U-2 Federal Laboratory, assigned to integrate software in a bounded environment, has used the Kubernetes automation tool in a recent aircraft exercise.
The laboratory used Kubernetes during a training sortie with a U-2 Dragon Lady reconnaissance aircraft, marking the automation tool's first flight with a major, operational Department of Defense system, USAF said Wednesday.
Kubernetes facilitates computing and other functions to fully automate complex applications. The tool would allow the U.S. military to meet weapon system requirements by maximizing available computing power.
During the training flight, Kubernetes allowed the U-2 aircraft to leverage the combined performance of four onboard computers for advanced machine learning algorithms.
“The successful combination of the U-2’s legacy computer system with the modern Kubernetes software was a critical milestone for the development of software containerization on existing Air Force weapon systems,” said Nicolas Chaillan, chief software officer at USAF.
