Every week within Apple's patent batch of patents listed in the US Patent & Trademark Office database there are some patents listed because they list possibly using OS X or iOS as part of their invention. It's not like Apple is aware of these inventors revealing in a particular patent that their OS is a candidate for their product or system.

While these types of patents are filed weekly, sometimes outnumbering Apple's actual patents by a long shot, one of these patents stood out today. It's a patent application filed by BAE Systems, a British company who sells military submarine, aircraft and radar systems.

Today BAE's patent application covers a military missile system involving warheads as noted in patent figure 1. Apple's OS X, along with other major operating systems, are listed. OS X may or may not be used, but the company chose to include OS X as a possible aspect of their invention.

Considering that Apple is heavily involved with a clean environment and social agenda you'd think that it would loudly object to their operating system even being considered to operate a ballistic missile system.

In recent news, it was reported that "Google employees quit over controversial Pentagon work." Roughly a dozen employees resigned in the wake of reports that Google's AI work is being shared with the Pentagon.

Of course the Google situation is completely different in that Google is directly involved with the Pentagon whereas BAE may use OS X unbeknownst to Apple. Well, at least on paper it's unbeknownst to Apple.

Can a U.S. tech company actually deny the government of anything they demand for the military? I don't know. Considering that there isn't a public stance on this front from California's tech leaders, we have to assume they don't have a choice, even if it's against a particular company's so-called "values."

For those curious about this invention, check out BAE's patent application titled "Automated Determination of Rocket Configuration," here.

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