Presentation of how computers are used in defense? Introduction • Defense industry is one of the vital economic units in most nations. It produces weapons and special equipment of war. Some nations have developed their defense industry to the extend of exporting the equipment to others. In general, defense industry’s outputs can be categorized into two – hardware and software, just like the ICT industry’s. Examples of hardware output from defense industry are: • Ships such as patrol craft, corvette, frigate, destroyer, multi-purposes support ship, and air craft carrier. • Aircraft such as utility and attack helicopter, fighter, interceptor, bomber. • Land-based weapon platforms such as heavy battle tank (MBT), infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), tactical vehicle, and etc. • Logistic equipment in term of all-terrain vehicle (ATV), lorry, four-wheel drive (4WD) and etc. • Arms – small and big caliber guns such as assault rifle, artillery pieces, bombs, and missiles Examples of software output from defense industry are: • Various types of radar for land, sea, and air usage. • Optronic (optical electronics) system. • Telecommunication system for all levels (Sections, Platoons, Companies, Regiments, Brigades, Divisions, as well as Corps) • Electronic countermeasures equipment. • Battlefield Management System (BMS) • Defense industry is one of the many industries which are strongly impacted by Information and Communication Technology. ICT and defense industry have strong correlation. Both have a direct or positive relationship to one another – advancement in ICT brings benefits to the development in defense industry and vice versa. • For example, the Internet – one of the cores of ICT era, was first invented in the late 1950s to be used in defensive manner upon the former Soviet Union aggression. It was built with the objective of providing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and United States of America (USA)’s armed forces generals with unbreakable and hard-to-decipher communication tool in case of a nuclear war broke out. • ICT had transformed the industry from producing dumb bombs to smart weapons, from people-centric to network-centric battlefields management, from aftermath combat review to real-time combat surveillance, from land and sea to air and outer space superiority, and from hardware-based to software-based force multipliers. How are computers used in defense? • Controlling UAV or unmanned aircrafts e.g. predator • They are also used on Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) that uses GPS and computers to help the missile get to the target. • Computers are used to track incoming missiles and help slew weapons systems onto the incoming target to destroy them. • Computers are used in helping the military find out where all their assets are (Situational Awareness) and in and in Communications/Battle Management Systems. • Computers are used in the logistic and ordering functions of getting equipment to and around the battlefield • Computers are used to hold records of personnel and very useful in field hospitals. • Computers are used in tanks and planes and ships to target enemy forces, help run the platform and more recently to help diagnose any problems with the platforms. • Computers are used as gateways between different computer networks and to host security functions (crypto systems). • Computers help design and test new systems. • Computers are used to hold documents, maintenance records and records of events. Effects of computers in defense Positive effects Negative effects • Computerized artillery and navigation, • Computers improve the chances of death in weapons and lot of confidential software’s and information etc. is maintained by big data wars. • These computers hold knowledge of computers. Defense research is a whole lot dangerous weapons that can be fatal to a lot dependent on computer and advanced of nations if it fell into the wrong hands. technology again for the secretive and security purposes. fin.
