Atrist's concept of a PCAS heads-up display
DARPA Developing Digital Airstrikes -- Gizmag
The popular image of modern warfare is the digital battlefield where cyber soldiers have Terminator-like video displays and can call in an airstrike with the shine of a laser beam. While information technologies are revolutionizing the military, when it comes to calling in Close Air Support (CAS), it’s still World War One – where a misread or misheard grid reference can end up with soldiers being hit by their own artillery. DARPA’s Persistent Close Air Support (PCAS) program hopes to improve this.
Smart bombs, laser targeting and intelligent missiles have made laying a munition on exactly the desired spot so common that it’s hardly newsworthy. For most ground commanders, however, calling in CAS still involves pilots and ground observers relying on voice directions and a common paper map, which isn't always available. It can take up to an hour for a strike to be arranged, during which time an enemy can escape or get in the first punch, and even then there’s an ample chance of a fatal error.
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Update: DARPA will soon providing Faster, More Precise All-digitally controlled Airstrikes -- Next Big Future
My Comment: Impressive.
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