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The witness seminar ”NIBS: The Development of the Näcken Information Handling System, 1966–82” was held at the National Museum of Science and Technology in Stockholm on 14 January 2008 and was led by Nils Bruzelius. During the seminar, the development of the computerized command and control system of the Näcken-class submarines was discussed. A major feature of the system was the computerization of the calculation of target data, which made possible the automatic and simultaneous tracking and monitoring of ten different targets. Different aspects of this development were covered at the seminar, in particular the development of mathematical models for target calculation. The computing algorithm was formulated by researchers at FOA, and implemented in close cooperation with consultants from Teleplan. Moreover, the computerization of other systems related to the handling and controlling of the submarine, a task carried out by Kockums in Karlskrona, was discussed. The critical importance of digital computing in the magnetic mine protection system was underlined. In purchasing the computer system, separate technical specifications for hardware and computer software was formulated. The role of government intervention in the purchase of the central computer was discussed and debated. Finally, the technical and tactical testing of the submarine system was covered, with special emphasis on the computerized information handling systems. QC 20130422

The witness seminar ”JA 37 – Pilot och system” was held at the National Museum of Science and Technology in Stockholm on 11 December 2007 and was led by professor Karl Johan Åström. Different aspects of the use of Information Technology in the development of real time control systems in the fighter version of Viggen (JA 37) were discussed and debated, with special emphasis on integration of the systems surrounding the pilot. The critical importance of close cooperation between development engineers and test pilots, primarily at the customer FMV and the main contractor Saab, at LM Ericsson and Svenska Radiobolaget, and test pilots at Saab and the Swedish Air Force was underlined. This also included the emerging use of mission and task analysis, system simulators and early flying experimentation and test beds. The basic arcitechture of the airborne system with a central computer to which most of the major sub-systems and equipment was connected was carried over from the Attack Viggen System (AJ 37) with its single digital computer. The total system functionality and capability was vastly improved due to the introduction of digital computers in all major subsystems, an inertial platform, built-in test and data recording systems for maintenance, mission performance feedback and training purposes. A major undertaking was the development of an integrated Electronic Display System with three major displays: a Head-up Display (SI), a Tactical Situation Display (TI), including an all electronically generated map function, and a Radar/ Target Display (MI). In particular the development of the Tactical Indicator (TI), made possible by new solid state technology, facilitated more autonomous fighter tactics than possible with previous radar based command and control system. The all important challenge for the JA 37 project was the development of the pulse dopper radar PS-46/A, a task carried out by LM Ericsson with support from Hughes Aircraft Company and guidance from FMV. Special attention was paid to the use of digital computers for highspeed signals processing. Moreover, the critical design choice of medium pulse repetition frequency was debated. Finally, software development tools and methodology were discussed.

The witness seminar ”Att modellera slagfältet” [Modelling the battlefield] was held at The National Museum of Science and Technology in Stockholm on 15 October 2007 and was led by Magnus Hagwall. Different aspects of the early use of electronic computers to analyze and study military problems at the National Defence Research Establishment (FOA) were discussed at the seminar, particularly the use of computers to carry out simulations of combat scenarios and weapons effects against different targets. Special attention was paid to the time period from 1954, when the introduction of BESK first made computer simulations possible, to 1966 when the IBM 7090 mainframe computer at FOA was replaced. Operations research provided new problems for computer programming. The design of computer models for submarine hunt, armored combat and ground-to-air combat developed at FOA in the late 1950s and 1960s were discussed at the seminar. Other problems brought up were the development of computer models to study the effects of artillery shells against airplanes and armored tanks. The use of FORTRAN to develop programs for IBM 709 and IBM 7090 was described. The design of the information handling system CORSAIR was touched upon. Moreover, the seminar discussed the use of IBM 7090 mainframe computers to develop programs for meteorological analysis. The critical importance of fast input and output facilities for meteorological applications was underlined. Finally, the reliability of large computer models to study battle-field scenarios was debated. QC 20130422