Sign in / up

back to article Software SNAFU took out 10,000 military geo locators

As many as 10,000 global positioning system receivers were rendered useless for days as a result of a software upgrade in January that didn't go well, the Associated Press reports. The "compatibility issue" affected 8,000 to 10,000 of the military's 800,000 GPS receivers, although officials didn't say how many weapons, planes …

COMMENTS

House rules Send corrections
This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. frank ly
    FAIL

    Friendly Fail

    "extremely confident in the safety and security of the GPS system from enemy attack."

    ....but not from friendly fail.

    3 0
  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "extremely confident..."

    "...in the safety and security of the GPS system from enemy attack."

    But they can always rely on friendly fire to fuck things up.

    1 1
  3. Sweeping Brush

    Who needs enemies?

    A military spokesman said officials are "extremely confident in the safety and security of the GPS system from enemy attack."

    We are of course scared shitless that some snotty nosed sys-op back at base is gonna screw it all up again!!

    1 1
  4. Disco-Legend-Zeke
    Pint

    The Ability...

    ...to convert WWII ordinance to smart bombs by adding a simple GPS/fin controller assembly has increased the effectivness of air strikes 10-fold.

    The Receint predator takeout of an Al Kaida evildoer (and sadly of his entire family) reinforces my opinion of the value of GPS as a military weapon.

    The collision of a vehicle and a GPS following pedestrian also points out the dangers of depending solely on computer navigation.

    DISCLAIMER: Allah, Google. and Islam are NOT evil, its is reliance on computer tech and usurping religeous belief for personal gain that kills/injures innocents.

    211 is injuring me to death, but it's an entertaining a way to go. Enjoy.

    0 1
    1. Trevor_Pott Gold badge
      Reply Icon

      @DIsco-Legend Zeke

      Google isn't evil?

      Since when?

      0 0
  5. Craig 28

    Re:Collission

    They make GPS units for the blind and they go to great pains to point out in the manual (HTML for computer speech access) that it is only to aid with "orientation" and isn't a "primary mobility aid." For everyone else your eyes are your primary mobility aid, as such the prat in question was obviously looking at the GPS when he should have been looking where he was going.

    Don't blame the GPS, blame the pillock who wasn't able to concentrate on where they were going while checking the GPS from time to time. "I was following the GPS" is no excuse for a collision.

    0 0
  6. gollux
    Grenade

    And for a brief period of time...

    GPS lunkheads were not being rescued in our area trying to take a shortcut over a two lane dirt road through a 4300ft mountain pass still somewhat clogged with snow drifts, or from the maze of logging roads that branch off the main road.

    GPSTards were seen littering the sides of the interstate moaning about how they were lost and couldn't figure out that folded paper thing the highway patrol offered them to help figure what direction they needed to travel in.

    0 0
This topic is closed for new posts.