TROOPS in Afghanistan are to be given wrist-mounted sat-nav systems to help in their fight against the Taliban.
The Ministry of Defence has asked companies to supply 1,500 GPS navigation systems to be given to soldiers in the field. Army chiefs hope that the devices will help cut down on the weight of gear which soldiers have to carry.
The contract is expec
ted to be worth up to £600,000, and the devices have to be supplied for action early this year.
Defence chiefs want to adapt devices which are already on the market and are used by athletes and adventurers. They have ordered that the design they will choose should be compatible with their military maps and systems.
In recent years, tiny GPS-devices have become common in order to help runners check their speed and progress, and privately-bought GPS units have become popular in the forces. The devices will be given to platoon and section commanders when they go on operations. Right now, the forces rely on larger GPS devices to help them in the field.
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defence said: "The devices are to be used in Afghanistan as part of operations there. Now that the technology is available and works, we want it to be available for our soldiers.
"They will be a great help and they will help lessen the amount of equipment which soldiers have to carry with them. Of course this does not mean that map-reading will no longer be needed. Map-reading remains a key skill. Maps can tell you what the terrain is like and GPS devices cannot always do that."
The armed forces have traditionally laid a heavy emphasis on map-reading as a crucial skill for all troops to master.
There are currently about 6,000 British troops deployed in Afghanistan, mainly in Helmand Province – in the south of the country – where they are locked in a battle with the Taliban for control of the region. In the coming year, the number of British troops in Afghanistan is expected to be increased to 8,000, including a battalion of at least 550 soldiers from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
American scientists began developing the Global Positioning System in the 1960s in order to help their military with navigation and aiming weapons. After Soviet fighters shot down a Korean airliner in 1983, the US government ordered that it could be used by civilians too. The system became fully operational in 1995.
The full article contains 428 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
