LONDON - Apple’s iPods and iPhones are the latest equipment that the US army is using to carry out operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The easy-to-use devices have been embraced by the military because they can safely carry secure software and are far cheaper than manufacturing a version specifically for the army.

Capable of holding more than 30,000 programs, Apple’s best-sellers are being used for everything from translating to working out the trajectories of snipers.

According to The Telegraph, the US military is also working on how these devices can be used as guidance systems for bomb disposal robots and to receive aerial footage from unmanned drone aircraft.

Currently, the US Marine Corps is funding an application that would allow soldiers to upload photographs of detained suspects, along with written reports, into a biometric database.

The software would match faces, in theory making it easier to track suspects after they’re released.

Though the British military admires the usage of the Apple instruments, the Ministry of Defence remains wary of security implications and has “no plans” at present to go down the American path.

The Director of the US Army’s Intelligence, electronic warfare and sensors operation, Lieutenant Colonel Jim Ross, believes the iPod “may be all that the personnel need”.

“What gives it added advantage is that a lot of them have their own personal ones so they are familiar with them,” he told the paper.

Cost can be considered to be another advantage.

The iPod touch (which soldiers can use over a secure WiFi network) retails for around 230 dollars and the iPhone for 600 dollars. Bulk orders placed by the Pentagon bring further savings. (ANI)