here in mid-September. General Dynamics officials hope to draw interest from civilian and military markets.
The system measures 4.3-by-6 inches and runs on a Windows XP Pro operating system. Power options include three- and six-hour lithium polymer batteries. It’s scheduled to go into full production by the end of the month, McCaskie said, and will feature a touch screen that is viewable in direct sunlight, a challenge that has long plagued laptop designers.
To make its new mini-laptop flexible, General Dynamics is designing it with “slice technology.”
The battery attaches and covers the entire bottom of the computer. It can be removed, and “slices,” or thin hardware additions, can be stacked between the computer and the battery to give it more capabilities.
Options being considered are various modems and a Common Access Card card reader, McCaskie said.
Other systems at the DSEi show are being designed specifically for troops in combat.
A lightweight system designed to help platoon members communicate and navigate is scheduled to go into production this year.
Called MILTRAK, the system from Thales UK consists of a navigation module the size of a paperback book and a display that resembles a medium-sized cell phone. Small enough to wear on troops’ load-bearing gear, the module features a Global Positioning System device, a microprocessor for handling incoming messages and a digital compass. The display has a tiny, full-color screen that can be used to view maps, images and messages from commanders.
MILTRAK weighs about 2 pounds. It can be connected to several voice and data radios.
The system allows troops to plan and share routes and maps while planning for missions, to identify and mark targets for handoff to other units, and to quickly identify casualties and their location, Thales’ Peter Whyte said.
“What we have tried to do is simplify this as much as possible,” he said.
Ellie