Digital Technology Adds New Dimension to Military
CRYSTAL CITY, Virginia (Reuters) - New digital technologies are making it possible for U.S. bomber pilots to safely rehearse difficult missions before they set off over the rugged, mountainous terrain of Afghanistan (news - web sites).
Satellite images, aerial photographs and other data are loaded onto
a three-dimensional grid using sophisticated computer technology,
giving pilots the chance to get familiar with the target -- and plot
the best approach -- before dropping their bombs, experts said at
a conference of defense and industry officials on Tuesday.
Bob Mace, deputy program manager for Anteon Corp. who just
returned from the Gulf, demonstrated the mission rehearsal system,
called TOPSCENE. Mace said one pilot told him TOPSCENE helped
prepare him to hit a designated target that was not in plain view.
``It's as if we had been there before,'' he quoted the pilot as saying
as he returned from his successful mission.
A day-long meeting in Crystal City, Virginia, organized by Silicon
Graphics Inc. (NYSE:SGI - news), showcased cutting-edge
graphics and visualization applications, ranging from 3.2 foot-high
resolution satellite imagery to flight simulators and mission
rehearsal programs such as TOPSCENE, which are already being
used in Afghanistan.
The difficulty of the terrain in the region, as well as the broad
dimension of chasing down extremists around the globe, has added
new urgency to the military's interest in modernizing its use of
satellite images, aerial photography and other intelligence data,
experts said at the conference.
``It's like getting in a boxing ring and having an invisible opponent,''
said one industry source at the conference.
Retired Vice Adm. Jerry Tuttle, who now heads a software
development company, predicted more innovations would emerge in
the next few years.
``The information age will have a profound effect on the U.S. military,''
Tuttle told participants. ``We are increasingly moving toward
high-tech and cyberwarfare.''
OFF-THE-SHELF TECHNOLOGY
Interest has skyrocketed since the Sept. 11 attacks on the United
States, with many firms like SGI seeking to profit from increased
spending on security and the U.S. campaign to rout out Saudi-born
militant Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) and his al Qaeda
network, who Washington says carried out the attacks.
U.S. companies have developed a wealth of new technologies that
could have military applications, and the Defense Department has
shown it is increasingly open to using such off-the-shelf
technology on the changing battlefield.
``The Department of Defense (news - web sites) and the
intelligence community must invest in new technology capabilities
and people to meet the information and knowledge needs of the
armed forces and national decision makers,'' Lt. Gen. James King, a
former director of the National Imagery and Mapping Agency, a
Department of Defense intelligence agency.
``The fundamental objective must be to get the right information to
the right place at the right time,'' said King, who will retire from
military service on Nov. 1.
``Our ability to visualize the battle space is absolutely key,'' he
added.
The industry is eager to expand contracts with the U.S. military,
although defense officials warned that it was imperative to develop
some standards for ensuring that the data could be used effectively
by the various military services, as well as intelligence agencies.
NIMA is now in discussions with Space Imaging Inc., a
Denver-based company, to renew its 30-day contract for exclusive
rights to all commercial satellite imagery of Afghanistan and other
countries in the region.
The contract, which went into effect on Oct. 7 -- the day the
U.S.-led airstrikes began -- was worth $1.91 million for the first
30-days, guaranteeing the military ``assured access,'' with
additional fees for any images it chose to purchase.
Anthony Robbins, president of SGI Federal, a wholly owned
subsidiary of SGI, said, ``We do expect a substantial increase in our
business with the government.'' Twenty percent of SGI's annual
revenues involved sales to the U.S. military, NASA (news - web
sites), the Energy Department and the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.
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