Raytheon, the American defense contractor that makes the the Patriot missile system, is developing software for Android-based smartphones that could help American soldiers on the battlefield.

The software will use smartphones’ wireless capabilities to download aerial or satellite images and determine the location of enemy combatants in surrounding terrain.

“We’re trying to take advantage of smartphone technology to tailor for what soldiers may need in the field,” commented Raytheon’s vice president for defense and civil mission solutions, Mark Bigham.

“Google has helped us push the limits of the phone[s],” Bingham added, referring to Motorola and HTC handsets that Raytheon has used to test the new application.

As developer of the Android operating system, Google stands to benefit if the U.S. Army decides to make use of Raytheon’s software.

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