[SOLVED] US Airforce: 18,000 iPads for pilots

25,000 iPads / iPod Touches for Texas schools, now another 18,000 iPads
for the US Air Force (plus the previous possibility of use by commercial
pilots), release of the iPad 3 ... if you haven't already got Apple stock,
it could be a good time to buy some.


MacRumours.com:

US Air Force Agrees to Purchase $9 Million Worth of iPads
---------------------------------------------------------
The U.S. Air Force has awarded a $9.36 million contract to
purchase as many as 18,000 iPad 2s, according to Bloomberg.
The plan is to replace bulky and heavy flight bags full of
navigational charts and other materials with iPads in order
to reduce the weight of pilots' bags and save fuel on
flights.

The Air Mobility Command, which is purchasing the iPads,
provides transport and refueling services using C-5, C-17,
and C-130 cargo planes, and KC-10 and KC-135 tankers.

A number of airlines have begun testing iPads to replace
heavy flight bags, including United, Delta, American, and
the Marine Corps.

The iPads will streamline pilots' work by eliminating the
need for thumbing through sheafs of paper or waiting for
pages to print. The iPads will reduce clutter on cramped
flight decks and offer quick and easy access to required
data at all times.




Helpful Harry )

Given where they are built, there is some really careful consideration
whether we want so much of our operations dependent on them being
"clean."


--
Alan

On Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:31:14 -0600, Alan <>
wrote:

>Given where they are built, there is some really careful consideration
>whether we want so much of our operations dependent on them being
>"clean."

What kinds of vulnerabilities are you contemplating? Not being able
to read a critical manual while at war?

--
"In no part of the constitution is more wisdom to be found,
than in the clause which confides the question of war or peace
to the legislature, and not to the executive department."

- James Madison

On 3/2/2012 5:32 PM, Howard Brazee wrote:
> On Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:31:14 -0600, Alan<>
> wrote:
>
>> Given where they are built, there is some really careful consideration
>> whether we want so much of our operations dependent on them being
>> "clean."
>
> What kinds of vulnerabilities are you contemplating? Not being able
> to read a critical manual while at war?
>

Air Force Cancels iPad Order Amid Fear of Russian Software

February 22, 2012

A few weeks ago, PadGadget reported on information that the United
States Air force was considering purchasing 18,000 iPad 2 tablets.
Today, NextGov has reported that the Special Operations Command has
canceled its plans, possibly due to the inclusion of Russian developed
security and documents reader software, GoodReader.

A few days ago, NextGov wrote an article about GoodReader and the Air
Force Special Operations Command’s (AFSOC’s) decision to include the
Russian developed application in its “Electronic Flight Bag” program.

According to the article, Michael McCarthy, director of the Army’s
smartphone project, Connecting Soldiers to Digital Applications openly
questioned the AFSOC’s plan. McCarthy said he was concerned about the
integrity of the supply chain with GoodReader. Apparently, McCarthy
wasn’t the only one to voice a negative opinion about the use of
GoodReader in military applications.

Despite the enthusiastic reviews and the software’s ability to encrypt
data at rest, present and former military officials question why AFSOC,
which operates a fleet of specialized gunships and surveillance
aircraft, would allow its pilots to rely on software developed in Russia.

http://www.padgadget.com/2012/02/22/...sian-software/

On 03-02-2012 17:44, News wrote:
> Despite the enthusiastic reviews and the software’s ability to encrypt
> data at rest, present and former military officials question why AFSOC,
> which operates a fleet of specialized gunships and surveillance
> aircraft, would allow its pilots to rely on software developed in Russia.

I don't blame them for being cautious, but they were considering buying
an internet-capable device assembled in China which contains two
cameras, a microphone, a Bluetooth rerasceiver, an 802.11 transceiver,
a GPS, .....

--
Wes Groleau

Don't worry about the bullets you hear passing overhead.
Worry about the ones you don't hear.
— J. R. Stevens

In article <jis3rk$f6n$>, wrote:

> On 03-02-2012 17:44, News wrote:
> > Despite the enthusiastic reviews and the software’s ability to encrypt
> > data at rest, present and former military officials question why AFSOC,
> > which operates a fleet of specialized gunships and surveillance
> > aircraft, would allow its pilots to rely on software developed in Russia.
>
> I don't blame them for being cautious, but they were considering buying
> an internet-capable device assembled in China which contains two
> cameras, a microphone, a Bluetooth rerasceiver, an 802.11 transceiver,
> a GPS, .....

They could always get one built in Brazil instead. ;o)

Mind you, when the other choices are powered by Windows and Android ...

Helpful Harry )

On 2012-03-02 17:31 , Alan wrote:
> Given where they are built, there is some really careful consideration
> whether we want so much of our operations dependent on them being
> "clean."

These are for cockpit manuals and navigation, not military secrets.

--
"I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did.
I said I didn't know."
-Samuel Clemens.

In article <>,
Alan Browne <> wrote:

> On 2012-03-02 17:31 , Alan wrote:
> > Given where they are built, there is some really careful consideration
> > whether we want so much of our operations dependent on them being
> > "clean."
>
> These are for cockpit manuals and navigation, not military secrets.

"cockpit manuals and navigation" can easily contain "military secrets".

Q: 'Okay, how do I arm, aim, and fire this nuclear-tipped missle from my
B-2?'

On 03-02-2012 23:11, Helpful Harry wrote:
> In article<jis3rk$f6n$>, wrote:
>> On 03-02-2012 17:44, News wrote:
>>> Despite the enthusiastic reviews and the software’s ability to encrypt
>>> data at rest, present and former military officials question why AFSOC,
>>> which operates a fleet of specialized gunships and surveillance
>>> aircraft, would allow its pilots to rely on software developed in Russia.
>>
>> I don't blame them for being cautious, but they were considering buying
>> an internet-capable device assembled in China which contains two
>> cameras, a microphone, a Bluetooth rerasceiver, an 802.11 transceiver,
>> a GPS, .....
>
> They could always get one built in Brazil instead. ;o)
>
> Mind you, when the other choices are powered by Windows and Android ...

Or they could issue yet another defense contract to have custom units at
$1000 each.

When I was in the Navy, I used two types of multimeters, the militarized
AN/PSM-4 and the mass-market Simpson 260.

When someone asked me the difference, I said. "If you hold both
shoulder height and let go, the AN/PSM-4's case will not crack.
And the Simpson will still work."

--
Wes Groleau

It seems a pity that psychology should have
destroyed all our knowledge of human nature.
— G. K. Chesterton

On 03-03-2012 09:50, Alan Browne wrote:
> On 2012-03-02 17:31 , Alan wrote:
>> Given where they are built, there is some really careful consideration
>> whether we want so much of our operations dependent on them being
>> "clean."
>
> These are for cockpit manuals and navigation, not military secrets.

What else is in the cockpit? Anything using 802.11 or Bluetooth that
could be intercepted and analyzed for clues?

Anything we don't want a camera aimed at that could be analyzed for clues?

How about sending some unauthorized entity a record of the GPS fixes of
the aircraft?

How about recording the conversations in the cockpit?

--
Wes Groleau

It seems a pity that psychology should have
destroyed all our knowledge of human nature.
— G. K. Chesterton