In 2024, U.S. Navy warships received their first ever over-the-air software updates in combat. In the Red Sea, these upgrades improved the Aegis combat systems’ capabilities against cruise and ballistic missile attacks by Houthi militants. Over-the-air software updates are nothing new. In the commercial world, they happen every night — on your laptop, phone, car, or even refrigerator.
These updates work on any hardware that runs software, but have the most impact on software-defined platforms. Here, software sits at the center of the design, and can dynamically manage sensors, computing power, or weapons. This was a departure from how traditionalThe post Software-Defined Warships: The Navy’s Digital Future of Necessity appeared first on War on the Rocks.