Go Anywhere Computing
USSOCOM toughens its forces with rugged computers and ruggedized tablets.
by Karen E. Thuermer
From automated mission planning to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) to graphical situational awareness, the warfighter in the 21st Century is more reliant on computing technology than ever before. That’s because ruggedized computing technology has become an integral part of the weapon systems for the special operations forces warrior.
To meet this need the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Tactical Local Area Network (TACLAN) program has identified a family of field computing devices (FCD)—small portable devices such as rugged computers and ruggedized tablets—that facilitate data collection and exchange between remotely deployed SOF users. Such devices make up a FCD toolkit used to accommodate various Special Operations Forces mission types.
Depending on the SOF user’s requirements (size, weight and capabilities), these units provide similar capabilities based on a basic software load as defined by the TACLAN Software Requirements Specification (SRS).
“They must be mobile and durable enough to withstand a multitude of operating environments as specified in the TACLAN System Specification [TSS],” stated Lieutenant Commander Marc Boyd, APR, USSOCOM spokesman.
To meet SOF needs, FCDS must be either semi-mobile for handheld or docked usage within a vehicle; mobile for undocked usage and, if needed, vehicle docking; or highly mobile, which requires they be as small as possible.
“Highly mobile units will probably never be docked, so a docking station is not vital,” commented Boyd.
Another critical requirement for the FDC is they must be able to operate in all climates and environments be it humid or dry, hot or cold environments, rain, snow, dust, sand and at high altitude.
“Performance in extreme climates is vital,” Boyd emphasized. Technological advancements are also adding to the list of how SOF use the FCD. Consequently, the FCD must now have a robust graphics card to support graphic intensive data or video data (full motion video); chat and instant messaging applications; Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP); and sketchpad or whiteboard software applications.
To meet future needs of warfighter computing, SOF require smaller, lighter, faster devices with secure wireless networking.
“The next generation FCD will be rugged, small in size and lightweight and provide very versatile capabilities and have global availability,” Boyd remarked.
One promising technology is the Secure Mobile Environment Personal Electronic Device (SME PED) or similar devices that will provide “Secure Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNET) to the hip.”
“Another promising technology is Next Generation Tactical Communications Capability, which will be a single device that has the capabilities of the FCDs and communications rolled into one device,” Boyd added.
INDUSTRY RESPONSE
USSOCOM’s TACLAN provides an initial capability in the form of currently fielded FCD’s. The most recent versions are the Panasonic Tough book CF-19 is MIL-SPECcertified and is housed in a durable magnesium alloy case.
Panasonic Computer Solutions Company is introducing a fully-rugged ultramobile PC (UMPC) that can take the abuse soldiers and special forces give them. Its failure rate is 2 percent, compared to an industry average of 22 percent for conventional laptops.
That’s because Panasonic builds its own circuit boards in its own factories. “We build our products rugged from the inside out,” commented Peter Romness, Panasonic’s national sales manager for the U.S. Army division. “The key is for these products to be reliable.”
The rugged laptops are in a constant state of evolution based on the feedback it receives from military sources and other customers. Part of that feedback resulted in Panasonic using a protective coating to secure the UMPC’s hard drive from exterior elements such as dirt and moisture.
To meet SOF demand, Panasonic recently introduced its Toughbook CF-U1, which features a solid state hard drive and hardened casing. It is the first device to incorporate the Intel Atom Processor, which packs 47 million transistors on a single chip that measures less than 25 millimeters. The processor gives the CF-U1 the processing power of a full scale PC.
“The CF-U1 was sized to fit in the war fighter’s thigh pocket so that they can get it out easily for use,” commented Romness.
CF-UI also includes an integrated barcode reader, fingerprint reader, 2MP Camera, pressure-sensitive touch screen and extensive battery life (6 to 8 hours), and operates on the full function Windows XP and Vista operating systems. It features a thumbfriendly QWERTY keyboard that makes data input fast and easy.
“CF-U1 works well because it has a usable sized keyboard that warfighters can type with their thumbs like a Blackberry,” he said. “The shape of the keys and the rubbery feel on the edges of the unit also makes it easier to handle.”
To meet SOF demand, last year General Dynamics Itronix Corporation (GD-Itronix) introduced its GoBook MR-1, a full-featured, fully rugged computer that weighs 2 pounds and measures 4.3 by 6 inches. “The MR-I offers tremendous traction for special operations because of its small pocket size,” described Jim Vercruyssen, senior products manager for tablets.
Other FCD units include its Duo-Touch II system, GD-Itronix’s smallest and lightest tablet for rugged use. It measures 10.6 by 7.2 inches and weighs barely more than four pounds. “It works well for those who do a lot of computing while walking since its fits easily into your hand,” he said. Meeting the military standard 810F for drop, vibration, rain, dust and temperature is GD-Itronix’s GoBook MR-1 Rugged UMPC, a very small computer with a clamshell design. At 2.5 inches thick, it fits easily in the side pants pocket of a warfighter’s uniform. Intended for use in the field, the system’s 5.6-inch display is viewable outdoors. It has a 1.2GHz Intel Core Solo processor, up to 2 GB RAM, at least a 40 GB hard drive, EV-DO Rev A or HSDPA connectivity, 802.11a/g/n, Bluetooth, and “ultra high sensitivity” GPS.
“Military special forces are leaning toward this product because it is smaller than a tablet,” he said. “When you pull up the lid, it is about the size of two decks of cards.”Vercruyssen explained that notebooks offer more flexibility than tablets. For additional applications, expansion modules can be added. “The UMPC works well for paratroopers and people who jump out of airplanes because fitting it to your chest you can open it up, and look down while reading the display,” he said. “You can get moving maps, force information and GPS, easily. Whereas a tablet would need to be propped up or held in ones hand to be useful in this application.”
In the future, Vercruyssen sees growing demand for products that maintain connectivity with a secured wireless wide area network. “The requirements to maintain connectively no matter where you are in the world are tremendously important to the warfighter,” he said. “That allows the warfighter to go offsite and onto a secure cellular network and into a STATCOM environment.” Such a system requires a variety of antennas in addition to that which is embedded inside the computer. “Warfighters also want the ability to do real time video and video feed into the tablets,” he added. “They want to get the battlefield view. They want to link their network nodes to remote sensors like unmanned aerial vehicles [UAVs] and get real-time video to see bad guys. They want this capability to be seamless and be able to extend that to another group that is in harms’ way and needs this information immediately.” Security encryption is also becoming increasingly important. “In the future, we could see the development of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology that would enable tablet computers to roll up like scrolls,” he added. “We have been looking at OLED technology as well as virtual keyboards that offer a tactile feel. This would make it possible for users to increase their speed of typing on touch screen displays by some three to four times.”
Rugged Notebooks’ addresses SOF needs by custom building rugged notebooks. For example, the company installs fiber optic adapters; PCI expansion; RS 232 and RS 422 connectors, GPS antennas and custom fiber optic transceivers to military specifications.
“We do not take other brands to ruggedize,” stated Alan Shad, company president and CEO. “Instead, we take a platform such as semi and fully rugged and ruggerdize those.”
Rugged Notebooks laptops can survive a three-foot free drop onto concrete or hard surface, four inches of rain per hour, and up to 30G shock.
“The notebooks can also withstand dust, dirt, sand and snow,” Shad added. The notebooks are protected by heavy duty die-cast magnesium alloy with individually sealed ports that provide ingress protection. An enclosed O-ring gasket seals the entire case against dust, water and sand, and hard drives are shock mounted.
Other features include spill-resistant keyboards, and one-piece backlit rubber keyboards with optional backlight. Extreme temperature capabilities include hard drive heaters, solid state hard drives and hybrid hard drives with enhanced operating temperature range.
“Our hybrid drives withstand extreme high and low temperatures without the power requirements of hard drive heaters,” Shad reported. “Hybrid extreme temperature drives provides larger capacity and better cost effectiveness than solid state drives.”
Rugged Notebooks uses copper heat pipes to transfer heat directly to the magnesium alloy case for thermal stability. This allows the FCD units to run cooler and longer without need for vents and fans, and thereby enhancing protection from dirt, dust, sand and water.
In the future, Shad sees more superior cooling systems for the computers. Technology has already been developed that uses condensation to radiate dissipating heat from melting down the chassis.
“Rugged laptops will also be considerably lighter in weight,” he said. “Manufacturers will use carbon fiber that is a lightweight, but strong like magnesium alloy and titanium.”
Connectivity also will be increasingly important. “Integrating that technology into the motherboard would give the laptop more ruggedness,” he stated.
Add to that scanners and smart card readers for security and encryption protection. “They operate like a low jack does on a car,” he commented.
Rugged Notebooks already builds rugged laptops with ultra-secure hardware-encrypted hard drives that combine hardware and software encryption to secure data. “It’s important for us to talk to the customer and build a platform that complies to their needs,” Shad emphasized. Meeting the particular requirements of the military is critical. With special forces operating in extreme conditions, reliable state-of-the-art equipment gives the warfighter a higher probability of completing the mission and protecting life and limb. ♦
To meet this need the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Tactical Local Area Network (TACLAN) program has identified a family of field computing devices (FCD)—small portable devices such as rugged computers and ruggedized tablets—that facilitate data collection and exchange between remotely deployed SOF users. Such devices make up a FCD toolkit used to accommodate various Special Operations Forces mission types.
Depending on the SOF user’s requirements (size, weight and capabilities), these units provide similar capabilities based on a basic software load as defined by the TACLAN Software Requirements Specification (SRS).
“They must be mobile and durable enough to withstand a multitude of operating environments as specified in the TACLAN System Specification [TSS],” stated Lieutenant Commander Marc Boyd, APR, USSOCOM spokesman.
To meet SOF needs, FCDS must be either semi-mobile for handheld or docked usage within a vehicle; mobile for undocked usage and, if needed, vehicle docking; or highly mobile, which requires they be as small as possible.
“Highly mobile units will probably never be docked, so a docking station is not vital,” commented Boyd.
Another critical requirement for the FDC is they must be able to operate in all climates and environments be it humid or dry, hot or cold environments, rain, snow, dust, sand and at high altitude.
“Performance in extreme climates is vital,” Boyd emphasized. Technological advancements are also adding to the list of how SOF use the FCD. Consequently, the FCD must now have a robust graphics card to support graphic intensive data or video data (full motion video); chat and instant messaging applications; Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP); and sketchpad or whiteboard software applications.
To meet future needs of warfighter computing, SOF require smaller, lighter, faster devices with secure wireless networking.
“The next generation FCD will be rugged, small in size and lightweight and provide very versatile capabilities and have global availability,” Boyd remarked.
One promising technology is the Secure Mobile Environment Personal Electronic Device (SME PED) or similar devices that will provide “Secure Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNET) to the hip.”
“Another promising technology is Next Generation Tactical Communications Capability, which will be a single device that has the capabilities of the FCDs and communications rolled into one device,” Boyd added.
INDUSTRY RESPONSE
USSOCOM’s TACLAN provides an initial capability in the form of currently fielded FCD’s. The most recent versions are the Panasonic Tough book CF-19 is MIL-SPECcertified and is housed in a durable magnesium alloy case.
Panasonic Computer Solutions Company is introducing a fully-rugged ultramobile PC (UMPC) that can take the abuse soldiers and special forces give them. Its failure rate is 2 percent, compared to an industry average of 22 percent for conventional laptops.
That’s because Panasonic builds its own circuit boards in its own factories. “We build our products rugged from the inside out,” commented Peter Romness, Panasonic’s national sales manager for the U.S. Army division. “The key is for these products to be reliable.”
The rugged laptops are in a constant state of evolution based on the feedback it receives from military sources and other customers. Part of that feedback resulted in Panasonic using a protective coating to secure the UMPC’s hard drive from exterior elements such as dirt and moisture.
To meet SOF demand, Panasonic recently introduced its Toughbook CF-U1, which features a solid state hard drive and hardened casing. It is the first device to incorporate the Intel Atom Processor, which packs 47 million transistors on a single chip that measures less than 25 millimeters. The processor gives the CF-U1 the processing power of a full scale PC.
“The CF-U1 was sized to fit in the war fighter’s thigh pocket so that they can get it out easily for use,” commented Romness.
CF-UI also includes an integrated barcode reader, fingerprint reader, 2MP Camera, pressure-sensitive touch screen and extensive battery life (6 to 8 hours), and operates on the full function Windows XP and Vista operating systems. It features a thumbfriendly QWERTY keyboard that makes data input fast and easy.
“CF-U1 works well because it has a usable sized keyboard that warfighters can type with their thumbs like a Blackberry,” he said. “The shape of the keys and the rubbery feel on the edges of the unit also makes it easier to handle.”
To meet SOF demand, last year General Dynamics Itronix Corporation (GD-Itronix) introduced its GoBook MR-1, a full-featured, fully rugged computer that weighs 2 pounds and measures 4.3 by 6 inches. “The MR-I offers tremendous traction for special operations because of its small pocket size,” described Jim Vercruyssen, senior products manager for tablets.
Other FCD units include its Duo-Touch II system, GD-Itronix’s smallest and lightest tablet for rugged use. It measures 10.6 by 7.2 inches and weighs barely more than four pounds. “It works well for those who do a lot of computing while walking since its fits easily into your hand,” he said. Meeting the military standard 810F for drop, vibration, rain, dust and temperature is GD-Itronix’s GoBook MR-1 Rugged UMPC, a very small computer with a clamshell design. At 2.5 inches thick, it fits easily in the side pants pocket of a warfighter’s uniform. Intended for use in the field, the system’s 5.6-inch display is viewable outdoors. It has a 1.2GHz Intel Core Solo processor, up to 2 GB RAM, at least a 40 GB hard drive, EV-DO Rev A or HSDPA connectivity, 802.11a/g/n, Bluetooth, and “ultra high sensitivity” GPS.
“Military special forces are leaning toward this product because it is smaller than a tablet,” he said. “When you pull up the lid, it is about the size of two decks of cards.”Vercruyssen explained that notebooks offer more flexibility than tablets. For additional applications, expansion modules can be added. “The UMPC works well for paratroopers and people who jump out of airplanes because fitting it to your chest you can open it up, and look down while reading the display,” he said. “You can get moving maps, force information and GPS, easily. Whereas a tablet would need to be propped up or held in ones hand to be useful in this application.”
In the future, Vercruyssen sees growing demand for products that maintain connectivity with a secured wireless wide area network. “The requirements to maintain connectively no matter where you are in the world are tremendously important to the warfighter,” he said. “That allows the warfighter to go offsite and onto a secure cellular network and into a STATCOM environment.” Such a system requires a variety of antennas in addition to that which is embedded inside the computer. “Warfighters also want the ability to do real time video and video feed into the tablets,” he added. “They want to get the battlefield view. They want to link their network nodes to remote sensors like unmanned aerial vehicles [UAVs] and get real-time video to see bad guys. They want this capability to be seamless and be able to extend that to another group that is in harms’ way and needs this information immediately.” Security encryption is also becoming increasingly important. “In the future, we could see the development of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology that would enable tablet computers to roll up like scrolls,” he added. “We have been looking at OLED technology as well as virtual keyboards that offer a tactile feel. This would make it possible for users to increase their speed of typing on touch screen displays by some three to four times.”
Rugged Notebooks’ addresses SOF needs by custom building rugged notebooks. For example, the company installs fiber optic adapters; PCI expansion; RS 232 and RS 422 connectors, GPS antennas and custom fiber optic transceivers to military specifications.
“We do not take other brands to ruggedize,” stated Alan Shad, company president and CEO. “Instead, we take a platform such as semi and fully rugged and ruggerdize those.”
Rugged Notebooks laptops can survive a three-foot free drop onto concrete or hard surface, four inches of rain per hour, and up to 30G shock.
“The notebooks can also withstand dust, dirt, sand and snow,” Shad added. The notebooks are protected by heavy duty die-cast magnesium alloy with individually sealed ports that provide ingress protection. An enclosed O-ring gasket seals the entire case against dust, water and sand, and hard drives are shock mounted.
Other features include spill-resistant keyboards, and one-piece backlit rubber keyboards with optional backlight. Extreme temperature capabilities include hard drive heaters, solid state hard drives and hybrid hard drives with enhanced operating temperature range.
“Our hybrid drives withstand extreme high and low temperatures without the power requirements of hard drive heaters,” Shad reported. “Hybrid extreme temperature drives provides larger capacity and better cost effectiveness than solid state drives.”
Rugged Notebooks uses copper heat pipes to transfer heat directly to the magnesium alloy case for thermal stability. This allows the FCD units to run cooler and longer without need for vents and fans, and thereby enhancing protection from dirt, dust, sand and water.
In the future, Shad sees more superior cooling systems for the computers. Technology has already been developed that uses condensation to radiate dissipating heat from melting down the chassis.
“Rugged laptops will also be considerably lighter in weight,” he said. “Manufacturers will use carbon fiber that is a lightweight, but strong like magnesium alloy and titanium.”
Connectivity also will be increasingly important. “Integrating that technology into the motherboard would give the laptop more ruggedness,” he stated.
Add to that scanners and smart card readers for security and encryption protection. “They operate like a low jack does on a car,” he commented.
Rugged Notebooks already builds rugged laptops with ultra-secure hardware-encrypted hard drives that combine hardware and software encryption to secure data. “It’s important for us to talk to the customer and build a platform that complies to their needs,” Shad emphasized. Meeting the particular requirements of the military is critical. With special forces operating in extreme conditions, reliable state-of-the-art equipment gives the warfighter a higher probability of completing the mission and protecting life and limb. ♦