JFCOM Testing High-Tech, Low-Tech Systems for Airstrike Safety

摘要

U.S. Joint Forces Command officials are in the midst of testing a raft of new systems designed to give fighter pilots planning airstrikes an accurate image of where friendly, enemy and neutral forces are located on the battlefield beneath them.rnThe "Bold Quest 09" exercise gives U.S. and coalition officials a chance to evaluate a new generation of automated systems capable of transmitting targeting coordinates supplied by ground personnel directly into the computers of attack planes overhead, according to John Miller of JFCOM's Joint Capability Development Directorate.rnThe goal of these systems, which employ laser technology for target designation, is to minimize the potential for misdirected bombs that could kill friendly forces, Norwegian Lt. Col. Bjorn Kristensen said during a teleconference with reporters. Non-automated systems require ground controllers to read grid references to pilots, who must then enter the data into their onboard computers manually, he explained.