Rome Sentinel Covers ATAK

This article, somewhat in response to the Draper article was posted in the Rome Sentinel.  Its a quick overview of ATAK and TAKServer.  From the article,

An Android Tactical Assault Kit application being developed for the military by the Rome Air Force Research Laboratory in

conjunction with several private contractors can be used on battlefields to call in airstrikes, among its capabilities.

Using a smartphone on a battlefield to call for air strikes on precise locations is among the latest military advancements — and it could generate further technology patents for the Rome Air Force Research Laboratory.

The lab and several private-sector contractors including a PAR Government Systems subsidiary in Rome are developing an Android Tactical Assault Kit/ ATAK application that can run on smartphones and Android tablets.

“I believe that the combination of smartphones (‘instant on, small, powerful computers with touch displays and high-resolution, sunlight-readable displays), combined with networked radios (which are also relatively new to the battlefield) are fundamentally transformative for war fighting,” Ralph Kohler, a Rome AFRL principal engineer on the project, said by e-mail.

The application including handheld devices “allows users to personally get an up-to-the second understanding of what’s going on around them (reducing ‘the fog of war’), and allows them to remotely access information and control sensors.”

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