We previously posted about the growth of Google’s Android platform beyond the realm of smartphones into a range of consumer electronic devices. And now, as recently reported on Forbes.com, a major military defense contractor has brought Android in to the battlefield in what could be the first military application of Google’s open source platform.

Using Android software tools, Raytheon engineers built a basic application for military personnel that combines maps with a buddy list. Raytheon calls the entire framework the Raytheon Android Tactical System, or RATS for short. [...]

Every part of RATS is tailored for use on a battlefield. A soldier could make an unmanned plane a “buddy,” for instance, and track its progress on a map using his phone. He could then access streaming video from the plane, giving him a bird’s eye view of the area. Soldiers could also use the buddy list to trace the locations of other members of their squad.

According to an executive at Raytheon, the US Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security as well as law enforcement agencies could possibly adopt this technology as well.

We announced earlier this month that Mocana has earned the government’s first FIPS 140-2 level one validation for Android crypto software with NSA Suite B cryptography.