Google’s Android mobile operating system is heading for the military. Defense contractor Raytheon has created a simple Android application that combines maps with a buddy list, though in this case a buddy doesn’t necessarily need to be a human; just something trackable.
The framework is called the Raytheon Android Tactical System, or RATS, and should be deployed in the next couple of months. Raytheon says the system’s ease of use keeps costs drastically down–a few hundred dollars per user compared to the $20, 000 to $30, 000 per user common to other military-grade mobile hardware and software systems.
