U.S. Army Special Operations Command is dumping its Android tactical smartphone for an iPhone model, according to DoD Buzz.
The iPhone 6S will become the end-user device for the iPhone Tactical Assault Kit – special-operations-forces version Army’s Nett Warrior battlefield situational awareness tool, the article adds, quoting an unnamed Army source. The iTAC will replace the Android Tactical Assault Kit.
The iPhone is “faster; smoother. Android freezes up” and has to be restarted too often, the source said. The problem with the Android is particularly noticeable when viewing live feed from an unmanned aerial system such as Instant Eye, according to DoD Buzz.
A tactical assault kit is a government open source project from the Air Force Research Lab in Rome, NY. When combined with a network or radios, it enables sharing/presentation of voice, text chat, video, pictures, and an interactive, layered, shared, moving map.