Legal Niches

Snipers Use iPhone App to Target Terrorists

By John Keefer

While an iPhone may not necessarily be the first thing you think of when asked what is need for our soldiers overseas, it turns out that a simple app that costs around $20 is being used quite extensively in Afghanistan.

We knew that soldiers already use modified Xbox 360 controllers to fly unmanned robotic vehicles, but a story in the Mirror details how snipers are using an app called BulletFlight, which takes into account wind and the rotation of the Earth and its affect on the path of a bullet to its target.

The story also talks about PS3 technology being used in supercomputers and radar.

According to Stuart McDougall of BAE Systems, which is developing 3D graphics technology from the PS2 to power the next wave of military engineering designs:

"Historically the military have invested in developing technology to meet their specific requirements. This technology has then filtered down to everyone else. But, increasingly, modern consumer gadgets are so powerful and so highly competitive that they're often ahead of the game - and much cheaper to buy in and adapt."

BulletFlight is available for download by anyone.

Full post as published by GamePolitics.com on December 29, 2009 (boomark / email).