As a result of the rapid rise in mobile devices and wireless connection technologies, the benefits arising from the use of mobile applications in the Defense Industry are now being discovered. Conventional communication and other warfare systems used in the tactical field can be cumbersome and vulnerable to external interventions. Innovative options created by mobile applications and devices are beginning to achieve success in the field that has never been achieved before. In addition to secure communication, voice, image and data transfer, which are most needed in the field, operational management needs can be met with very low costs and easy use.
When we look at the usage areas of mobile applications in the Defense Industry, we are faced with a very wide spectrum. There are effective areas of use in all elements of air, sea and land forces, and the use of all these elements with joint decision mechanisms and C4ISR elements will be an indispensable element in the future. For example, the transmission of data such as snapshot intelligence transmitted from an aircraft to the tactical elements in the field is/will occur via tablets or mobile phones. The fact that the processor and sensor powers of the tablet and mobile phone models that are common in the market today are sufficient for tactical operations and that all these offer much lower costs compared to military special production terminals create great opportunities.
Applications that are currently used and suitable for use;
Operation Planning Applications
Planning the operations to be carried out by the special forces or other units in the tactical field is quite possible with mobile applications. With the help of GPS, interactive solutions can be used during the placement of troops on the Online and Offline maps, the creation of routes and the determination of targets. At the same time, the operation details created are transmitted to all elements in the field over the network and data exchange is made.
Instant Operation Communication
With the help of mobile applications on tablets or phones on the elements in the field, it is possible to transfer materials such as snapshots, health data of personnel, photographs and videos taken in the field to the operation center. Such solutions are already available in the USA, China and Turkey.
Secure Communication
The Internet or GSM network used in the tactical field may not be secure for communication and communication. All these services can be observed and analyzed by counterparties. There are also many security problems in analog or digital radios. In the tactical field, it is considered that communications made over these infrastructures can be listened to or blocked at any time. Such security problems can be eliminated with specially developed mobile applications. Secure communication can be achieved through messaging, video calls and data transfer applications encrypted with keys created specifically for the operation. The cost of this type of secure communication mobile applications is quite low compared to old products and the solutions it offers are quite innovative.
Which Model Devices?
All tablet and mobile phone models on the market today can be used in the tactical field, but these devices must be resistant to harsh weather and terrain conditions due to the conditions of the field. There are many models of devices on the market that can work in outdoor and harsh conditions (Water and dustproof, can work at high temperatures, etc.).
Which Operating System Should Be Used?
There are two commonly used operating systems for mobile devices today, iOS and Android. The applications to be developed for the Defense Industry are highly qualified and it is aimed to have full authorization to all sensors on the device. For this reason, it is more appropriate to develop it on the Android operating system. Android is an open source operating system and anyone can compile a special version for themselves. At the same time, all software added to the operating system by Google can be removed and added to our own software and configurations for complete privacy. iOS, on the other hand, is an operating system licensed by Apple and users do not have full authority.