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Printer FriendlyReprinted with permission from Popular Mechanics, April
1999.
© Copyright The Hearst Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Laptop keeps tanks rolling
Obsolete laptop computers could win future battles.
Protective features of the Abrams main battle tank shut down its powerplant if they sense fuel-line faults. But not all faults are serious.
To determine if the tanks can roll, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash. (509-372-4251) has programmed an obsolete 486-based laptop to quickly diagnose faults. If the system, called Tedann, is fielded, the old saying about a battle being lost for lack of a nail will need to be revised to: "for lack of a laptop."
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