US Air Force Eyeing 18K iPads

The US Air Force is looking to lighten the loads carried in plane's cockpits, where the iPad would replace up to 40 pounds of maps and charts. The Air Force is looking to purchase an unknown amount of tablets from several vendors, but specifically mentioned Apple's iPad, ranging from a low of 63 units to a high of 18k. The wide range of the number was not explained, but since we are talking about the military here, there must be a good reason. The information came from a notice on a government procurement website and mentioned the iPad by name. However, the notice also stated that the USAF would consider similar devices.