Raytheon Sends Android To Battlefield

[Sporkman]

Raytheon Sends Android To Battlefield

Elizabeth Woyke, 10.19.09, 07:40 PM EDT

The defense contractor is the latest--and perhaps least likely--convert to Google's mobile platform.

Google's mobile operating system Android has won plenty of adherents among cellphone makers and gadget manufacturers since its 2007 debut. Now defense contractor Raytheon is preparing it for a more urgent mission: saving lives in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Using Android software tools, Raytheon ( RTN - news - people ) engineers built a basic application for military personnel that combines maps with a buddy list. Raytheon calls the entire framework the Raytheon Android Tactical System, or RATS for short. Mark Bigham, a vice president of business development in Raytheon's Intelligence and Information Systems unit, says the company selected Android because its open-source nature made developing applications easy...

http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/19/android-google-military-technology-wireless-raytheon.html?feed=rss_technology

[Mateo]

That great, great to see them putting it to good use. read the whole article, tells a bit about some of the things they hope to do with it.