US military plays leapfrog

Military and technology are two terms that are never far apart from each other. So it can be useful to see what the military and defence contractors are saying about the advance of technology.

It is no secret that the development of the computer, the creation of sophisticated telecommunications networks, and the implementation of project management and quality assurance concepts all had their roots in meeting the needs of the US military.

But defence projects have become almost too highly tuned and complex to meet today`s needs. Modern conflict is not based on the 1980`s Cold War concepts of massed tank armies and the use of nuclear weapons that would result in "mutually assured destruction".

This week`s surprise announcement that the US Army was requesting the cancellation of the Comanche RAH-66 attack and reconnaissance helicopter programme puts to bed a project that was initially conceived 20 years ago. The project suffered more than its fair share of delays and cutbacks, and eventually the technology was not as cutting-edge as it seemed at first.

The advances of radar detection systems have almost negated the advantages of the use of radar reduction technology and infrared systems are becoming less easy to fool.

Paul Vecchiatto, Journalist, ITWeb

Of course, cost has been a major factor. The unit price for each of these highly sophisticated helicopters would have been $60 million, plus there has been $8 billion spent in development costs. The helicopter would have been more of a weapon system with advanced radar and infrared reduction technologies (also known as stealth for those who could not spell "camouflage"), a sophisticated air-to-ground radar system, navigation systems and highly accurate missiles and guns.

But the advances in electronics have far outstripped designers` ability to incorporate those changes into the system`s hardware. For instance, the advances of radar detection systems have almost negated the advantages of the use of radar reduction technology and infrared systems are becoming less easy to fool.

Furthermore, the long lead time to production for these sophisticated and expensive weapon systems means they often come off the production line with dated technology. The latest US Air Force fighter, the F-22 Raptor, was designed to use computer systems based on 286 chips - IT technology of the late 1980s - and a specialised production line for these chips has had to be kept open.

German shipbuilder Blohm & Voss, which is building the new patrol corvettes for the SA Navy, illustrates the rapid pace of development in the commercial IT market with that of lengthy projects. It illustrates this with a timeline starting with the initial conceptualisation of a German Navy warship in 1993, to when the first unit was delivered in 2002. During those nine years of planning and construction, there were five generations of Intel microchips - not to mention software upgrades and other technology advances.

These examples illustrate that complex projects with long gestation periods have an extremely good chance of being technology dinosaurs once they roll off the production line. So the trick for manufacturers and potential users is to define their requirements in such a way as to allow for the use of last minute technology upgrades or breakthroughs.

In some ways this is beginning to happen with the design and development of a new class of warship for the US Navy, called the Littoral Combat Ship. This ship is designed for combat close to shore and has a design and development stage of seven months, versus three years for most warships. The ship`s IT systems will be based on open architecture designs, allowing it to rapidly change weapon configurations, electronic suites and crews in order to meet various requirements. Various types of unmanned air and sea vehicles will be deployed from these ships.

The US Army is also developing a range of robotic vehicles and systems to be deployed on the modern battlefield. Up to 20 vehicles of different configurations are envisaged and they will be able to transport soldiers` personal gear, fight main battle tanks and enter areas that are too dangerous for humans. The first vehicles are expected to debut within the next five years.

The US military has a history of developing and promoting "leap-ahead" technological concepts that help it to meet its future mission requirements. In the 1950s after the Korean War, the US Navy exploited nuclear propulsion and guided missile systems, and the US Army made full use of the helicopter. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, after the Vietnam War, the US military implemented mission-oriented systems and began to make use of portable computers and robust telecommunications.

Once the current conflict in Iraq is resolved, the US military will promote new technologies and systems as it implements its current round of lessons learnt - and this is what the technology pundit with an eye to the future should be watching, to see what could be adapted to commercial use.