Apple iPad and Air Force: How Is It Helping Uncle Sam?

Apple iPad and Air Force: With Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) selling millions upon millions of iPad tablets every year, these devices have become commonplace in many homes and offices all over the world.

But did you know that the Apple iPad is going to make its way to the battlefield soon enough? It appears that the U.S. Air Force realizes the benefits of implementing these tablets into daily use.

A recent article published by The Street gives a better idea of what the Air Force is doing with the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPads:

“Last year the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command (AMC) awarded a $9.36 million contract for up to 18,000 iPads as part of an ambitious project to replace flight manuals with state-of-the-art tablets. Contractor Executive Technology clinched the deal to deploy the so-called Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs).”

As you can see, the Air Force is beginning to phase out the use of traditional flight manuals and instead opting for iPad tablets.

While this sounds like a big move, it is one that should not be that much of a surprise. There are many industries moving away from “paper,” and towards tablets. For example, a variety of professional sports teams, including the NFL, are putting their playbooks on Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPads.

While there is nothing more important than making sure pilots have the appropriate material, there are other benefits of using tablets as opposed to paper manuals.

In the same piece, Major Brian Moritz, EFB program manager added the following:

“We’re saving about 90 pounds of paper per aircraft and limiting the need for each crew member to carry a 30 to 40 pound paper pile [of flight manuals]. It adds up to quite a lot of weight in paper.”

Take a closer look at those numbers. Roughly 90 pounds of paper is being eliminated from each U.S. Air Force aircraft. Along with that, pilots no longer have to lug around a 40-pound manual. Instead, they can grab their Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad and be on their way.

In terms of efficiency this is a huge upgrade.

And of course, we don’t want to overlook perhaps the biggest benefit. Now that the U.S. Air Force is relying more heavily on iPads, it is able to save quite a bit of money Moritz said “With fuel savings, it comes out to $5.7 million annually in pure cost. When you look at $5.7 million a year, over 10 years, that’s well over $50 million.”

It is neat to see Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) doing its part in helping the country save big money.

Check back here for more updates on Apple iPad and Air Force.

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