High-tech weapons sow fears of chip sabotage

[Judi Lynn]

High-tech weapons sow fears of chip sabotage
by Dan De Luce Dan De Luce – Sun Apr 17, 5:51 pm ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – As NATO countries weigh whether to arm Libya's rebels, military planners may give a thought to adding a remote "kill switch" to some weapons to keep them out of the wrong hands, experts say.

Even if allied governments conclude that building in a remote control to disable anti-tank launchers might be more trouble than it's worth, the mere possibility is transforming the role of high-tech weapons in warfare.

"The more advanced technology becomes, the more it becomes integrated in networks, the more opportunities there are for attacks," David Lindahl, a research scientist at the Swedish Defence Research Agency, told AFP.

The growing sophistication of modern weaponry, with its reliance on electronic circuits and robotics, has fueled speculation that the United States or other powers might choose to turn off their weapons remotely -- or secretly sabotage the enemy's high-tech systems.

More:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110417/tc_afp/usweaponstechnologylibya_20110417215151

[DCKit]

1. Yeah, 'cause what could go wrong with adding yet another circuit to one of our "smart" bombs? nt

[formercia]

2. The enemy will quickly figure out how it works

so they might as well use rocks.

[bemildred]

3. Gee, who could have predicted this? nt

[IDemo]

4. Or they could simply use the latest Intel processors

http://www.techspot.com/news/41643-intels-sandy-bridge-processors-have-a-remote-kill-switch.html