Modern defense IT and military-grade rugged equipment

Story

August 05, 2024

Immediate access to tactical information means the difference between life and death: Every defense organization would agree with that statement. They also would agree that achieving that goal is a never-ending challenge.

One major reason is the sheer volume of information, which continues to grow exponentially as defense organizations add capabilities such as aerial and submersible drones, battlefield robots, smart munitions, and Internet of Military Things (IoMT) devices including wearable sensors. Edge computing and broadband wireless make it easier than ever to put this data closer to where it’s needed. But the value of this data is undermined by the difficulty in accessing, analyzing, and acting on it both in headquarters and on the battlefield.

Asymmetric warfare highlights these challenges. Soldiers at a checkpoint need fast, convenient access to biometric information such as fingerprints and iris scans to determine whether a car full of people in street clothes are civilians or combatants. This scenario requires a carefully engineered ecosystem that extends from the cloud through an encrypted wireless connection and out to the ruggedized laptops and tablets at the checkpoint.

The checkpoint scenario also highlights the mission-critical role that end-user devices play – and the vulnerabilities that arise when laptops and tablets aren’t military grade. This is a set of challenges in itself, as military organizations struggle to find devices that have the battery life, ruggedized components, sealed cases and ports, high brightness screens, and other features capable of keeping soldiers, drone pilots, commanders, and other personnel connected during even battlefield conditions. When those devices aren’t up to the task, the results can include the loss of drones, vehicles, ordinance, battles, and lives.

How France is optimizing its defense IT capabilities

The French defense procurement agency (Direction générale de l’armement or DGA) is an example of how military organizations are mitigating these types of challenges. The goals of the DGA’s SCORPION initiative (SCORPION is France’s multiyear program aiming to renew and modernize the French army’s “contact” combat capabilities, based on new platforms and a single combat-information system) include:

• Secure and easy information exchange within tactical command.
• Visualization of tactical situations.
• Task automation.

French cybersecurity and high-performance computing firm Atos developed the SCORPION Combat Information System (SICS), which replaces the DGA’s legacy operation information systems. SICS enables French forces to securely share complete tactical information such as blue force tracking over existing (Thales PR4G) and future (CONTACT) tactical wireless and wired technologies. The system supports virtually any type of data source, including IoMT devices, and enable interworking with allied forces.

Currently being deployed in all units, SICS is designed to provide situational awareness with a single, comprehensive platform for sharing battalion-level land and air-land combat information. Personnel use SICS from virtually anywhere, including at headquarters, inside armored vehicles such as the VBMR Griffon, and by soldiers on foot in places ranging from checkpoints to the battlefield. This versatility ensures that everyone has timely access to the latest information, as well as the ability to share and collaborate on it.

Making sure gear is military grade

1. Military standard (MIL-STD) certifications

Rugged laptops and tablets are key for ensuring that command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) initiatives live up to their potential. In the process, they help C4ISR programs deliver the strong return on investment that politicians, pundits, and the press look for when scrutinizing how defense budgets are allocated and used.

These devices are used for a wide variety of C4ISR applications, ranging from remote control of uncrewed systems to accessing logistics/warehouse management systems on military bases to ensure supply-chain continuation. Another example: quickly downloading street and subway maps and building blueprints to enable informed decisions during military operations in urban terrain (MOUT).

To meet these requirements, defense specialists and the organizations they serve are increasingly specifying laptops and tablets that have certifications such as MIL-STD-810H, MIL-STD-461G, and IP certifications for dust and water resistance. These specs indicate the ability to operate safely and reliably even in the most adverse conditions, including explosive atmospheres and salt fog.

2. Fanless design

Device vendors have several options for maximizing both durability and performance. For example, a fanless design eliminates ingress points for water, dust, and debris such as sand. It also eliminates the fan’s power drain, which helps extend battery life. That’s key because the battlefield is the last place a soldier should be looking for a charger and then waiting an hour or longer for charging.

3. Solid-state memory

Another example is using solid-state memory, which is superior to hard drives when it comes to withstanding vibration and other physical shock, as well as damage from electrical and magnetic sources. Solid-state memory also doesn’t require a motor to spin discs, thus eliminating both a point of failure and a component that requires battery power. These types of features are key for achieving drop-protection ratings of 4 to 6 feet.

4. Secured-core PC

In addition to physical durability, military-grade tablets and laptops must be equally resilient against malware and firmware attacks. For example, tablets that use Microsoft’s Secured-core PC technology carry firmware and dynamic root-of-trust measurements to shield credentials, classified information, and mission-critical data.

5. Large displays

Military operations frequently occur in environments where there is too much or too little light, which call for displays that have semi-matte coatings and high brightness (1,000 nits, a unit of measurement for displays, or more) to overcome challenges such as reflection and direct sunlight that overwhelms lesser screens. Another valuable feature is light-filtering technology, which maximizes the contrast ratio and minimizes internal reflections. This feature enhances viewing clarity when viewed at different angles, such as when multiple personnel are collaborating on the same tablet or laptop.

For many defense applications, large displays are preferable simply because it is much easier for personnel to view a large amount of information simultaneously rather than constantly flipping through multiple application windows. Large displays also are ideal for taking advantage of the split-screen feature in Windows 10 and 11. If applications are touch-enabled, then the display also should support glove mode, so personnel doesn’t have to waste time removing theirs or fumbling for a stylus in an MRAP or tactical vehicle that’s bouncing through rugged terrain.

Enterprise grade is not military grade

Defense is the ultimate mission-critical application, with requirements that exceed even the most stringent enterprise use cases. Just because a business-class laptop or tablet has a high price tag does not mean it is capable of withstanding extreme environments such as deserts and battlefields.

Joe Guest is president of Durabook Federal, the business division that specifically and exclusively serves the U.S. defense sector. Before his time at Durabook Federal, industry veteran Guest worked at Panasonic and as a program manager with the U.S. Air Force.

Durabook Federal     https://www.durabook.com/us/defense/