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by jds375 4358 days ago
The software design is particularly interesting. I recommend this article: "Typical command-and-control software for military gear is highly customized and hard to modify. The key to MPrest’s success, Barak says, is that the command-and-control software is simple and modular, so customers can quickly adapt it without reprogramming. The Israeli army was able to recalibrate Iron Dome batteries almost immediately, without a software rewrite, when Hamas fighters began to fire longer-range missiles.[1]"

[1] - http://mobile.businessweek.com/articles/2012-11-21/how-to-st...

1 comments

From the article: "Microsoft’s Windows and .NET architecture make up the base layer of the system .. The same basic technology is being used for civilian purposes, including for a vehicle fleet management system"

This raises two questions:

1. What is the commonality between missile defense and fleet management ?

2. How does a system that is most likely real-time run on windows/.net ?

I would imagine that .Net is used on the control and targetting systems on the launcher I can't imagine they are running a .Net implementation on the actual missiles computer.
True. But still , doesn't it need rapid, guaranteed response times?