factors reported to be holding the global development of IT solutions in the military environment include; the ongoing battle to gain full disclosure of source code for operating systems, unbelievably it was reported that this is an issue even for major global armies. For this reason, the US Army invests heavily in the development of open source solutions over which it can exert total control over and therefore establish certainty in the operation of those systems in the field.
2. Proceedings were halted by the impromptu presentation on electromagnetic pulse armaments as offensive weapons. The lecture was lead by the German Bundeswehr (Armed Forces) contingency. Several disturbing reports had been collated of internet sites that offered instructions on the simple construction of electromagnetic weapons. Clearly the terrorist angle here is an obvious threat. Several such designs were debated between the audience and presenter and most aspects of the weapon’s designs were considered credible. The basic problem is that whilst the electromagnetic emissions of say a modified industrial microwave generator may not pose a large scale threat to human life, they are very destructive to all electronic systems at close quarter or in the case of high emission levels at greater distances also. The concern from the military would seem to be how to combat such threats. Shielding all electronics from pulse or high emission weapons would be prohibitively expensive as well as bring about the same set of challenges that the ruggedised laptop manufacturer faces, which results in the use of lower specification processors and the attendant issues with cooling and performance, and even vehicle weight whether on the ground or airborne. There was some consolation in the absence from the designs of modifications that would make these weapons particularly dangerous, nor would DefenceIntegration.org divulge these modifications. Thankfully, Press on the subject remain either uninformed of them or unwilling to divulge the information.
3. The application of hybrids in military vehicle design gives further indication of the usefulness of this technology in the |
future. The ability for an electric engine to drive such large mass vehicles is testimony to the promise of this technology. A brilliant presentation followed from Cranfield University by Dr J.T. Economou who showed exhaustive testing, which concluded that super-capacitors could increase the range of one large land based vehicle which they had examined by up to 40%. With the ability to charge and discharge quickly super-capacitors appeared to be a very useful supplement to the power train in his study. I couldn’t help but give that presentation far more than the allotted time.
The overall impression from the Conference was one of assurance that militaries world-wide are genuinely committed to the development of technology that can prevent collateral damage. In the design of land based vehicles specifically, South Africa is particularly enlightened with regard to the design of vehicles with civilian safety in mind. One doesn’t always expect a military to concern itself so much with the safety of its aggressors. Less reassuring was the gap between the progress being made by the European and American Defence Agencies. Whilst SAE globally pushes on relentlessly with the development of software solutions to integrate all the parts of a theatre of war, the European Agency would seem to have missed any such opportunity. Perhaps better co-operation will offer an honourable compromise in the future.
Our defence interests at SAE-UK will continue to be pursued by our attendance at the Paris Air Show and then at the DVD-Milbrook Exhibition with further Conference activities in the Autumn.
My thanks to all of the delegates,
Dr. Anthony Mc-Donagh Smith
Executive Director SAE-UK.org
Editor: www.DefenceIntegration.org |
