Going to War - GPS Declassified: From Smart Bombs to Smartphones - page 120

short duration and minimal casualties surprised almost everyone and left a
legacy that makes it difficult to recall today the dire predictions and street pro-
tests that preceded it. A protester in front of the White House on the day the air
campaign started questioned whether the carnage would leave anyone to lib-
erate, remarking, “Bombs have no eyes.” 85 But many did have eyes, and many
more bombs with eyes would follow. The Persian Gulf War marked a turning
point in public expectations about acceptable collateral damage in conflict. The
services rapidly began integrating gps capability into precision-guided weap-
ons, which saw increased use in each subsequent conflict. Whereas precision
weapons constituted a negligible percentage of all ordnance expended in Viet-
nam, they represented 7 percent in Desert Storm; the share expanded to 60
percent during Operation Deliberate Force in the Balkans in 1995 and grew to
80 percent during Operation Allied Force in Yugoslavia and Kosovo in 1999. 86
gps applications continue to spread to “all weapons systems and platforms,”
including field artillery. In early 2012 General Dynamics and bae Systems
announced the successful demonstration of a “smart” 81-mm precision mor-
tar round made possible with gps guidance and an in-light control system. 87
What could be next—a smart bullet?
The actual size of that “vast number of potential users” first became evident
in 1991. Others beyond the military took note of how gps succeeded in the Per-
sian Gulf War. The lopsided ratio of commercial to military receivers in Desert
Storm foreshadowed a numerical difference that would become permanent.