The German Navy is searching for a new storage system to replace the aging 8-inch (20cm) floppy disks which are vital to the running of its Brandenburg class F123 frigates. According to an official tender document, the ideal answer to the German Navy’s problems would be a drop-in floppy disk replacement based upon a storage emulation system, reports Golem.de.
Germany’s Brandenburg class F123 frigates were commissioned in the mid 1990s, so it is understandable that floppy disks were seen as a handy removable storage medium. These drives are part of the frigates’ data acquisition system and, thus “central to controlling basic ship functions such as propulsion and power generation,” according to the source report.
It won’t be trivial to replace three decades old computer hardware seamlessly, while retaining the full functionality of the existing floppies. However, we note that other companies have wrestled similar problems in recent years. Moreover, there are plenty of emulator enthusiasts using technologies for floppy emulation solutions like Gotek drives which can emulate a variety of floppy drive standards and formats. There are other workable solutions already out there, but it all depends on who the German Navy chooses to deliver the project.
Hey it still works and does it’s job it was designed to do. The problem with driving in a model T is that you can’t easily get a mechanic, manufacturers support or spare parts if something breaks down or you want to like want to install a new modern sound system for example. Like with the floppy disk the real problem is that they can’t upgrade it very easily and make compatible with the upgrades that is ten tech generation ahead of the existing systems, not that it’s old per se.
This is how a lot of military tech is. The radar i used in iraq was using punch codes and a rotating map drum when i was gaming on diablo in my hooch. If it works and is compatible with NATO standards you don’t usually replace it.