Into battle with the iPad

The commander on the ground has an iPad in his hand, the M16 next to him. With a swipe of his finger, he shares information and receives visual messages in real-time. For example, when he identifies a target, he can immediately pass it on to a helicopter pilot who can then neutralize it. "We want to close the circle between the sensor and the shooter," explains Colonel Yariv Nir, head of the C4I Cyber Operations Department of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

This unit is driving the digitalization of the IDF by establishing an integrated Wi-Fi for the entire military. "There is no mission that would only involve the Navy, Air Force, or Ground Forces," says Colonel Nir. "They all need to be connected and work with the same picture."

Gone are the days when commanders in the field relied only on radio and printed maps; today they use iPads and other modern technical devices to find out where enemy forces are located, which buildings are booby-trapped, or where tunnels are and where their own forces are currently situated.

iPads are actually quite useful tactical devices. Although it doesn't always have to be such an advanced use with its own network like in the IDF. In the image below, which comes from Syria, the man in the middle is using his iPad with a level app to determine the angle at which the mortar is aligned to fire.