Written by Jeremy Snow

The U.S. Air Force has approved a new Samsung tablet for flight line use and operations, the electronics company announced.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, a year-old Android-based tablet, is now available via the Air Force’s e-Tools online IT catalog, a press release said. The tablets should offer Air Force technicians easier access to information when working on the flight line.

“As this information has been digitized, technicians can now use mobile devices to deliver paperless technical orders, process real-time maintenance data collection and access the Air Force Enhanced Technical Information Management System,” a Samsung spokesperson told FedScoop.

The contract, facilitated through systems integrator Intelligent Decisions, is also expected to provide the U.S. Air Force with “significant cost savings,” although the department did not disclose the exact number. The lightweight, rugged tablets will allow the branch to get rid of its older laptops used to perform over 2,000 technical assets for the Air Force’s procedures.

To get the Air Force’s approval, the tablet faced rigorous decompression, atmosphere and temperature testing for inflight use as well.

The tablet is the first to meet Trade Agreements Act certifications — a compliance that requires certain federal contracts to feature only products manufactured in the U.S. or other approved countries — according to Samsung.

The Tab S2 comes equipped with Samsung KNOX, a National Security Agency-approved mobile security program.

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