Post amazingly cool pictures of aircraft (Volume 2)
Discussion
I find it strange that the F22 and F35 have incompatible data links in the first place. Are things changing that fast that they can't really define a common standard and stick to it? Presumably modern sensors means there's now loads of new bits of information share beyond what legacy systems can do?
Military (and space) systems are often already old and not cutting edge by the time they are installed in an operational vehicle. The Space Shuttle's computers were so archaic that their memories couldn't store all the software needed for lift-off, orbit and re-entry/landing at the same time.
After reaching orbit, the lift-off data was dumped and "orbit" data installed (usually from DAT tapes). When the orbital part of the mission was completed, that data was dumped and the re-entry and landing software installed.
By the time the Shuttles were retired in 2011, the memories of the laptops and iPads carried by the astronauts were many thousands of times more capable than the Shuttles' own computer memories.
After reaching orbit, the lift-off data was dumped and "orbit" data installed (usually from DAT tapes). When the orbital part of the mission was completed, that data was dumped and the re-entry and landing software installed.
By the time the Shuttles were retired in 2011, the memories of the laptops and iPads carried by the astronauts were many thousands of times more capable than the Shuttles' own computer memories.
Eric Mc said:
Military (and space) systems are often already old and not cutting edge by the time they are installed in an operational vehicle. The Space Shuttle's computers were so archaic that their memories couldn't store all the software needed for lift-off, orbit and re-entry/landing at the same time.
After reaching orbit, the lift-off data was dumped and "orbit" data installed (usually from DAT tapes). When the orbital part of the mission was completed, that data was dumped and the re-entry and landing software installed.
By the time the Shuttles were retired in 2011, the memories of the laptops and iPads carried by the astronauts were many thousands of times more capable than the Shuttles' own computer memories.
Keep in mind that you can't buy off the shelf. You need something that will operate with near 100% reliability from +10G to -4G, cold soak at -50F out on the ramp overnight in Alaska in the winter, bake on the ramp at +130F during the day in Saudi Arabia, constantly get jerked around violently, operate around other very high power EM emitters like an AI RADAR and jamming equipment, etc, etc. By the time you design and build something like that, it is years out of date. Still takes far longer than it should, though.After reaching orbit, the lift-off data was dumped and "orbit" data installed (usually from DAT tapes). When the orbital part of the mission was completed, that data was dumped and the re-entry and landing software installed.
By the time the Shuttles were retired in 2011, the memories of the laptops and iPads carried by the astronauts were many thousands of times more capable than the Shuttles' own computer memories.
Eric Mc said:
A phone call perhaps - but very few of all the other communication options that are now available.
An '80s phone, probably not. But any phone that can connect to the network can talk and text. Those are both standard formats. And that is pretty much what we are talking about here. I don't need the beeps and squeaks of your RADAR hit, I just need to know bearing, range, and altitude of your RADAR hit. Pretty simple stuff, really. (The information part, not the time simplexing of simultaneous messaging from multiple platforms)
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