Air Force sends software code updates in real time to legacy U-2 surveillance aircraft while in flight
WASHINGTON – For the first time, the U.S. Air Force updated the software code on one of its aircraft while it was in flight. C4ISRnet reports. Continue reading original article
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
26 Oct. 2020 -- the service tested the technology aboard the U-2 spy plane, one of the oldest and most iconic aircraft in the Air Force’s inventory. The U-2 Federal Laboratory provided updates to the software of a U-2 last month from the 9th Reconnaissance Wing during a training flight near Beale Air Force Base, Calif.
To push the software code from the developer on the ground to the U-2 in flight, the Air Force used Kubernetes, a containerized system that enables users to automate software deployment and management.
For the demonstration, the U-2 lab employed Kubernetes to run advanced machine-learning algorithms to the four flight-certified computers onboard the U-2, modifying the software in real time without hurting the aircraft’s flight or mission computers.
John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics