Bring down enemy missiles with your iPhone

Steve Jobs and the folks at Apple like to boast that there is nothing you can’t do without an iPhone app. Now it looks like another step in this direction has been taken by Raytheon: in fact, the Massachusetts giant is working on Patriot Crew Drill, some sort of videogame whose effects are far from virtual, as it is used as a training tool for troops that operate Patriot anti-missile systems to shoot any approaching enemy rockets.

The troops assigned to Patriot usage are generally deployed in not so “hot” locations; when they are sent for an assignment to locations such as Iraq or Afghanistan, their knowledge of the Patriot system might get a little bit rusty. To counter this possibility and keep troops always up to date, also in case of any possible modifications to the Patriot operation, Raytheon has then created this iPhone application.

Used just like a common videogame, Patriot Crew Drill presents its user with a virtual scenario, with multiple choice questions that must be obviously answered correctly. If everything goes well, you would advance to the next step. In case of a mistake, a “virtual” Sergeant would make sure that the user does not make the same mistake the next time, and he would do it very politely… not.

It is not the first time that Raytheon presents iPhone apps designed to be used on the battlefield, although there is still a long way to go before they could actually be deployed. When this happens, soldiers will have to make sure that, if they are using an iPhone 4, they don’t hold it with the infamous Death Grip, as Steve Jobs may not be able to send a new bumper case in due time!