Local War Effort

There are a number of defense contractors here in the Central Florida area. A division of Lockheed-Martin missile guidance systems are in south Orlando. We have the Harris Corporation, Northrup-Grumman, Boeing, and others along the east coast. Many smaller contractors support the space shuttle. There's also quite a few computer-simulation research facilities near the University of Central Florida.

There's an article in today's Orlando Sentinel on computerized weapons

Here's a description of some of the more high-tech weapons developed in Central Florida.

...One of the key components on the battlefield will be a flying command post built in Melbourne by Northrop Grumman -- the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar Systems, or Joint STARS. 

Think of a Joint STARS as the director's chair in the theater of battle. Flying miles above Earth, the plane is packed with a huge arsenal of electronics that coordinates a battlefield. It gathers vast amounts of data from the ground and air. Using Global Positioning System satellites, the Joint STARS can direct an airstrike against enemy positions almost as quickly as they are identified. 

The joint air-to-surface stand-off (JASSM), built by Lockheed Martin\'s Missiles and Fire Control Division in Orlando and Dallas, is an advanced missile that might be used in combat for the first time in Iraq. The stealthy weapon with a range of 200 miles is satellite-guided and uses an infrared device to recognize targets.

Precision guided weapons have come a long way since the first Gulf War. This is going to be one of the reasons why this war will be short with fewer US lives lost.