DARPA looking to develop iPhone and Android apps, App Store

Sure, in the past we've got a hearty chuckle out of initiatives that involved Redfly terminals and Clippy variants, but the question remains: how can we get cutting-edge tech into the hands of soldiers faster? We've recently come across some RFIs for DARPA projects aimed at developing apps and an App Store for Android and the iPhone OS, with two in particular -- Mobile Apps for the Military (DARPA-SN-10-27), and Transformative Apps (DARPA-BAA-10-41) -- catching our eye. The agency is calling for apps for battlefield, humanitarian, and disaster recovery missions, including command and control, mission planning, surveillance, reconnaissance, and language translation. Of course, if you start taking commercial smartphones out to the field there's the small matter of network coverage -- if you thought that getting a reliable connection in midtown Manhattan was an issue, what about downtown Kabul? Looks like DARPA also has plans for a military that brings its own towers with them, light-weight mobile base stations that could create a "secure mobile tactical network ... compatible with commercial smartphones." What do you think? Looking to help your country out, make a bit of money, or maybe a little of both? Check the links below to start your lucrative career as a military contractor. And tell 'em Engadget sent you.

[Thanks, Sriram]

[who said what Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:19PM]

As if the PS3 controllers weren't good enough handed to the enemies... now the military upgrades them to iPhones and Droids? Nice!

[BMills Posted Apr 8th 2010 8:14AM]

@who said what

Can't be that bad, at least for Apple's products....They still have the remote kill switch right?

Just be sure to hit it before the enemy opens the "nuclear strike" app and marks a target on Google Earth.

[kopmis Posted Jun 1st 2010 7:14PM]

@BMills Nuclear strike confirmed. Share to facebook?

[brolin Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:23PM]

LMAO!!! Good luck getting apple to approve your apps DARPA

[a5ehren Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:30PM]

@brolin
The summary pretty clearly says they want to develop their own App Store, not use the ones already there.

[brolin Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:41PM]

@a5ehren (what are you the technical police) (J/K)

anyways all apple is gonna do is say "We invented it")

[Frankenstein Black Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:54PM]

@brolin - ROCK, CYDIA and now DARPA. The "independent" App stores are growing. LOL... Wonder if you will have to jail break to use Darpa Apps ;^p...

[TekWarrior Posted Mar 11th 2010 4:20PM]

@brolin

So the big question of the day is, will Aplle sue the government for patent infringement?

[joebob Posted Mar 11th 2010 5:09PM]

@TekWarrior

This is DARPA we are talking about, the real question is are they really going to care about whatever apple does?

Its the government, if apple makes a stink, they will probably just give apple a substantial tax credit to shut them up, or if they continue they'll probably dig up some real dirt on them or staple some trust act or something that will really make them shut up.

[abedinthehouse Posted Mar 11th 2010 7:53PM]

@brolin
and *BLAM* DARPA's got a law suit from Apple.

[Dygear Posted Mar 11th 2010 8:25PM]

@brolin Anyone else notice that this is against the apple TOS? I sware it's in the fine print. Your not allowed to use Apple products to wage war. Nor are you allowed to use apple products for nukes and things like that. I first read this and I thought it was pretty silly and that apple really do think to much of them selfs. Now ... I'm not so sure.

[WinRulez Posted Mar 11th 2010 9:33PM]

@Dygear
...and so those PS3 that DARPA bought.

[brolin Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:25PM]

Better yet make sure you have it patents on lock...

[r3loaded Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:27PM]

It might be a little dangerous if an oblivious user picked up an iPhone and started playing what they thought was a combat flight simulator, but was actually the remote control interface for a Predator drone! (as in American Dad)

[gts Posted Mar 11th 2010 3:03PM]

@r3loaded

iPhone: Shall we play a game?

User: Love to. How about Global Thermonuclear War?

iPhone: Wouldn't you prefer a nice game of chess?

User: Later. Let's play Global Thermonuclear War.

iPhone: Fine.

[TekWarrior Posted Mar 11th 2010 4:24PM]

@gts

As long as they don't look as goofy as Matthew Broderick we'll be ok..

[Johnny Rockets Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:31PM]

If DARPA gets its app out for Android before Engadget does...

[inertone Posted Mar 11th 2010 3:26PM]

@Johnny Rockets

seriously!

[abedinthehouse Posted Mar 11th 2010 7:54PM]

@Johnny Rockets
Im switching

[ihadabadname Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:42PM]

prog shop ?

[briandot Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:50PM]

I just spent 13 months in Kabul. Network coverage (GSM) isn't bad, actually, and you can even get EDGE. Downloading anything from the outside world, however...well, good luck. It's (overloaded) satellite connections all the way back to the rest of the planet.

[Valicore Posted Mar 12th 2010 1:21AM]

@briandot I have to laugh, West Virginia is still sporting GPRS in places and even Kabul's got EDGE. Welcome back, BTW.

[samjE Posted Mar 11th 2010 3:25PM]

Include symbian ans meego too! :)

[UnixSystemsEngineer Posted Mar 11th 2010 4:16PM]

I wonder how much the "call in airstrike" app will cost on the App store.

[cgarriga Posted Mar 11th 2010 4:17PM]

Go to...

http://relief.unboundmedicine.com

... for free iPhone and Android software for disaster relief workers. I just saved the government $1,000,000,000

[stp147 Posted Mar 11th 2010 4:19PM]

Good thing they would be using this overseas. Could you imagine using a Predator app on AT&T's network?

[Stevek123 Posted Mar 11th 2010 6:58PM]

You are so naive.

[Wiggy Fuzz Posted Mar 11th 2010 4:30PM]

need to start a war? there's even an app for that *disembodied finger launches nuclear strike from iphone*

[Enorgasm Posted Mar 11th 2010 5:12PM]

As long as they avoid windows mobile we should be safe

[NeatOman Posted Mar 12th 2010 1:50AM]

LOL! @ the all seeing eye

[harrykim23 Posted Mar 12th 2010 2:20AM]

"light-weight mobile base stations" for a "secure mobile tactical network"?
Yeah, sure, just as secure as those predator drone wireless connections.
But on the bright side, this really great idea will give free 3G to terrorists everywhere...

[Openwave Posted Apr 1st 2010 5:14PM]

Next they're going to outsource our remote control combat systems to Indian gaming prodigies.