COTS no significa, claro, "usar cualquier producto de la industria civil", sino sólo aquellos que pasen los test preceptivos.
Quería empezar el hilo con un post interesante de Kit-Up:
http://kitup.military.com/2011/02/will- ... rrior.html
Will Army Smartphones Kill Nett Warrior?
by Christian on February 24, 2011 · COMMENTS (6)
Kit Up! participated in a round table interview this morning with Lt. Gen. Mike Vane, the head of the Army's Capabilities Integration Center. What he basically does is come up with technologies that will help the Soldier of 2020.
Interestingly, the interview revolved mostly around the Army's move to integrate smartphones into the force. Sure there's all kinds of network issues (Vane said most conflicts of the future will be in areas where GSM cell coverage is available, but admitted that the service is testing options for a portable network that could make up for a lack of one, or as in Afghanistan's case after about 1900 each day, denial of one); security issues; hardware issues; Army App Store issues, etc.
Still, there's little doubt the Army is moving more solidly toward either giving each Soldier a smartphone or letting him use his own to do Army things. Thing is — as many of you have mentioned here — why pay millions for Nett Warrior when much of what Nett Warrior can do can be done on a smartphone?
Vane admitted the Army smartphone could be a Nett Warrior killer.
Connecting Soldiers to the digital applications of smartphones challenges a lot of traditional radio programs (including WIN-T, Nett Warrior and the rifleman's radio). … Smartphones could be the answer to the Nett Warrior requirement. Smartphones could be the answer to the rifleman's radio requirement.
Look, everyone understands — including the Army — the security implications and network pitfalls of smartphones and their application in a military environment. But Vane was realistic in his assessments of how difficult these challenges are and made clear the Army is working on ways to confront them.
He did mention that a “portable network”solution was being experimented with in Afghanistan and Fort Bliss. Anyone have any gouge on that?
Read more: http://kitup.military.com/2011/02/will- ... z1Tu0sI4JP
Kit Up!
En síntesis, después de 10 años y zillones de dólares gastados en la sucesión de programas de Future Warrior, el componente del soldado individual (10kg de peso y coste aún peor), puede ser amenazado por un smartphone basado en android y adecuadamente preparado para el uso en campo. Obviamente, no vale un iPhone ni la inmensa mayoría de los terminales civiles, pero sí un terminal preparado desde el comienzo para uso en campo.
No es seguro que termine sucediendo algo así, pero a estas alturas parece claro que un terminal "endurecido", con un coste inferior a los 500$ y un peso con baterías de recambio inferior a medio kg puede hacer la competencia al montaje Nett.
¿Qué os parece? ¿Hasta qué punto se podría extender la filosofía COTS a otras dotaciones de los ejércitos?