Draper Labs–an independent research laboratory in Cambridge, Mass.–has developed an app that allows soldiers to call in close-air support from a smartphone or tablet, the company said in an interview with Defense Daily on Wednesday.
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| Major demonstrates ATAK calling in a nine line with a map visualizing targets. Blue represents friendly and red represents enemy. Photo: Draper Labs. |
ATAK (Android Terminal Assault Kit) was developed three years ago after soldiers mistakenly called in their own coordinates for a strike. The operator set the enemy location but decided to replace the GPS’ batteries, which reset the location once it was turned back on.
With initial funding from the Air Force Research Lab, Draper created an application that makes it easier for troops to visualize their location and the enemy’s location on a map while they set up a nine line call for a strike. (Pictured right) The map, which also shows nearby friendlies, prevents accidental casualties. An ATAK operator can create a nine line in 30 seconds to a minute, said Laura Major, group leader for human centered engineering.
“We received really positive feedback,” Major said. She said soldiers’ responses to the app have included “I’ve never been able to do that before” and “I wish I could take this to Afghanistan on my next deployment.”
ATAK’s mapping capabilities can also be used for navigation, controlling unmanned systems and determining drop spots when troops HALO into combat. Major said Draper is advancing ATAK’s ability to provide situational awareness with maps that simultaneously show feeds from multiple sensors in the area. She was unable to specify the types of sensors, as the systems are classified.
Previous strike and mapping systems saw small Windows laptops attached to soldiers’ kit that were cumbersome and unreliable, Major said.
“When you have the standard Windows system, you end up with a lot of processing time,” she said. “It’s designed to work in an office setting.”
After considering several mobile operating systems, Draper chose Android over Apple iOS or Windows.
“There was a lot of government momentum to move toward Android in terms of certifying the platform,” she said. Android is also easier for developers to manipulate than its Apple counterpart.
Designed for Special Forces across all services, ATAK became part of a wider Department of Defense contract a year ago with increased funding. ATAK was first deployed as a prototype this year. Draper expects limited fielding of the app within a year and full fielding in the next few years, Major said.
“There’s still some work to mature it,” she said. “And then all of the work to do the certifications and the security aspects.”
Although the app uses an Android platform, it can be run on a variety of hardware, from a small phone to 10-inch tablets. Major said most users prefer a five- to seven-inch tablet. Military grade tablets are available, but Major said products from Best Buy in a rugged casing have worked just as well.
A video on ATAK from Draper can be found here.