China buys US mapping software used to kill bin Laden

Belgian defense contractor Luciad has sold to China software commonly used by the US and NATO militaries to map battlefields,SCMPtoday's news.

Included in this software package is the LuciadLightspeed application that is capable of quickly and accurately processing real-time data, including data from fast-moving objects, helping military commanders grasp rapidly changing developments in different combat environments.

Military planners often use multiple data sources such as drones, satellite imagery, radar, sensor mapping or weather forecasts. Traditional software when processing these diverse data sources can produce results about moving targets with an error of up to 500 meters.

Meanwhile, LuciadLightspeed can analyze multiple data sources and create seamless images at a speed of 100 calculations/second, 75 times faster than competing software on the market, with an error of only about 3 cm. This helps commanders accurately assess changes from the enemy side to adjust the mission.

In 2011, the US Special Operations Command based at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, used the software in the operation to kill terrorist Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.

Chinese law requires foreign companies selling software to Beijing to provide source code for inspection by the authorities. It is unclear whether Luciad is complying with this requirement.

Military analysts said the deal is particularly beneficial for Beijing as it increasingly expands its military and intelligence data collection system with a huge number of satellites and surveillance cameras.

"Luciad is the Ferrari of geographic information software. It was at the right place at the right time," said an aerospace engineer in Beijing.