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JUNE 2017

ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES
FOR NATIONAL DEFENSE

High-power

Persistent
electro-
magnetics
Electronics-killing EMP
weapons are focus of

surveillance
$15 million contract
to Raytheon. PAGE 6

Radiation-
hardened
electronics
Satellite and spacecraft Next-generation
designers must deliver
reliable systems at persistent ISR
low cost. PAGE 20
requires signal
militaryaerospace.com
processing
and data
fusion. PAGE 10

1706MAE_Rev_C1 1 6/15/17 8:44 AM


1706MAE_C2 2 6/6/17 1:18 PM
JUNE 2017
VOL. 28, NO. 6

2 TRENDS

4 NEWS

6 IN BRIEF

10 SPECIAL REPORT
COvER STORY

What is global persistent


surveillance?
Next-generation persistent ISR will require
more signal processing and data fusion on
the sensor platform, as well as precision
approaching artificial intelligence.

20 TECHNOLOGY FOCUS
Radiation-hardened space electronics
enter the multi-core era
The pace of embedded computing technology
development is placing pressure on satellite
and spacecraft designers, who must
deliver reliable systems at low cost.

29 RF & MICROWAVE

31 UNMANNED VEHICLES

33 ELECTRO-OPTICS WATCH

35 PRODUCT APPLICATIONS

37 NEW PRODUCTS

Military & Aerospace Electronics (ISSN 1046-9079), Volume 28, No. 6. Military & Aerospace Electronics is published 12 times a year, monthly by PennWell Corpo-
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www.militaryaerospace.com MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS JUNE 2017 1

1706MAE_1 1 6/6/17 7:33 AM


trends BY JOHN KELLER, EDITOR IN CHIEF

Is military C-RAM development


as efficient as it could be?
The Pentagon is spending substan- such as rockets, artillery, mortars, sensors, a commercial off-the-shelf
tial time, effort, and money for cruise missiles, and UAVs. Northrop (COTS) warning system, and a U.S.
counter-rocket, artillery, and mortar Grumman, moreover, is enhancing Navy-developed interceptor to pro-
(C-RAM) technology to protect U.S. G/ATOR capability to counter enemy tect forward-deployed warfighters.
warfighters on the front lines and rockets, artillery, and mortars. Lockheed Martin is develop-
on invasion beaches from enemy Another battlefield radar system ing Extended Area Protection and
airborne threats. Its fitting that mil- in the works is the U.S. Army SRCTec Survivability (EAPS) Integrated
itary leaders should develop these AN/TPQ-49 and AN/TPQ-50 light- Demonstration (ID) technology to
kinds of technologies in this era weight counter-mortar radar (LCMR) counter incoming enemy rocket,
where enemy threats to deployed to help defend deployed warfighters artillery, and mortar rounds, as well
warfighters can take so many forms, from rocket, artillery, and mortar as enemy cruise missiles and UAVs.
from conventional military forces to attacks using 360-degree surveil- Other military research projects
concealed terrorists wielding weap- lance and 3D rocket, artillery, and seek to fuse battlefield radar sys-
ons ranging from improvised explo- mortar location using non-rotating, tems, other kinds of sensors, and
sive devices to smart munitions. electronically steered antennas. weapons to enhance C-RAM capa-
U.S. military forces have several Already deployed is the U.S. Army bility. One is the Office of Naval
systems deployed or in development Lockheed Martin AN/TPQ-53 radar Researchs Target Processing Center
to help form an umbrella of protec- system to protect against rockets, Sensor Correlation and Fusion proj-
tion over vulnerable U.S. and allied mortar rounds, and artillery shells. ect, which seeks not only to detect
warfighters operating well within This radar also is designed to pin- enemy artillery, rocket, and mortar
the range of most enemy weapons. point the location of enemy launch- rounds and reduce false alarms, but
In development is the U.S. Air ers to direct counter-battery fire. also to speed counter fire to destroy
Force Raytheon Three-Dimensional In addition to battlefield air-de- enemy projectiles, artillery emplace-
Expeditionary Long-Range Radar fense and C-RAM radar systems, ments, and launchers.
(3DELRR) system to detect, iden- some Army and Marine Corps pro- This sounds like a lot of different
tify, and track objects at great dis- grams intend to fuse data from projects intended to protect military
tances in conflicts that could involve sensors and slave them to weapon forces from, you guessed it, rockets,
large numbers of enemy advanced systems layered from close-in to artillery, and mortars. Im not sug-
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), long-range distances to destroy or gesting this is a bad thing, yet I do
fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and disable enemy airborne threats. wonder if U.S. military C-RAM efforts
ballistic and cruise missiles. Also Northrop Grumman, for exam- might be duplicative or otherwise
in development is the U.S. Marine ple, is providing hardware and ser- potentially wasteful. I have to ask if
Corps Northrop Grumman Ground/ vices for Army C-RAM capabilities to theres any way that at least some of
Air Task-Oriented Radar (G/ATOR), protect brigade combat teams from the enabling technologies of these
designed to protect Marines on enemy airborne attack. Northrop different programs could combine to
attack beaches from low-observable Grumman is integrating exist- enhance efficiencies, while not com-
targets with low radar cross sections, ing field artillery and air defense promising on capabilities.

2 JUNE 2017 MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS www.militaryaerospace.com

1706MAE_2 2 6/6/17 7:33 AM


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1706MAE_3 3 6/6/17 7:33 AM


news
Army and Oshkosh to revitalize heavy battlefield truck fleet
BY JOHN KELLER
WARREN, Mich. U.S. Army logistics authorities are con-
tinuing their effort to revitalize the Armys fleet of
heavy battlefield trucks with orders collectively worth
$170.5 million to Oshkosh Defense LLC in Oshkosh,
Wis., to rebuild 423 heavy battlefield trucks, as well as
vetronics, trailers, and related heavy transport equip-
ment to like-new condition.
Officials of the Army Contracting Command in
Warren, Mich., are asking Oshkosh to rebuild different
models of the Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck
(HEMTT), as well as provide rebuilt palletized load sys-
tem trailers and self-recovery winches.
Oshkosh will recapitalize, or recap these heavy
trucks and related equipment, which means to rebuild
the vehicles to like-new condition for upgrading and
extending the service life of these military trucks and The U.S. Army is asking Oshkosh Defense to rebuild the nations
transport equipment. Last month, Oshkosh won con- HEMTT heavy battlefield truck fleet to like-new condition.
tracts collectively worth $259.6 million to recapitalize
454 heavy battlefield trucks and related equipment. The Armys heavy truck recapitalization orders to
The recap process is to extend a vehicles service Oshkosh in April involved the M1977 HEMTT common
life, reduce its operating and support costs, enhance its bridge transporter; M984 wrecker; M978 water and fuel
capabilities, and improve its system reliability, main- tanker; M985 cargo truck; M983 tractor unit; and PLS.
tainability, safety, and efficiency. The Oshkosh PLS cargo truck and trailer secures as
The Oshkosh HEMTT is an eight-wheel-drive, die- many as 10 supply pallets with a total load capacity of
sel-powered, 10-short-ton tactical truck thats been in 16.5 tons. The vehicle has a hydraulic arm and cargo
the Army inventory since 1982. The HEMTT is designed hook for loading and unloading. The M985A4 HEMTT
to provide heavy transport capabilities for supply and truck is designed to support the Multiple Launch
re-supply of combat vehicles and weapons systems on Rocket System (MLRS) and Patriot missile.
the battlefield. The Oshkosh M985E1A4 guided missile transporter
The large battlefield truck has a militarized commer- is for the delivery, recovery, and loading of guided
cial engine and transmission, and has an optional cen- missiles. It removes spent missile canisters from the
trally mounted self-recovery winch. Its two-person cab launcher and replaces them with fresh missiles. The
is armored to protect the occupants from small-arms M984A4 and M983A4 recovery vehicle wreckers are
fire and shrapnel. designed to recover vehicles bigger than 10 tons, even
The HEMTT truck models involved in these orders those mired in mud, sand, water, or snow.
are the M1074A1 and M1075A1 palletized load sys- Oshkosh will do the work in Oshkosh, Wis., and
tems (PLS); M985A4 HEMTT trucks; M985E1A4 guided should be finished by January 2019.
missile transporters; and M984A4 and M983A4 recov-
FOR MORE INFORMATION visit Oshkosh Defense online
ery vehicle wreckers. The contract also is for 42 new at https://oshkoshdefense.com, and the Army Contracting
M1076A0 PLS trailers and 61 M984A4 self-recovery Command-Warren at http://acc.army.mil/contractingcenters/
winches. acc-wrn.

4 JUNE 2017 MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS www.militaryaerospace.com

1706MAE_4 4 6/6/17 7:33 AM


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1706MAE_5 5 6/6/17 7:33 AM


news
Electronics-killing EMP weapons are focus of
$15 million contract to Raytheon
BY JOHN KELLER
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. High- develop concepts, and conduct tests
power electromagnetics (HPEM) for building HPEM systems and
experts at the Raytheon Co. will components for military aircraft.
help the U.S. Air Force determine Raytheon experts also will use
the feasibility of using electron- simulation tools to assess the per-
ics-killing electromagnetic pulse formance and mission operations
(EMP) weapons aboard combat air- of future HPEM weapons-equipped
craft under terms of a $15 million aircraft.
contract. Airborne HPEM-based EMP weap-
Officials of the Air Force Research ons have the potential to knock out
Laboratory (AFRL) Directed Energy enemy sensors, communications,
Directorate at Kirtland Air Force weapons, and other electronic sys-
Base, N.M., are asking the Raytheon tems without killing people. Raytheon is working on electronics-killing
EMP weapons for potential deployment on
Missile Systems segment in The Air Force Research Labs
combat aircraft.
Albuquerque, N.M., to investigate HPEM Research Program seeks to
ways to integrate future HPEM tech- develop HPEM technology not only
nologies into aircraft weapons. for electronics-killing aircraft weap- (EW) Applications; HPEM Effects;
An HPEM weapon, in theory, ons, but also for directed-energy Electromagnetics (EM) Weapons
would emit a short burst of EMP, weapons, cyber warfare, electronic Technology; Numerical Simulation;
or a strong electromagnetic distur- warfare (EW), power electronics, and NextGen HPEM.
bance, that would damage or destroy and antennas. Raytheon is handling the HPEM
targeted electronic systems, such as The program has six tech- Transition technical area.
radar, communications, power grids, nical areas: HPEM Transition; In March, Booz Allen Hamilton
land vehicles, and aircraft. HPEM Cyber/Electronic Warfare in McLean, Va., and CSRA LLC
The effects of an HPEM would be
similar to those of a lightning strike or
the EMP generated by the detonation
Raytheon to begin production of advanced shipboard
of a nuclear weapon. In other words, it radar system for guided missile destroyers
could destroy or damage any kind of Shipboard radar experts at the Raytheon Co. will begin production of
unshielded modern electronics, rang- the new AN/SPY-6(V) Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) for late-
ing from computers, to electric gener- model Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) Aegis destroyers under terms of
ators, to small appliances. a $327.1 million U.S. Navy order. Officials of the Naval Sea Systems
The contract is part of the AFRLs Command in Washington are asking the Raytheon Integrated Defense
HPEM Research Program, begun two Systems segment in Marlborough, Mass., to build the first three AMDR
years ago to advance the state of the low-rate initial production units. Raytheon prevailed over Northrop
art in HPEM technologies for direct- Grumman Corp. and Lockheed Martin Corp. to build the AMDR in 2013.
ed-energy weapons and a variety of The AMDR will supersede the AN/SPY-1 radar that has been standard
other aerospace and defense uses. equipment on Navy Aegis Burke-class destroyers and Ticonderoga-
On this contract, Raytheon class cruisers. This order includes non-recurring engineering efforts in
experts will look into the feasibil- support of AMDR production. The Raytheon AN/SPY-6(V) AMDR will
ity of developing and using HPEM improve the Burke-class destroyers ability to detect hostile aircraft,
weapons aboard a variety of air- surface ships, and ballistic missiles.
craft. Raytheon will conduct studies

6 JUNE 2017 MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS www.militaryaerospace.com

1706MAE_6 6 6/6/17 7:33 AM


in Chantilly, Va., each won a yo ur so lut ion p ro vide r fo r...
$10 million contract for the pro- ConneCtivity | Power | Control
grams HPEM Cyber/Electronic
Warfare (EW) Applications tech-
nical area, which seeks to identify
and develop HPEM technologies for
the cyber and electronic warfare Space proven
communities.
HPEM Effects will investigate the
effects of HPEM against a broad range
of electronics, and develop predictive
models for HPEM battle damage.
Electromagnetics (EM) Weapons
Technology will move new HPEM
technologies into pulsed-power
weapons, including developing com-
pact repetitive pulsed-power topol- Single Board computers for Space
ogies; investigating high-energy
particle beams; and creating weak
and strongly ionized plasmas using SCS750G4
with
ultrashort pulse lasers (USPL). SpaceWire
&
Numerical Simulation will develop NAND Flash!
simulation to help develop modern
HPEM systems and the Improved
Concurrent Electromagnetic Particle-
in-Cell (ICEPIC) software.
Proven Reliability
NextGen HPEM will develop Proven in space: TRL-9
the source and antenna technolo- Utilized with confidence in the most critical missions
gies for HPEM weapons, including 1 in 80 year board level SEE rate (GEO)
broadband high-power amplifiers, TID > 100krad(Si); SEL immune
tunable high-power oscillators, Optimized Performance
and broadband antennas RF effects Incorrect transactions are never generated
weapons that work over a broad Seamless error correction
range of frequencies, pulse lengths, S/W controlled Speed/Power: 200-1800 MIPS; 7-30W typical
pulse repetition frequencies, and Error-corrected high-density Flash, SDRAM and EEPROM
power densities. cPCI; MIL-STD-1553, serial/parallel, and
Raytheon will do the work SpaceWire interfaces available
at Kirtland Air Force Base in
Albuquerque, N.M., and should be
finished by August 2020.

FOR MORE INFORMATION visit


Raytheon Missile Systems online 53
at www.raytheon.com, and the years of To learn more, visit
service
Air Force Research Laboratory www.ddc-web.com/SCS750/MA
Directed Energy Directorate
at www.kirtland.af.mil/Units/
AFRL-Directed-Energy-Directorate.
D ata D e v i c e c o r p o r at i o n
www.militaryaerospace.com MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS JUNE 2017 7

1706MAE_7 7 6/6/17 7:33 AM


news
EQ-4B UAV to provide battlefield
networking and situational awareness
BY JOHN KELLER officials say. The BACN airborne
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. Battle- executive processor (AEP) enables a
field communications experts at persistent gateway in the sky that
Northrop Grumman Corp. are receives, bridges, and distributes
equipping long-endurance unman- communications among partici-
ned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with pants in a battle. The EQ-4B Global Hawk UAV will act as a
military networking equipment to BACNs AEP provides translator battlefield communications node for frontline
provide situational awareness to and gateway interfaces among all networking and situational awareness.
frontline warfighters. supported communications sys-
Officials of the U.S. Air Force tems, and forwards knowledge- 34 hours. The large UAV also can
Life Cycle Management Center at based intelligence information to be refueled in the air from manned
Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., the Global Information Grid. refueling aircraft or from other spe-
announced a $39.9 million contract BACN can help ground troops cially outfitted Global Hawk UAVs
to the Northrop Grumman Aerospace overcome the limitations that that act as aerial refueling aircraft.
Systems segment in San Diego mountainous terrain places on line- BACN translates among tactical
to equip the EQ-4B Global Hawk of-sight communications. It acts data link networks, enables joint
UAV with the Battle Field Airborne as an airborne communications range extension, beyond-line-of-
Communications Node (BACN). node that mimics satellite com- sight connectivity for disadvantaged
The contract calls for Northrop munications in limited theaters of users, and IP-based data exchange
Grumman to provide BACN pay- operations. among dissimilar users.
load modification, integration, and BACN bridges the gaps between On this contract, Northrop
installation onto the EQ-4B, the those systems, enabling situational Grumman will do the work in San
BACN-equipped version of the Air awareness from small ground units Diego and Palmdale, Calif., and
Force RQ-4 Global Hawk long-range, in contact up to the highest com- should be finished by May 2018.
long-endurance large UAV. mand levels, Northrop Grumman
FOR MORE INFORMATION visit
The BACN payload aboard the officials say. Global Hawk makes
Northrop Grumman Aerospace
Global Hawk provides warfight- BACN available to support the war-
Systems online at www.
ers round-the-clock with essential fighter 24/7. northropgrumman.com, and the Air
information to pursue and defeat The Global Hawk UAV can remain Force Life Cycle Management Center
the enemy, Northrop Grumman on station unrefueled for more than at www.wpafb.af.mil/aflcmc.

Special Operations forces eye new


lightweight SATCOM communications
BY JOHN KELLER SOCOM officials, based at MacDill
MacDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. U.S. Air Force Base, Fla., have announced
Special Operations Command plans to issue a solicitation later this
(SOCOM) is kicking off an industry year for the SDN Family of Systems
competition to develop a new fam- (FoS) Sub One-Meter Variant (SDN-
U.S. Special Operations Command ready
ily of lightweight satellite commu- Lite) project. to approach industry for new lightweight
nications (SATCOM) equipment for The future SDN-Lite terminal satellite communications (SATCOM)
covert use on the battlefield. variants will operate in X, Ku, and equipment for covert use on the battlefield.

8 JUNE 2017 MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS www.militaryaerospace.com

1706MAE_8 8 6/6/17 7:33 AM


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1706MAEVicor_1 1 6/6/17 8:21 AM


Expanding the Family of MIL-COTS Products
MIL-COTS Isolated Regulated Converter Modules MIL-COTS Isolated Regulated Converter Modules

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160 420 VDC
Output Voltages: 5V, 12V, 15V, 24V, 28V, 48V
Output Voltages: 3.3V, 5V, 12V, 15V, 24V, 28V, 48V
Output Power: 3414 VIA: Up to 320W
Output Power: 3623 ChiP: Up to 320W 3714 VIA: Up to 500W
4623 ChiP: Up to 500W
Efficiency: Up to 93%
Efficiency: Up to 93%
Dimensions: 3414 VIA: 89.5 x 35.6 x 9.4 mm
Dimensions: 3623 ChiP: 38.7 x 22.8 x 7.3 mm 3714 VIA: 95.3 x 35.6 x 9.4 mm
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1706MAEVicor_2 2 6/6/17 8:21 AM


Ka SATCOM bands, and will be part acquisition and tracking, operat-
of the SDN family of systems, which ing in the C, X, Ku, and Ka bands
will represent an evolutionary (SDN-Heavy).

ON
follow-on replacement for the leg- SOF historically operates in envi-
acy Special Operations Deployable ronments with limited or no com-
M I S S I
Node-Family of Terminals mand, control, communications,
I T I C AL
(SDN-FoT). computers, intelligence, surveil-
CR ICES
The SDN-Lite will be a sub
one-meter aperture terminal for U.S.
lance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR)
infrastructure, which necessitates DEV
Special Operations Forces (SOF) that reliance on portable equipment that
will consist of modular and portable warfighters carry forward for initial
SATCOM terminal variants that will command and control.
handle secure and non-secure voice, The first phase of SDN-Lite pro-
DC-DC
video, and data communications at
several classification levels.
duction will build and test five
each of the X-band SDN-Lite and Converters
The SDN-Lite will provide multi- two each of the Ku and Ka-band
AC-DC
Power
user, multi-classification SATCOM SDN-Lite. U.S. Special Operations is
transmit and receive capabilities, pursuing the SDN-Lite project as a
and provide Special Operations
users with worldwide connectivity
non-developmental effort, so sys-
tem performance for the most part
Supplies
to the SOF Information Environment reflects the capabilities of the cur-
(SIE) via separately acquired base- rently fielded legacy systems.
band equipment. The contractor ultimately cho-
The primary goal of the SDN- sen for the SDN-Lite project should Expanded Operating
Temperatures -55 to +85C
Lite is to deliver at least the exist- be able to deliver the first nine
ing capabilities of legacy Special terminals within 90 days of con-
Vibration, Method 204, Cond. D
Operations SATCOM systems while tract award, which is expected in Shock, Method 213, Cond. I
reducing size, weight and power November 2017. The winning SDN- Altitude, Method 105, Cond. D
consumption (SWaP). Lite contractor should be able to Environmental Screening
The SDN family of terminals deliver at least 15 SDN-Lite termi- Specification Review
is an evolutionary, follow-on life nals each month until the five- Custom Models Available
cycle replacement for the legacy year program concludes at 809 400 Hz and Now -
SOF Deployable Node-Family of terminals. 800 Hz AC-DC Models
andard
Thousands of St
Terminals (SDN-FoT). Special Operations Command
,000 VDC
The legacy SDN-FoT comprised officials say they anticipate a formal Models 2V to 10
2,000 Watts
the SDN-Lite, SDN-Medium, and the solicitation for the SDN-Lite project Outputs - 0.75 to
larger SDN-Heavy terminals. The sometime this fall. Companies inter- See PICOs full line catalog on
FoS ultimately will comprise several ested should e-mail questions and OUR EXCITING NEW WEBSITE
terminal variants: a sub one-me- comments to the Special Operations www.picoelectronics.com

PICO
ter aperture terminal operating in Commands Jonathan Katz at jon-
the X, Ku, and Ka frequency bands athan.katz@socom.mil and Phillip Electronics,Inc.
143 Sparks Ave, Pelham, NY 10803-1837
(SDN-Lite), a terminal in the range Sabo at phillip.sabo@socom.mil. E-Mail: info@picoelectronics.com
of 1.2-to-1.3-meter aperture with
MORE INFORMATION IS online
automatic satellite acquisition oper-
at https://www.fbo.gov/spg/ODA/
ating in the X, Ku, and Ka bands
USSOCOM/SOAL-KB/H92222-17-R- See full Catalog immediately
(SDN-Medium), and a 2-to-2.4-me- 0004-SDN-L/listing.html. www.picoelectronics.com
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www.militaryaerospace.com MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS JUNE 2017 9

1706MAE_9 9 6/6/17 7:33 AM


S P EC I A L REPORT

What is global
persistent
surveillance?
Next-generation persistent ISR will require more Joint Doctrine Support Division,
which in 2011 issued a Commanders
signal processing and data fusion on the sensor platform,
Handbook for Persistent Surveillance
as well as precision approaching artificial intelligence. citing the joint doctrine defini-
tion as a collection strategy that
BY J.R. Wilson emphasizes the ability of some
collection systems to linger on
Global persistent surveillance such an approach to be practical. demand in an area to detect,
conjures images of innumerable This raises the first and in the locate, characterize, identify, track,
National Security Agency (NSA) minds of many of those involved target, and possibly provide battle
analysts poring over sensor data perhaps the most important ques- damage assessment and retarget-
covering every square inch of the tion: What is global persistent ing in near- or real time. Persistent
Earth, 24/7/365. While there is a surveillance? surveillance facilitates the pre-
limited capability for gathering such There have been several defi- diction of an adversarys behavior
data, using geosynchronous sat- nitions offered, most similar to and the formulation and execution
ellites carrying powerful sensors, the Joint Warfighting Centers of preemptive activities to deter
there are not enough memory cores,
bandwidth, human analysts, or real SHOWN ABOVE: This artists rending depicts a possible future satellite ground control system in a
artificial intelligence products for global persistent surveillance environment. (Photo Credit: Raytheon)

10 JUNE 2017 MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS www.militaryaerospace.com

1706MAE_10 10 6/6/17 7:33 AM


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1706MAE_11 11 6/6/17 7:34 AM


S PECIAL REPORT

or forestall anticipated adversary request may come from a platoon the customer is willing to pay for it,
courses of action. An effectively sergeant who needs to know what but it would cost and would have to
executed persistent surveillance is over the next hill, in real-time or solve a specific need.
strategy greatly enhances joint a four-star geographic combatant Technologies involving solar
military operations. commander needing an up-to-date power and batteries are coming to
Todays persistent intelligence, overview of an entire country or bear on prospects for global per-
surveillance, and reconnaissance region, up to the White House sit- sistent surveillance, Gitlin says.
(ISR) overlays all five military uation room, where the President, Advances in renewable energy,
domains air, land, sea, space, and Secretary of Defense, and Joint such as solar power, also are ben-
cyber not as individual activities Chiefs of Staff need both as wide a efitting that kind of architecture.
by separate services, but as joint view of an area of concern as pos- So as solar panel efficiencies have
networked systems using real-time sible and a real-time look at who is increased and costs have come
and archival data fusion. doing what and where. down, the modes of integrating
With ever-increasing volumes Given current technology and those into aircraft have increased.
of data gathered by more and bet- other factors like acquisition proce- Its also new integration technolo-
ter sensors in an already band- dures and inter-service and cross- gies on the platform and advances
width-constrained battlespace, agency cooperation, some say this in battery technology, driven by the
next-generation persistent ISR will definition today is unrealistic. electric car and cell phone indus-
tries, which bode well for cycle
time and other factors that will
be important for high-altitude,
long-endurance platforms.
On nearly every aspect of this
level of persistent surveillance
from the nature of the target, ter-
rain, weather, and time of day to
who is seeking the information and
for what purpose the answer is
it depends when considering what
platforms and sensors are required,
the level of detail sought, and even
the definition of real time.
Looking at the mission, real
time is whatever is required to give
the decision-maker enough time
and information to make the best
require more signal processing and Setting the bar high decision, based on refined infor-
data fusion be done on the sen- So far, that doesnt really exist, mation and intelligence. We are
sor platform, but with a precision although the trends are moving definitely targeting our technol-
approaching artificial intelligence. in the right direction to enable it, ogies in automated analytics and
To expand those definitions to says Steven Gitlin, vice president fusion because we see machines
global status currently requires of corporate strategy at unmanned will be required to keep up, says
a modification of the concept to aircraft designer AeroVironment Eric Vogel, program director at
globally available persistent sur- Inc. in Monrovia, Calif. The ques- BAE Systems ISR Solutions in
veillance, on demand, whenever, tion is, who is willing to pay for it at Nashua, N.H.
wherever, and for any duration what level of persistence. We could The key challenge is keeping
required by the end user. The deliver a similar capability today, if pace and being agile in a rapidly

12 JUNE 2017 MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS www.militaryaerospace.com

1706MAE_12 12 6/6/17 7:34 AM


S PECIAL REPORT

evolving environment, the ability to militarys dreams of perfect capabil- Corp. Defense Solutions Division in
put what I need when and where I ity, there still is plenty of embedded Ashburn, Va.
need it, even if I cant predict that computing technology available that Its basically data thats action-
in advance as well as I used to. All offers to move capabilities forward, able. There are cases where if it
the sensing modalities are import- says Marc Couture, senior product takes 10 minutes to identify a con-
ant, with cross-domain being very manager-digital signal processing voy, that might still be considered
important for persistent surveil- and high performance embedded real time. Others measure it in mil-
lance, Vogel says. computing at the Curtiss-Wright liseconds or even microseconds.
Another change, which has been
in progress for the past few years
and now is gaining momentum, is
making such systems software-de-
fined that is, changing various
RES HD High Density
Server

aspects of the system to fit chang-


ing mission and environmental
requirements using software mod- 2X 50% 100%
ifications rather than swapping out compute density rack space modular & scalable
fixed-use hardware.
Sensors that are software-de-
fined and can be responsive to
the environment and operations 2U, 3U
they are put in will be key tech- FIO, RIO
AC/DC
nologies to fulfill those missions
going forward. It needs to be flex-
ible during the mission and over
the life cycle to keep pace with a
very evolving threat environment,
Vogel continues.

Tailoring to the environment


Scalable open-architecture sys- Composable compute, storage, and networking modules
tems leveraged from a core com-
IPMI 2.0 remote management
mon architecture, in both hardware
and software, enable you to tai- High availability with redundant configuration
lor the sensors to match the plat-
form environment and SWaP-C
[size, weight, and power, plus cost]
requirements, but you dont have to MIL-STD-810F 56Gb Ethernet, 160TB Flash / 3U
start from scratch each time. Thats Operating temp: -15C to 55C Dual Socket Xeon V3/V4 CPU
another way of being agile because
it reduces NRE [Non-Recurring
the mis.c o m/ hd
Engineering], cycle time, deploy-
ment time persistent surveil-
lance is all about a proliferation of
sensors and this enables that.
While todays persistent-sur-
veillance might not be close to the

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All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

1706MAE_13 13 6/6/17 7:34 AM


S PECIAL REPORT

A platoon doesnt want to wait for


information, so real-time is man-
datory. There is still a need for
post-mission analysis, but a lot of
what used to be discerned post-mis-
sion is more and more being done
in real time, Couture says.
A lot of what this technology
is all about is doing what analysts
have done for a long time, but more
accurately and orders of magni-
tude faster. For example, Nvidia
GPUs [graphics processing units] are
trained to look for specific targets
based on existing databases, learn-
ing while in-theater. With a limited
data pipe, the higher the quality
of data and more quickly it can be
obtained, the better. AI [artificial
intelligence] is going to impact all
aspects of defense computing, but generate actionable intel from the until his retirement in 2010 was the
surveillance is where it is already wealth of raw data produced by Air Forces first deputy chief of staff
starting to hit. these modern sensors. Advanced for ISR. The side that wins in the
Artificial intelligence has a mul- analytics and fusion processing are future is the side that has the great-
titude of definitions, influenced by at the top of the list to help solve est situational awareness and acts
the state-of-the-art in computer that problem, automating as much most quickly.
technology, the needs of the user as possible. If you rely on humans The speed of decision making,
community, and the amount and to do it all, you wont be able to not precision targeting, today is
speed of processing. Still, there keep up with the wealth of data among the most important military
remains significant concern about coming in or what needs to be dis- capabilities. The ability to hit a tar-
the roles of human processing seminated to the right people at the get is no longer an issue the
and machine processing in the ISR right time. U.S. can strike any target anywhere
environment. on the Earth, all day and night,
Agile ISR is a centerpiece, a key Speed of technology any weather, rapidly and with pre-
enabler for future operations. Ive Current and future requirements cision, Deptula says. The issue
been in this business 20 years and for persistent surveillance have now is what effect to you want
have seen it evolve from stove- grown significantly because of to achieve, which is not always
piped, hardware-driven solutions major advances elsewhere in mil- kinetic. The challenge is not lethal
to COTS-based, software-defined itary technology, says retired U.S. force, but to define and fix the tar-
solutions running with open inter- Air Force Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, get. In World War II it took a thou-
face standards and business models dean of the Mitchell Institute for sand aircraft dropping 10,000 bombs
that drive innovation at multiple Aerospace Studies in Arlington, Va. to destroy a target that today one
levels of the system, notes BAE As we have achieved greater aircraft can accomplish. The need
Systems Vogel. abilities in accuracy and the deliv- for accurate information drives per-
As sensor providers, we are ery of effects, that has driven the sistent surveillance.
looking at technologies that enable need for persistent surveillance, What sensor technologies and
our customers to digest and quickly continues Deptula, who from 2006 platforms are necessary, and how

14 JUNE 2017 MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS www.militaryaerospace.com

1706MAE_14 14 6/6/17 7:34 AM


S PECIAL REPORT

they will be used remains a mat- a specific user. As we look at the vice president for global intelligence
ter of debate especially as rapidly speed of the threat and how it has solutions (GIS) at the Raytheon Co.
evolving technologies influence evolved, we now realize there is Intelligence, Information & Services
those requirements. better intel when looking across the segment in Dulles, Va.
Visible-light and infrared sen- entire set of data for context rather Any one piece of data by itself is
sors today often work together with than looking at any one type of data interesting, but putting it in context
synthetic aperture radar, RF emit- for overall situational awareness with the overall environment brings
ter data, and other relevant infor- and context, says Jane Chappell, a whole new level of intelligence,
mation. A lot of the sensor fusion
challenges involve overlaying all
of those sensor types to get better
overall data, says Curtiss-Wrights
Couture. Persistent surveillance is
just a waterfall of data coming out
of sensors with finer resolution
and were now finally seeing sensor
fusion, which has been talked about
for decades. And processing sys-
tems that were too big and heavy 10
years ago are now possible.
The sheer volume of surveil-
lance data available today is one of
the biggest challenges facing sys-
tems designers. The resolution per
unit of surface area is much higher
today; megapixel cameras are now
gigapixel, SAR images have higher
resolution, there are big advances
in SIGINT, with far more accuracy
than just a decade ago, Couture
continues. All the advancements in
those technologies give you greater
accuracy, but also mean you have
a lot more data coming out of the
sensors, so its a good thing com-
puting capability is keeping up with
that deluge. AI at the cognitive
level is coming out of its infancy,
but still has a lot to be done in the
next decade.
These new approaches will
require vast use of new technolo-
gies, yet legacy systems also will
play a role in future persistent
ISR efforts.
Legacy systems were designed
to collect a specific type of data for

www.militaryaerospace.com

1706MAE_15 15 6/6/17 7:34 AM


S PECIAL REPORT

Chappell says. Persistent sur- of activity so they can make


veillance is extremely important decisions in a timely
if you look at how our adversar- manner, maintain-
ies have changed their means and ing that diligence
methods since the Cold War. That and balancing how
pace has changed in how they much is done using algo-
approach issues, how they fight a rithms and how much is done
war, how they disrupt our capabil- by the analyst, Kitz says. The
ities, which makes it key for us to focus of these algorithms, which I Curtiss-Wrights CHAMP-XD2
DSP module is a dual Intel
predict and automate and would not go so far as to call AI, is
Xeon-D 6U OpenVPX board
move at a faster pace than qualified to -40 to 85 degrees
any adversary. Celsius operating temperatures
and extreme shock-and-
Human limitations vibration levels.
There also is a human lim-
itation to persistent sur- There are several reasons that
veillance, especially as the the U.S. technological lead in per-
volume of data sistent surveillance may be dimin-
keeps growing. ishing some of which are self-in-
This is one of flicted, says the Mitchell Institutes
Curtiss-Wrights CHAMP-XD1 is a Xeon-D
the chief chal- Deptula. Weve seen the global-
supercomputer-class 3U OpenVPX DSP engine
lenges of the U.S. for use in SWaP-constrained ISR applications, ization of technology and we have
Army Program Executive Office for such as those deployed on UAVs. created fiscal limits on what goes
Intelligence, Electronic Warfare & into defense that are not based on
Sensors (PEO-IEWS). to ensure the analyst doesnt miss national security. Meanwhile, our
Apart from fusing data to a sin- something. The key is to supple- adversaries, because technology is
gle operating environment, which ment, not supplant, the analyst. becoming a commodity and they
is not a trivial issue, the persistent Although the U.S. military today have been sending students to our
sensing of one area leads to ana- has a commanding lead in per- schools, are closing the margin of
lyst fatigue looking at one envi- sistent surveillance technologies, advantage the U.S. used to have.
ronment for extended periods of other nations are moving from And now it is getting to parity,
time for what can sometimes be near-peer to parity. Other nation- which will be a challenge for us as
vague details, Mark Kitz, chief states are just as sophisticated as we move forward.
engineer at PEO-IEWS at Aberdeen we are in some areas, points out
Proving Ground, Md. We mitigate Curtiss-Wrights Couture. Cognitive Integrated base defense
that through algorithms for change EW, for example, is a cat-and-mouse While global persistent surveillance
detection and orienting the analyst game. Deep learning and machine or something close to it may be
toward other things to keep them learning tie into these cognitive the ultimate goal of major intelli-
engaged, but, in the end, they do efforts, not just EW but other areas, gence-gathering organizations, the
get fatigued quite quickly, no matter as well, where you try to get your most pressing need emphasizes the
the sensor technology. adversarys sensors to pick up false globally available concept. That
One challenge is to balance the information. Just the sheer num- need, providing constant ISR to
amount of sensor processing that ber of assets the U.S. has kept us defend areas of interest like forward
humans and machines perform in the lead for now, but I feel we operating bases, is a goal of the
so that human analysts can stay are in danger of falling behind in Army PEO-IEWS.
focused. We are trying to keep the some areas; we should never get Apart from anomalous ID
analyst engaged in the sensors area complacent. detection, explosive detection,

16 JUNE 2017 MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS www.militaryaerospace.com

1706MAE_16 16 6/6/17 7:34 AM


S PECIAL REPORT

identification of threats, the tech- commercial data sources, says really comes into playthe reduc-
nology were most interested in for Bob Canty, vice president for busi- tion of sensor cost. But if you are
integrated base defense is stand- ness development at Raytheon bringing in open-source data, how
off detection, so we can identify a Intelligence, Information & Services. do you track its pedigree through-
potential threat prior to engage- Sharing data across all those sys- out the effort so you have confi-
ment, Kitz says. Were highly tems is another enabling factor in dence in the end result?
invested in video detection capa- achieving global persistent surveil- Using computers to put all
bility and the algorithms of change lance. That is where technology that data together to free human
detection and anomalous behavior,
challenging industry on how to get
more stand-off.
Even such a localized effort
is not divorced from a larger
ISR capability.
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As the area grows over which Experienced Product Support Team
persistent surveillance is necessary,
so does the need for consolidating
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1706MAE_17 17 6/6/17 1:21 PM


S PECIAL REPORT

The U.S. Army uses the Persistent Ground Surveillance System (PGSS) in deployed applications for persistent surveillance.

analysts to spend more time ana- So, it is all about the analytics and Persistent surveillance requires
lyzing is another goal. automation the speed and how infrastructure for a forward oper-
Visualization of data has always we get the right data to the users ating base concrete, fiber, an
been incredibly important and for better decisions and how you aerostat, and a large ground station.
you want enough data to under- use the results of that and move The only other consideration is the
stand context and make decisions that data through the system to investment that enables the inte-
on consequences. We have spent take the next set of actions. gration of all these sensors, a con-
a lot of R&D on understanding the While providing persistent sur- tingency operations cell, analysts,
target of interest and defining it in veillance for a small area, such as a etc. And the more sensors and data
a way that the data finds the user forward operating base, might seem you have, typically the more infra-
rather than the user trying to find a lot simpler than doing the same structure you require.
the data. In the past, roughly 80 across a wide geographic region,
percent of an analysts time was the Armys Kitz says that is not nec- Rewinding the data
spent looking for data. We want to essarily the case. There also is a forensic aspect to
reverse that, so they spend 20 per- Fifteen years ago, you were persistent surveillance the ability
cent looking and 80 percent analyz- looking at a small area. Now, using to rewind the data to track move-
ing, says Raytheons Chappell. hyperspectral capabilities, we can ments and developments leading up
Thats all about understanding see a wider view and much further to an incident.
what the target and area of inter- out to identify a potential threat Forensics can be enormously
est are and making sure, through or anomalous behavior, which important when you are trying
the analytics, that the data are make our demands for processing to trace the cause of a particular
searched in a way that it is reduced and on the analysts much higher, activity. At the same time, if Im
to a manageable set, Chappell says. Kitz explains. engaged in a real-time activity, Im

18 JUNE 2017 MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS www.militaryaerospace.com

1706MAE_18 18 6/6/17 7:34 AM


ONYX
less concerned with forensics than I am with real-time
knowledge of what my adversary is doing and how
SFF Mission Computer
can I stay a step ahead, says the Mitchell Institutes
Deptula. The real-time aspect gives the edge over an
8.19 x 6.41 x 4.21
adversary by building situational awareness, but that
is not to reduce the importance of forensics, which can
help develop options to greater strategic challenges.
BAE Systems Vogel agrees: Being agile and allow-
ing customers to do either real-time or forensic anal-
ysis with a common sensing solution is the most
important thing.
Software-defined systems will satisfy the bulk of
requirements going forward, while advances in com-
mercial technologies will enable those systems to have
the performance required and the flexibility necessary
to adapt to military targets.
There are domains where MILSPEC sensors are still
required, but even there you are seeing much more
COTS influence than in the past. The whole chain has
to be optimized to achieve an advantage, Vogel says. If
you have the best sensors, but the next step in the cycle
isnt equally the best, then thats the limiting factor in
the product youre generating. Its really a system-of-sys- Distributed computing to avoid
tems approach, from the platform through the sensor to single-points of failure and hot spots
the back-end processing, all of which are critical.
The ISR target environment is evolving more rapidly
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technology standpoint software-defined, open archi- > 1x PMC and 2x mini PCI Express sites for Avionics
tecture sensors built on standards-based designs and and I/O expansions
open to technology insertion over their life cycles > 4x RS-232 + 2x RS-422
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mote competition and innovation to get discriminating > Qualied DO-160F/MIL-STD-810G/461F/1275D/704
technology insertion when its needed.
> ITAR free without Export Control
As to the future, Raytheons Chappell offers a more
definitive look at real-time delivery. As we continue to
evolve our capabilities, it all goes back to the changing
nature of the threat and our need to stay ahead of that
threat. We have a lot of capability from a sensor stand-
point; now it is all about networking those capabilities
together, sharing the information across the different
organizations at the speed and skill we need to under-
stand patterns of life. And that means a big focus on
automation and analytics, she says. So, the key is
delivering at the speed of need. Tel : +33 1 69 07 83 22
www.militaryaerospace.com www.ecrin.com

1706MAE_19 19 6/6/17 7:34 AM


TECHNOLOGY F CUS

Radiation-hardened space electronics


enter the multi-core era
The pace of embedded computing
technology development is placing
pressure on satellite and spacecraft
designers, who must deliver
reliable systems at low costs.

BY John Keller

Space is a dangerous place, espe-


cially when it comes to sensitive
electronic components like micro-
processors, solid-state memory, and
network interfaces. The problem is
radiation; space has a lot of it, and
most modern electronic compo-
nents were not designed to operate
in a radiation environment.
Levels of radiation that occur in
space can cause a variety of problems
for electronic components, ranging The growing use of space-based electronics for manned spacecraft, satellites, and deep-
from complete burnout to the occa- space probes is putting pressure on the rad-hard community to deliver technology with high
sional bit flip that can corrupt some performance and low cost.
data and render the reliability of even
untouched data open to question. this approach expensive, but it also electronics costs, capabilities, and
There are ways to specially design can be heavy enough to adversely reliability such that systems are
radiation-hardened electronic parts influence launch costs. There are good enough to operate in spe-
to resist the effects of radiation, but other ways of dealing with space cific radiation environments for
its expensive to do this. Moreover, radiation, ranging from redun- expected durations to meet mission
overall demand for rad-hard elec- dant subsystems, selective shield- requirements.
tronic parts is relatively low, which ing, and upscreening commercial
can drive up their costs even more. off-the-shelf (COTS) electronics for Space radiation effects
Then theres specially shielded enhanced reliability. There are several ways that elec-
packaging of electronic parts to Among the challenges of space tronic parts designers can radia-
keep radiation at bay. Not only is operations today are balancing tion-harden their devices. One of

20 JUNE 2017 MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS www.militaryaerospace.com

1706MAE_20 20 6/6/17 7:34 AM


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TECHNOLOGY F CUS

the most common is to harden for total-ionizing-dose


radiation or the amount of radiation the device is
expected to withstand for its entire life before problems
occur. A typical requirement is for 100 kilorads of total-
dose radiation hardness.
The evolution of todays advanced electronic compo-
nents, however, also is changing the total-dose picture.
Specifically, the shrinking size of circuits on todays
most modern chips is lessening their vulnerability to
total-dose radiation.
As technology nodes decrease in size from 90
nanometers to 14 nanometers total ionizing dose per-
formance naturally improves, says Michelle Mundie, Curtiss-Wright is providing the companys radiation-tolerant Smart
Backplane technology for the European Space Agencys Vega-C
business area director of standard products at rad-hard
expendable space launch rocket.
specialist Cobham Semiconductor Solutions in Colorado
Springs, Colo. (SEU) and single-event latchup (SEL). Single-vent effects
This phenomenon is a double-edge sword, however, like latchup are becoming more of a problem, so we
because the steady shrinking of chip geometries also have to design for those effects, Mundie says. Devices
makes these devices even more vulnerable to other today are more sensitive to radiation at the gate and
kinds of radiation effects, namely single-event upset transistor level.
Single-event upset can corrupt data when a radia-
tion-charged particle flips a data bit from a one to a
zero, or vice versa, which corrupts data. SEU typically
does not physically damage an electronic device, only
the data it contains or that flows through it. Single-
event latchup, however, can be damaging if it causes
a short circuit that triggers thermal runaway. Device
designers must consider these potential threats.
There are several design approaches to mitigat-
ing radiation effects, which include radiation hard-
ening by design, selective shielding, redundancy, and
error-checking. One of todays most notable rad-hard
by design projects is the High Performance Spaceflight
Computing (HPSC) Processor Chiplet program.

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22 JUNE 2017 MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS www.militaryaerospace.com

1706MAE_22 22 6/6/17 7:34 AM


TECHNOLOGY F CUS

technologies with broad industry and software support The HPSC program is intended to develop rad-hard
for future space missions. microprocessor technology that will replace or aug-
Sponsors of the HPSC project are the U.S. National ment previous generations of rad-hard microprocessors,
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the such as the RAD750 from the BAE Systems Electronic
U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Systems segment in Manassas, Va., and the RH-1750A,
Base, N.M. Industry experts from the Boeing Solid-State RH-32, and Advanced Spaceborne Computer Module
Electronics Development segment in Seattle are carry- (ASCM) from the Honeywell Aerospace segment in
ing out the program, based on a $25.9 million contract Clearwater, Fla.
awarded last March by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Managing the HPSC project are experts at the NASA
Center in Greenbelt, Md. Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., led by
Richard Doyle and Raphael Some. The NASA Goddard
Space Flight Center is managing the HPSC contract.
The program is developing technologies for a
next-generation, general-purpose, multi-core space
processor to meet on-board computing needs of future
manned spacecraft and space robots. The four-year
project is expected to deliver a next-generation, rad-
hard space processor based on the ARM processor
Curtiss-Wright is delivering the companys MnACQ-2000 Miniature
architecture to provide optimal power-to-performance
Network Data Acquisition System, shown above, for the NASA Orion
spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS). These data-acquisition for upgradeability, software availability, ease of use, and
systems are hardened against the effects of space radiation. relatively low costs.

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1706MAE_23 23 6/6/17 7:34 AM


TECHNOLOGY F CUS

Although previous generations of Commercially The HPSC project also will use
rad-hard space processors like the developed technology Radiation Hard by Design (RHBD)
RAD750 have performed well for Were basing this device on com- standard cell libraries, as well as the
years, there are needs now that are mercially developed, well-supported ARM A53 processor with its internal
well in excess of what that proces- IP, and making sure there is a wide NEON single instruction, multiple
sor can do, explains Wesley Powell, user base and software support data (SIMD) design. You really need
assistant chief for technology in the something that is well-supported by the ability to do radiation harden-
NASA Goddard electrical engineer- industry, Powell says. Air Force and ing by design, applied to standard
ing division. NASA experts have defined the ARM- cells, etc., that allow you to use a
Todays radiation-hardened space based hardware and companion modern semiconductor process,
processors typically are single-pro- Linaro system software as the HPSC Powell says.
cessor systems based on existing processor baseline architecture. NASA experts are looking at
commercial or military computers. Boeing embedded computing three broad application areas for the
They operate at maximum required experts will develop a new space next-generation HPSC microproces-
throughput, fault tolerance, and processor design that will pro- sor: vision systems, model-based
power levels. Air Force and NASA vide orders of magnitude improve- reasoning for on-board autonomy,
space experts, however, say they ment in performance and perfor- and high-rate instrument process-
anticipate future missions that will mance-to-power ratio as well as ing, Powell says. Vision systems
require an increase in throughput the ability dynamically to set the would involve space applications
and wider variations in throughput, power-throughput-fault tolerance like obstacle avoidance. We need to
fault tolerance, and power levels. operating point. process imagery to determine where
you should and should not land, and
in real time, Powell says.
Designed for Performance Model-based reasoning for
on-board autonomy could enable
spacecraft designers and space
mission managers to migrate
much of the mission-planning and
resource-management tasking to
the spacecraft, rather than rely on
ground controllers for those jobs.
NASA experts also are thinking
ahead to future deep-space missions
in which ground controllers may not
always be in touch with the space-
Stay ahead with craft, so must rely on the spacecraft
IC proven solutions to make some of its own decisions.
High-rate instrument processing
We design and manufacture a broad range of Digital involves demanding digital signal
and Signal Processing boards CPU, GPU, FPGA & IO, processing for sensors and instru-
offering new capabilities, energy efficiency and increased perfor
performance. ments like synthetic aperture radar
and hyperspectral electro-optical
sensors. We want to migrate some
on-board data processing on-board
the spacecraft so we can downlink
data of interest, rather than just the
+33 (0)2 98 57 30 30 www.interfaceconcept.com
raw data, Powell says.

24 JUNE 2017 MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS www.militaryaerospace.com

1706MAE_24 24 6/6/17 7:34 AM


TECHNOLOGY F CUS

In addition, NASA experts errors; and implement n-modular and exploration platforms. System
are looking to Boeing to develop redundancy, checkpoint/rollback, or applications range from small satel-
enabling technologies for a space other high-level fault tolerance. lites to large flagship-class missions.
processor that not only is radia- Additional applications for the Additional space computing
tion hardened, but also can man- HPSC processor will include military tasks of the HPSC processor will
age its own electricity demands to surveillance and weapons systems, include command and data han-
preserve power resources espe- human-rated spacecraft, habitats dling, guidance navigation and
cially on deep-space missions and vehicles, and robotic science control, and communications like
far from Earth.


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for just what we need. That is kind
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power, processing, and fault toler-
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objectives for HPSC.
Fault tolerance management
middleware will enable the proces- www.RDIS.com/MA MA@RDIS.com 610-443-2299
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www.militaryaerospace.com MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS JUNE 2017 25

1706MAE_25 25 6/6/17 7:34 AM


TECHNOLOGY F CUS

software-defined radio; human to exercise the silicon, Powell memory. The SRIO interfaces also
assist, data representation, and says. These chiplets will not be can function as advanced microcon-
cloud computing; high-rate real- space-qualified; the focus of this troller bus architecture (AMBA)-bus
time sensor data processing; and project is on the silicon. bridges to tile or cascade several
autonomy and science processing. System software infrastructure processors to increase bandwidth or
Boeing will provide prototype will support real-time operating improve fault tolerance.
radiation-hardened, multi-core com- systems and Unix/Linux parallel The SRIO interface also can
puting processor Chiplets, system processing to support hierarchical extend the HPSC processor to other
software, and evaluation boards for fault tolerance ranging from single SRIO-enabled processing devices
Chiplet test and characterization. Chiplet deep-space robotic missions
The Chiplets each contain eight gen- to multi-Chiplet -redundant human
eral-purpose processing cores in a spaceflight missions. We also
dual quad-core configuration, and expect system software, including
interfaces to memory and periph- operating system, compilers, debug-
eral devices. gers, a Linux operating system,
The period of performance is and a real-time operating system,
45 months, so by late 2020 were Powell says.
expecting Boeing to provide a pro- The HPSC processor will include
cessor chip or chiplets, packaged Serial RapidIO (SRIO) for high-band-
chiplets and bare die, and evalua- width communications, and several Embedded computing companies that
tions boards populated with chiplets interfaces to high-speed, off-chip specialize in rugged COTS technology are
adapting design techniques to provide rad-
hard computing for space. Shown above is the

AVA I L A B L E Aitech SP0-S enhanced space-qualified 3U


CompactPCI single-board computer.
DALLAs/Fort Worth ArEA
such as field-programmable gate
arrays (FPGAs), graphics processing
units (GPUs), and in the future to
other application-specific integrated
circuit (ASIC)-based coprocessors.
Powell says NASA and the Air
Force will consider a flight-quali-
fication program when the HPSC
753,000 sq. ft. TIER IV data center facility (can be subdivided) program concludes in late 2020 or
Designed to resist the lateral and uplift forces in excess of 135 MPH early 2021. After that, its reasonable
Highly-secured 91 acre site including 40 acres of greenfield developable land to assume the technology will be
94MVA on-site electrical substation (expandable to 188MVA)
ready for deployment. Powell specu-
Robust steel frame construction, designed to a 1.5 importance factor
Carrier neutral facility with a fully redundant telecommunications lates that HPSC technology could be
infrastructure design deployed for at least 10 years before
LEED registered core and shell For more information contact designers must look at a new gener-
Site and structure meet Federal Holmes Davis: ation of rad-hard microprocessors.
Governments Anti-Terrorism Force BINSWANGER
Protection (ATFP) requirements 1200 Three Lincoln Centre
5430 LBJ Freeway, Dallas, TX 75240
Looking beyond microprocessors
972-663-9494 Outside the realm of the HPSC pro-
E-MAIL: HDAVIS@BINSWANGER.COM
Scan here with your www.binswanger.com/mesquite gram, NASA experts are considering
cell phone to learn more The information contained herein is from sources deemed reliable, but no warranty or
representation is made as to the accuracy thereof and no liability may be imposed. plans for additional radiation-hard-
ened computer components, such as

26 JUNE 2017 MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS www.militaryaerospace.com

1706MAE_26 26 6/6/17 7:34 AM


TECHNOLOGY F CUS

general-purpose graphics processing Often this approach involves radiation-tolerant system thats
units (GPGPUs), field-programmable taking a hard look at whether the good enough.
gate arrays (FPGAs), as well as vol- intended application is life- or mis- Low-Earth orbit (LEO), for exam-
atile and non-volatile memory. The sion-critical, the expected sever- ple, does not experience the same
problem right now is funding. ity of the radiation environment in radiation levels that higher orbits
For the HPSC program we looked which the overall system will oper- or deep-space have. A growing
at a number of processing architec- ate, and the duration of the planned number of LEO satellite appli-
tures, and the biggest bang for the mission, and then designing a cations today, moreover, have
buck was a general-purpose, multi-
core processor, Powell says. For
the future, nevertheless, we have
interest in some sort of paring of a
general-purpose multicore proces-
AIA
CONVERTER

sor with a rad-hard FPGA or GPGPU.


There is interest, but we cant say Flexible DC-DC
that we have funding for that, but Power Systems
theres definitely interest. for Military & High Reliability Applications
Were also interested in advanc- 800 Watts Conduction Cooled (No Fans)
9~45 or 16~80 VDC Input Ranges
ing volatile and non-volatile mem- MIL-STD-704, 461 & DO-160 Compliant
ory and networking rad-hard Measures only 180 x 120 x 60mm

technologies, Powell continues.


We have interest in developing a
rad-hard ecosystem around that
HPSC processor.
Looking to the future, companies
with expertise in radiation-hard-
GPack800
800 Watt Modular DC-DC Power System
ening GPGPUs, FPGAs, as well as
Up to 4 Isolated Outputs
volatile and non-volatile memory
Parallel or Serial Connections
are urged to contact Wesley Powell, -40~+85C Ambient (-55C Option),
assistant chief for technology in the Conduction Cooled Operation
Ultra-Wide input ranges:
NASA Goddard electrical engineer-
- 9~45Vdc (transient 60Vdc/100ms)
ing division, at wesley.a.powell@ - 16~80Vdc (transient 100Vdc/100ms)
nasa.gov, or Richard Doyle, program Reverse Polarity Protection
manager of information and data Inrush Current Limiting
science at the NASA Jet Propulsion Advanced Status & Control
- Global Output Enable / Inhibit
Laboratory, at Richard.J.Doyle@ - Individual Voltage Enable / Inhibit
jpl.nasa.gov. - Synchronization In/Out (560kHZ)
- Over Temperature Monitor
- Remote Sense (10% compensation)
COTS electronics for space - Output Voltage Trimming
- Output Current Trimming
While its true that some space - Active Current Share ( 5% Accuracy)
applications require the most expen- Up to 88% efficiency
sive radiation-hardening solutions,
the reality is that space systems
designers must do the best they
can to use commercially available
electronic components for space
applications.
w w w . g a i a - c o n v e r t e r. c o m
www.militaryaerospace.com MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS JUNE 2017 27

1706MAE_27 27 6/6/17 7:34 AM


TECHNOLOGY F CUS

relatively limited life cycles. Some The company started their rad- puting, we also can use that to our
Earth-observation projects, in hard upscreening business about 20 advantage by running the same code
fact, are expected to last for less years ago with a focus on solid-state in multiple cores, says Paul Hart,
than five years. memory, and now is expanding into chief technology officer and techni-
Theres a push to put a lot more microcontrollers and mixed-signal cal fellow of avionics and electron-
hardware on LEO orbits lasting analog products. ics at the Curtiss-Wright office in
from three to five years With changing mar- Christchurch, England.
for space observation, ket pressures from the We run main code in one core,
says George Romaniuk, small satellite industry, and duplicate code in another core
director of space product and the drive to smaller that run in lockstep, Hart explains.
management at Aitech device sizes, a lot of the Running identical code in three sep-
Defense Systems Inc. space market is looking at arate processor cores enables the
in Chatsworth, Calif. flying at COTS products, system to detect a malfunction in
The orbit is low, so says Cobhams Mundie. one core, shut down the offending
the requirements are We knew the need was core, and continue operating based
not that stringent. On there, and our focus is on no detected malfunctions in
the other hand, we see changing to ensure we the other two.
groups that will be for are offering our right If a single event does occur, it
lunar or asteroid explo- products to the industry. will cause one of the cores to lose
ration beyond Earth It is a challenge for us to lock, Hart says. If that happens
orbit. They want to stay identify COTS products the higher-level supervisory system
for a very, very long time that will work in a variety that operates above it will reset the
(18 years, minimum) so of applications. device. It will take in the order of
the market is starting seconds to reboot a typical embed-
Cobham is using
to segment. Multi-core redundancy ded application; while the upset core
upscreening
Applications in low- technologies and years Some technological devel- is rebooting, the other two carry
er-Earth orbits that may of knowledge to create opments in the COTS on. Youre fully recoverable after
be of relatively short a radiation-hardened computing industry are a bit flip.
durations and that CAN bus network providing serendipitous
could tolerate the occa- interface. advantages for space Radiation creep
sional data upset are systems designers. Not Hardening electronic systems to
a particularly promising market for only are deeply submicron geome- the effects of radiation isnt just a
COTS electronics suppliers, par- tries naturally resistant to total-ion- space problem any longer. Aircraft
ticularly for cost-sensitive applica- izing-dose radiation, but modern flying at altitude, at about 30,000
tions like small satellites. Our lives multicore processor architectures feet and above, also are starting
are basically lives of compromise, also offer opportunities for sys- to experience radiation-induced
Romaniuk says. We may not have tem redundancy. effects. There are 500 times more
$7 million to create something nice, Embedded computing designers neutrons at 30,000 feet than there
but we have to piece together things at the Curtiss-Wright Corp. Defense are on the ground, points out
that will provide performance and Solutions Division in Ashburn, Aitechs Romaniuk.
reliability. Va., are using multi-core proces- If commercial avionics systems
Cobham has specialized for sors not to block radiation-induced designers arent considering radiation
decades in selecting commercially single-event effects, but to recover hardening today, they soon will be.
developed electronic parts that are gracefully without system disrup- The shrinking of commercially devel-
appropriate for some space applica- tion when upsets occur. oped microprocessor architectures
tions. The company uses upscreen- Where we are now using multi- and other electronic devices will con-
ing and a variety of other testing. core processors to speed up com- tinue making the problem worse.

28 JUNE 2017 MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS www.militaryaerospace.com

1706MAE_28 28 6/6/17 7:34 AM


RF&
m i crowave

General Dynamics tests
Rockwell Collins to mitigate
military 4G network interference from ocean
General Dynamics Mission Sys-
tems streamed video more than
wave action in Navy radio
62 miles over ocean between tac- BY John Keller
tical antennas during the Marine PATUXENT RIVER NAS, Md. U.S.
Corp-backed Ship-to-Shore Ma- Navy airborne radio communica-
neuver, Exploration, and Experi- tions experts needed the ability for
mentation military exercise, part low-flying aircraft to receive and
of a program intended to imple- network data amid radio inter-
ment a tactical 4G network. ference caused by ocean wave
Known as the Long Shot, it action. They found their solution
would provide broadband capa- from Rockwell Collins in Cedar
bilities over the ocean, even with Rapids, Iowa.
satellite failure and other obsta- Officials of the Naval Air Systems
cles. The Long Shot doubles the Command at Patuxent River Naval
range of existing line-of-sight Air Station, Md., announced their Ocean waves can cause radio interference for
systems, and provides increased intention to contract with Rockwell low-flying aircraft. Rockwell Collins is trying
bandwidth for video footage and Collins to enable the companys AN/ to change all that.
other data. It will use similar ARC-210 airborne radios Ethernet
technology as civilian networks interface to accept data for trans- improve the AN/ARC-210 radios
and is expected to be adopted by port over line-of-sight UHF radio ability to communicate and net-
the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine signals in a sea-scattering mul- work in the presence of wave-in-
Corps. Additional demonstra- tipath environment. duced RF interference has yet to
tions are expected this year. Breaking ocean waves can scat- be negotiated.
ter and otherwise interfere with The upcoming contract will

Israel orders on-the-go the radio signals of low-flying air- have options to include beyond-
satellite communications craft. This can complicate the abil- line-of-site, 25-kilohertz, dedicated,
Israels Ministry of Defense has ity of Navy fixed-wing planes and demand-assigned multiple access
contracted with Elbit Systems helicopters to send and receive (DAMA), and integrated waveform
Ltd. to provide satellite-on-the- important voice and data com- (IW) communications in AN/ARC-
move (SOTM) systems for land munications while flying near the 210 radio capabilities.
vehicles. The vehicle satellite oceans surface. Additional information about
communications (SATCOM) The Navy Rockwell Collins AN/ this upcoming Navy contract to
contract is for two years, and ARC-210 airborne radio has Ethernet Rockwell Collins is online at https://
puts the number of systems I/O functionality to send and www.fbo.gov/spg/DON/NAVAIR/
to be supplied in the dozens. receive data to and from on-board N00421/N00019-19-RFPREQ-
Elbits ELSAT 2100 SOTM family networked displays, communica- PMA-209-0007/listing.html.
of systems enables fast broad- tions, weapons, and other systems.
band data networking capabil- The RF interference from breaking FOR MORE INFORMATION visit
ities for a variety of military ocean waves can impede on-board Rockwell Collins online at www.
vehicles and features advanced communications and networking. rockwellcollins.com, or Naval Air
tracking capabilities. The value of the upcoming Navy Systems Command at www.navair.
contract to Rockwell Collins to navy.mil.

www.militaryaerospace.com MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS JUNE 2017 29

1706MAE_29 29 6/6/17 7:34 AM


RF&
m i crowave

Raytheon moves forward with


3DELRR counter-UAV radar
BY John Keller
increased flexibility because that
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. portion of the spectrum is rela-
Radar experts at Raytheon are mov- tively uncongested. 3DELRR will be
ing forward with full-scale develop- the principal Air Force long-range,
ment of a portable air-defense radar ground-based sensor for detecting,
system intended to detect, identify, identifying, tracking, and reporting
and track enemy missiles as well as aerial targets for the Joint Force Air
manned and unmanned aircraft. Component Commander through
Officials of the U.S. Air Force the Theater Air Control System. Missile designers at Raytheon are developing
Life Cycle Management Center at The 3DELRR system is designed a next-generation battlefield radar to
protect warfighters from UAVs and other
Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., to deal with regional and near-peer
airborne threats.
announced a $52.7 million contract conflicts of the future that could
to the Raytheon Integrated Defense involve large numbers of enemy
Systems segment in Woburn, advanced unmanned aerial vehi- air traffic control for Marine Corps
Mass., to build three advanced-de- cles (UAVs), fixed-wing aircraft, warfighters operating in inva-
velopment versions of the Three- helicopters, and ballistic and cruise sion beaches.
Dimensional Expeditionary Long- missiles. 3DELRR is designed to The Raytheon 3DELRR initial
Range Radar (3DELRR) System. detect, identify and track a wide $19.5 million contract awarded two
The 3DELRR radar, pronounced variety of objects accurately at great years ago involved system EMD,
three-dealer, is to replace the Air distances. C-band, moreover, is a low-rate initial production (LRIP),
Forces Northrop Grumman AN/TPS- relatively uncongested portion of and interim contractor support
75 transportable, 3D, passive elec- the electromagnetic spectrum. The (ICS). The contract was for purchase
tronically scanned array air search radar is interoperable with coalition of three radar systems, and has
radar for enabling U.S. and allied systems and meet the requirements options worth about $71.8 million
invasion forces for protection from of many foreign militaries. for three additional radar systems.
airborne threats after establish- The 3DELRR system is similar to The 3DELRR will provide the Air
ing beachheads. the Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar Force control and reporting center
Raytheon won a potential $71.8 (G/ATOR) that Northrop Grumman with real-time data to display air
million contract in October 2014 is building the for U.S. Marine activity, and will provide warning
to begin 3DELRR engineering and Corps. G/ATOR is being developed and target information. The sys-
manufacturing development (EMD). to protect Marine Corps expedition- tem also will provide operators with
This contract covers EMD of ary forces from rockets, artillery, a precise, real-time air picture to
three production-representative mortars, cruise missiles, UAVs, and provide air traffic control services
units, but allows the ability to exer- other low observables. It is a deploy- to individual aircraft across a wide
cise options for low-rate production, able short-to-medium-range multi- range of environmental and opera-
interim contractor support, and full- role radar system. 3DELRR, on the tional conditions.
rate production when appropriate. other hand, is designed to detect Raytheon will do the work in
Raytheons 3DELRR system is and track threats at longer ranges. Andover, Mass., and should be fin-
a C-band gallium nitride (GaN)- Like 3DELRR, the G/ATOR is ished by November 2020.
based radar. GaN technology helps based on GaN technology, yet the
increase the radars range, sen- G/ATOR system is designed to han- FOR MORE INFORMATION visit
sitivity, and search capabilities, dle air surveillance, weapon cueing, Raytheon Integrated Defense
while operating in C-band offers counter-fire target acquisition, and Systems online at www.raytheon.com.

30 JUNE 2017 MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS www.militaryaerospace.com

1706MAE_30 30 6/6/17 7:34 AM


UN M A N N ED
vehicles
L-3 boosts UUV
General Atomics to build four more Gray
technologies with Eagle long-endurance attack drones
OceanServer acquisition
BY John Keller
Executives of L-3 Technologies
in New York are boosting their REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. U.S. Army
capabilities in naval unmanned aviation experts are ordering four
underwater vehicles (UUVs) with MQ-1C Gray Eagle reconnaissance
their acquisition of OceanServer and attack drones, as well as four
Technology Inc. in Fall River, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) satel-
Mass. Terms of the deal were not lite control stations.
The U.S. Army is ordering four more MQ-1C
released. OceanServer develops Officials of the Army Contracting
Gray Eagle UAVs for long-range surveillance
and manufactures autonomous, Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala.,
and attack missions.
lightweight UUVs for military announced a $25.3 million contract
and commercial applications modification to General Atomics Army commanders deploy the
that involve intelligence, surveil- Aeronautical Systems Inc. in Poway, Gray Eagle UAV in platoons, each
lance, and reconnaissance (ISR); Calif., for the Gray Eagle attack with four aircraft, support equip-
anti-submarine warfare (ASW); drones and satellite communications ment, and payloads like electro-opti-
and mine countermeasures. The air data terminals. cal/infrared/laser range finder/laser
newly formed L-3 OceanServer The General Atomics MQ-1C designator; communications relay;
and will be integrated into the Gray Eagle attack drone is a medi- and as many as four hellfire missiles.
L-3 Sensor Systems segment. um-altitude, long-endurance The common sensor payload and
The acquisition, which closed on (MALE) unmanned aircraft that is synthetic aperture radar ground
17 March 2017, is one of the first an upgraded MQ-1 Predator as an moving target indicator are one per
L-3 moves into the unmanned extended-range, multi-purpose UAV. aircraft. Ground equipment per pla-
vehicles market. L-3 OceanServer The aircraft can be fitted with the toon includes two universal ground
perhaps is best-known for its AGM-114 Hellfire missile or GBU-44/B control stations; three universal
Iver commercially developed Viper Strike guided bomb for attack ground data terminals; one satellite
low-cost UUV for coastal appli- missions. Compared with its prede- communication ground data termi-
cations, such as sensor devel- cessor, the MQ-1 Predator, the Gray nal; and one mobile ground control
opment, general survey work, Eagle has an increased wingspan, station per company.
subsurface security, research, and a Thielert Centurion 1.7 heavy- Gray Eagle platoons also have an
and environmental monitoring. fuel engine (HFE) able to burn jet and automated takeoff and landing sys-
One person can carry the UUV, diesel fuel. The UAV can fly for as tem two tactical automatic land-
which features point-and-click long as 36 hours at altitudes to 25,000 ing systems and ground support
mission planning. OceanServer feet. It has an operating range of 200 equipment to include ground-based
Technology positions L-3 to sup- nautical miles. sense and avoid.
port the U.S. Navys vision for the The Gray Eagle UAV has a syn- General Atomics will build
tactical employment of UUVs, thetic aperture radar/ground moving the Gray Eagle UAVs in Poway,
says L-3 CEO Michael Strianese. target indicator (SAR-GMTI) system, Calif., and should be finished by
OceanServer Technology pro- and targeting capability from an December 2017.
vides L-3 with a new growth AN/AAS-52 multi-spectral targeting
platform that is aligned with the system (MTS) under the nose. The FOR MORE INFORMATION visit General
U.S. Navys priorities. aircraft can carry a payload as heavy Atomics Aeronautical Systems online
as 800 pounds. at www.ga-asi.com.

www.militaryaerospace.com MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS JUNE 2017 31

1706MAE_31 31 6/6/17 7:34 AM


UNMANNED
vehicles

Navy orders three MQ-4C Triton long-range maritime surveillance UAVs


BY John Keller
PATUXENT RIVER NAS, Md. U.S. Navy aviation surveil-
lance experts are ordering three MQ-4C Triton long-
range and long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles
(UAVs) for global maritime surveillance for surface ships
and submarines.
Officials of the Naval Air Systems Command at
Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., announced
a $303.9 million order to the Northrop Grumman
Aerospace Systems sector in San Diego for the three
Triton low-rate initial production UAVs as part of the
second lot of Triton production. This order includes one The Navys growing MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft fleet will handle
Triton main operation control station, one forward opera- long-range maritime surveillance for surface ships, submarines, and
other threats.
tion control station, trade studies, and tooling.
Northrop Grumman is developing the MQ-4C Triton,
also called the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) vehicle is based on the U.S. Air Force RQ-4B Global Hawk,
UAV, to fly maritime surveillance missions as long as 24 while its sensors are based on components and systems
hours at altitudes of more than 10 miles to enable cov- already fielded in the U.S. military. The large unmanned
erage out to 2,000 nautical miles. The UAVs sensors can aircraft provides intelligence for large ocean areas to
detect and classify different types of ships automatically. maintain the common operational and tactical picture of
The Triton is to be a crucial component of the Navys the maritime battle space. The Triton feeds intelligence,
st
21 century strategy for conducting surveillance of sur- surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) data to the Global
face ship and submarine traffic in the vast Pacific and Information Grid, and can work alone or together with
other oceans around the globe. The Triton UAV will other aircraft and surface ships.
work together with the Navys P-8A Poseidon manned The MQ-4C Tritons ability to perform persistent ISR
maritime patrol aircraft. within a practical range of 2,000 nautical miles enables
The Tritons maritime search radar is called the the P-8A aircraft to focus on anti-surface ship warfare,
Multi-Function Active Sensor (MFAS), and will provide anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and multi-intelligence. It
the UAV and its operators with a 360-degree view of can fly as far as 8,200 nautical miles without refueling.
a large geographic area while providing all-weather Triton aircraft and support facilities are being based
coverage for detecting, classifying, tracking, and iden- domestically at Point Mugu Naval Air Station near
tifying points of interest. MFAS is separate from the Ventura, Calif., and at Jacksonville Naval Air Station, Fla.
Tritons air-to-air radar. The MFAS radar first flew on Triton UAVs also will be forward-deployed to Kadena Air
the Triton during testing in April 2015. Base, Japan; Andersen Air Force Base, Guam; Sigonella
Along with the air-to-air and MFAS radar systems, the Naval Air Station, Italy; as well as at installations on the
MQ-4C will carry an electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sen- islands of Hawaii and Diego Garcia.
sor that will provide still imagery and full-motion video On this contract Northrop Grumman will do the work
of potential threats; an electronic support measures in San Diego, Palmdale, and Santa Clarita, Calif.; Red
package to identify and geolocate radar threat signals; Oak, Texas; Baltimore; Salt Lake City; Bridgeport, W.Va.;
and an Automatic Identification System (AIS) that will Indianapolis; Moss Point, Miss.; Montreal; Vandalia, Ohio;
detect and track vessels equipped with AIS responders. Medford, New York; and other U.S. locations, and should
The MQ-4C Triton is designed to provide combat be finished by April 2021.
information to military authorities like the expedi-
tionary strike group, carrier strike group, and the joint FOR MORE INFORMATION visit Northrop Grumman
forces maritime component commander. The Triton air Aerospace Systems online at www.northropgrumman.com.

32 JUNE 2017 MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS www.militaryaerospace.com

1706MAE_32 32 6/6/17 7:34 AM


ELECTRO
O

watch
c
OPTICS


Elbit to provide
electro-optics helmet-
mounted displays for
Northrop Grumman to provide aircraft Navy helicopters
laser-based missile defense Elbit Systems of America in Fort
Worth, Texas, will provide the
BY John Keller
U.S. Navy with helmet-mounted
PATUXENT RIVER NAS, Md. Missile- displays for pilots of MH-60R
defense experts at Northrop anti-submarine warfare (ASW)
Grumman Corp. will provide elec- helicopters and MH-60S mul-
tro-optical equipment for laser-based timission helicopters under
missile-defense systems aboard large terms of a $49.9 million con-
military aircraft under terms of a tract. Officials of the U.S. Naval
$99.5 million U.S. Navy order. Surface Warfare Center Crane
Officials of the Naval Air Division in Crane, Ind., are asking
Systems Command at Patuxent Elbit to provide 126 helmet dis-
The LAIRCM system uses lasers to confuse
River Naval Air Station, Md., are play tracker systems (HDTS) for
electro-optical seekers on incoming anti-
asking the Northrop Grumman air missiles. MH-60R and MH-60S helicopter
Mission Systems segment in Rolling pilots. The HDTS provides MH-60
Meadows, Ill., to provide the Large situational awareness and tar-
Aircraft Infrared Counter Measures LAIRCM focuses high-intensity geting enhancements via pilot/
(LAIRCM) for a variety of U.S. Navy laser energy at the infrared seeker copilot line-of-sight capability;
and Air Force aircraft. Northrop head of incoming missiles to blind continuously computed impact
Grumman will provide weapon the missile and force it off its target. point for the 20-millimeter auto-
replaceable assemblies and support The system is designed to protect matic gun helicopter armament
equipment; 302 advanced threat large aircraft from shoulder-fired, subsystem; LAU-61C/A 2.75-inch
warning sensors; 41 control indicator vehicle-launched, and other infra- unguided rockets; and LAU-61G/A
units; 41 to 2103 signal processors; 82 red-guided missiles when the planes precision guided digital rocket
guardian laser transmitter assem- are operating close to the ground, launcher. The MH-60R is an ASW
blies (GLTA); 82 GLTA shipping con- such as on takeoff and landing, as and anti-surface warfare helicop-
tainers; 16 multi-role, electro-optical, well as during low-level operations ter that can operate from aircraft
end-to-end test sets; and 14 smart and aerial refueling. Later-model carriers and from other surface
connector assemblies. Military leaders are trying to warships equipped with helipads.
LAIRCM automatically detects a develop aircraft-protection infra- The MH-60S, meanwhile, is for
missile launch, determines if it is red countermeasures able to detect search-and-rescue, MEDEVAC,
a threat, and activates a high-in- and classify incoming missiles, then utility, and vertical replenish-
tensity, laser-based countermea- emit a custom jamming energy to ment. The magnetic HDTS helps
sure system to track and defeat the defeat them. reduce the MH-60 helicopter
missile. LAIRCM is for Air Force C-5, Work will be performed in pilots workload and improve
C-17, C-37, and C-40 cargo and utility Rolling Meadows, Ill.; Goleta, Calif.; crew coordination. The HDTS
jets; Air Force C-130H and MC-130W Longmont, Colo.; Colombia, Md.; and represents a relatively simple
four-engine utility turboprop aircraft; other locations within and outside upgrade to the predecessor HUD
the CV-22 tiltrotor aircraft, the KC-46 the U.S., and should be finished in on the MH-60 rotorcraft.
aerial refueling jet, as well as the April 2019.
FOR MORE INFORMATION visit Elbit
U.S. Navy P-8A maritime patrol jet. Systems of America online at www.
FOR MORE INFORMATION visit
LAIRCM also can fit on some large elbitsystems-us.com.
Northrop Grumman online at www.
military helicopters. northropgrumman.com.

www.militaryaerospace.com MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS JUNE 2017 33

1706MAE_33 33 6/6/17 7:34 AM


ELECTRO
O

watch
c
OPTICS

Three defense companies to develop


ballistic missile defense multi-warhead killer
BY John Keller engagement management, and the
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. U.S. missile systems discriminating seeker.
defense experts are moving forward Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and
Some of the nations top defense contractors
with three U.S. prime defense con- Boeing also won MDA contracts in
are finding ways to kill several incoming
tractors to develop a future ballistic 2015 to define MOKV proof-of-con- ballistic warheads with just one anti-
missile defense multi-warhead killer cept prototypes, demonstrate risk missile launch.
intended to detect, track, and kill mitigation steps, assess the techni-
several different incoming enemy cal maturity of their concepts, and use, military forces will load sev-
missile warheads and decoys with rank enabling technologies to mini- eral MOKVs on one missile-defense
only one counter-missile launch. mize design risks. rocket, such as the three-stage
Officials of the U.S. Missile MDA officials ultimately are Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI).
Defense Agency (MDA) in Huntsville, expected to narrow the field to one After launch, each MOKV will steer
Ala., are asking systems designers contractor for advanced develop- toward an incoming ballistic missile
at the Boeing Co., Raytheon Co., and ment and manufacturing for the warhead or decoy to destroy it.
Lockheed Martin Corp. for technol- MOKV program. Each interceptor rocket will have
ogy work related to the Multi-Object The MDAs ground-based inter- an advanced sensor and divert, atti-
Kill Vehicle (MOKV) technology risk ceptor missile today carries one kill tude-control, and communications
reduction effort. warhead that detects, tracks, and technologies, to enable each MOKV
The MOKV is to engage several attacks an incoming enemy ballis- to home-in on its target. Each
incoming objects simultaneously tic missile warhead and attempts MOKV will have its own sensor and
with kill vehicles that communicate to destroy it kinetically by force diverting thrusters.
with one another and destroy sev- of impact. The MOKV, instead, is If MDA officials and other senior
eral incoming warheads and decoys expected to launch on one air-de- military leaders decide to pro-
using advanced sensor, divert and fense missile, and deploy several kill ceed with MOKV development,
attitude control, and communica- vehicles that could engage several production of these sophisticated
tions technologies. incoming enemy warheads. MOKV missile-defense warheads could
MDA officials announced a $58.6 warheads will be designed to com- begin in 2022.
million contract to the Boeing municate with one another to coor- On the MOKV contract, Boeing
Defense, Space & Security segment dinate their attacks. will do the work in Huntsville, Ala.
in Huntsville, Ala., for the MOKV As many as six MOKVs will On the two previous MOKV tech-
technology risk reduction effort. launch on one booster rocket, nology risk-reduction contracts,
The Raytheon Missile Systems seg- deploy at the edge of space, steer Raytheon will do the work in
ment in Tucson, Ariz., won a $59.6 toward, and destroy several incom- Tucson, Ariz., and Lockheed Martin
million contract, and the Lockheed ing ballistic missile warheads and will do the work in Sunnyvale and
Martin Space Systems segment in decoys using separate kinetic hit-to- Goleta, Calif., and in Bethesda, Md.
Sunnyvale, Calif., won a $53.1 mil- kill weapons. The three companies should be
lion contract for MOKV technology The MOKV would function sim- finished with this phase of MOKV
risk reduction. ilarly to the MDAs Multiple Kill development by spring 2020.
Now the three companies proceed Vehicle (MKV) program, which was
FOR MORE INFORMATION visit Boeing
to the next stage of MOKV develop- cancelled in 2009. The MOKV is Defense, Space & Security online at
ment, which attempts to improve likely to launch on rockets like the www.boeing.com/defense, Raytheon
Missile Systems at www.raytheon.com,
performance and reduce risk for U.S. Navy Raytheon SM-3 standard
and Lockheed Martin Space Systems at
MOKV advanced communications, shipboard missile. When put to www.lockheedmartin.com/us/ssc.html.

34 JUNE 2017 MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS www.militaryaerospace.com

1706MAE_34 34 6/6/17 7:34 AM


PRODUCT
applic at ions
SPACE
TRANSCEIVERS ELECTRONICS
ViaSat to provide additional situational- Curtiss-Wright radiation-tolerant
awareness transceivers for Blue Force Tracker space telemetry chosen for
European Vega-C rocket
U.S. military communications Spacecraft rocket designers at ELV
experts needed ground trans- SpA in Rome needed a radiation-tol-
ceivers for a ground-based situ- erant COTS-based telemetry data
ational-awareness system that system for the European Space
provides location information Agencys Vega-C expendable space
on friendly and hostile military launch rocket. They found their
forces. They found their solution solution from the Curtiss-Wright
from ViaSat Inc. in Carlsbad, Calif. Corp. Defense Solutions segment in
Officials of the Defense send and receive orders; and map- Ashburn, Va.
Information Systems Agency ping software that plots the BFT ELV SpA is the prime contrac-
(DISA) at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., device on a map. tor on the Vega-C rocket and GPM
announced a $13.7 million con- The BFT-2 network and trans- Development and Qualification
tract to ViaSat for ground trans- ceivers improve situational Program for the European Space
ceivers for the Blue Force Tracker 2 awareness through fast posi- Agency (ESA). The telemetry
(BFT-2) program. ViaSat is upgrad- tion location information refresh system is based on the Curtiss-
ing the U.S. Army and Marine rates and communications across Wright radiation tolerant Smart
Corps Blue Force Tracking net- the battlefield. The system also Backplane technology.
work with BFT-2 for real-time situ- can send and receive text and The mid-sized Vega-C is designed
ational awareness and networking imagery, as well as display bat- to deliver cost-sensitive govern-
capabilities to the warfighter. tlefield conditions like the loca- ment, commercial, and science
Blue Force Tracking describes a tions of mine fields, battlefield payloads weighing three tons or
U.S. military GPS-enabled system obstacles, and damaged bridges. less, such as small satellite con-
that provides military forces with Some BFT systems also have stellations to low-Earth orbit. ESA
the locations of friendly and hos- route-planning tools. officials want the next-generation
tile forces: blue denotes friendly ViaSat provides the BFT-2 net- Vega-C launcher to support the
forces, and red denotes hostile work with air and ground trans- same or greater mission objectives
forces. Blue Force Tracking sys- ceivers, satellite ground stations, as the original Vega launcher, but at
tems consist of a computer that and network control centers, as reduced cost.
displays location information; well as satellite and terrestrial Curtiss-Wright will provide ELV
a satellite terminal and satel- communications services. SpA with a full telemetry system,
lite antenna to transmit location ViaSat will do the work in including data acquisition, data
and other military data; a global Carlsbad, Calif., and should be handling, and RF transmission.
positioning system receiver to finished by April 2018. Curtiss-Wright will develop and
determine its own position; com- FOR MORE INFORMATION visit manufacture the telemetry sys-
mand-and-control software to ViaSat online at www.viasat.com. tem for Vega-C at its facilities in
Dublin, Ireland.

www.militaryaerospace.com MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS JUNE 2017 35

1706MAE_35 35 6/6/17 7:34 AM


PRODUCT
applic at ions

The Vega-C development con- with legacy target simulators, enemy via a PC or ruggedized lap-
tract runs from January 2017 until including the AN/DSM-787 (IR), AN/ top computer, mini directional
first launch in June 2019, with a DSM-129 (TV/CCD), and SMU-127 antenna, and TP CDL.
value estimated at $5 million. The (laser) as well as with the new MTS- The system can operate with
value of the subsequent produc- 916 modular target simulator, which Tactical Common Data Link (TCDL)-
tion phase could be worth as much replaces legacy simulators (EO/TV/ based platforms, including ships,
as $10 million over the lifetime of CCD/IR/Laser). unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs),
the program. FOR MORE INFORMATION visit Marvin manned fixed-wing combat aircraft,
ESAs requirement for Vega-C Test Solutions online at www. and helicopters. The Team-Portable
flights include a minimum of three marvintest.com. CDL also provides UAV level 3 com-
launches per year, with expected mand and control. The system:
demand for at least four per year, TACTICAL DATA LINKS provides a tactical common data
Curtiss-Wright officials say. Navy chooses video data link link that complies with the Joint
FOR MORE INFORMATION visit from Cubic for viewing front- Interoperability Test Command
Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions line UAV surveillance (JITC) specification; offers full-du-
online at www.curtisswrightds.com/ U.S. Navy communications experts plex communications; complies
space. needed a rugged portable data link with the TCDL interoperability pro-
system to enable warfighters at the file; enables reception of ISR data
FLIGHT LINE TEST leading edge of the battlefield to
Indonesian Air Force selects Marvin view real-time video from surveil-
Test for Maverick missile testing lance aircraft securely. They found
Indonesian air force officials have their solution from Cubic Corp.
selected the MTS-206A Maverick in San Diego.
Field Test Set and MTS-916-3 Officials of the Space and
Modular Target Simulator from Naval Warfare Systems Command
Marvin Test Solutions Inc. in (SPAWAR) in San Diego announced
Irvine, Calif., to support the test- a $20.9 million contract to Cubic
ing of AGM-65 Maverick missile and for Portable Common Data Link to include streaming video; boasts
launcher systems. (PCDL) systems. The contract calls modular ruggedized packaging; per-
for Cubic to build and deliver 25 forms AV command and control tar-
TacMobile Person PCDL systems geting and text messaging; acquires
and spare parts for tactical oper- and tracks ISR aircraft automati-
ation centers and mobile tactical cally; is battery operated with min-
operation centers. imal power requirements; and is
The Cubic Team-Portable available as a receive-only remote
Common Data Link provides intel- viewing terminal.
ligence, surveillance, and recon- The contract has an 18-month
The MTS-206A and MTS-916, naissance for battle groups at the base period for buying the PCDL
part of Marvin Test Solutions suite tactical edge. It has small, light- systems and four one-year options
of test tools for legacy and new weight components that can be for production and engineering ser-
precision-guided smart weapon hand carried and assembled by vices. Cubic will do the work in San
systems, provide advanced test- the warfighter at any location. Diego, and should be finished in
ing capabilities to maintainers at The Cubic Team-Portable CDL can September 2018. If SPAWAR exer-
the intermediate and depot levels. stream video from airborne sen- cises all options the job will con-
The MTS-206A is designed to test sors to enable the warfighter to tinue through September 2022.
all current versions of the Maverick obtain sufficient real-time infor- FOR MORE INFORMATION visit Cubic
missile system, and is compatible mation to locate and identify the Corp. online at www.cubic.com.
36 JUNE 2017 MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS www.militaryaerospace.com

1706MAE_36 36 6/6/17 7:34 AM


To submit new products for consideration,

new products
contact John Keller at jkeller@pennwell.com.

BOARD PRODUCTS INTERCONNECT PRODUCTS

3U OpenVPX Intel Xeon single-board Target connectors for circuit


computer introduced by Abaco boards introduced by Mill-Max
Abaco Systems in Huntsville, Ala., Mill-Max Manufacturing Co. in
is introducing the rugged SBC367D Oyster Bay, N.Y., is introducing four
3U OpenVPX single-board com- target connectors with above-board
puter for demanding military and heights of .087 inches for low-pro-
aerospace embedded computing file circuit board applications that
applications, such as electronic CHASSIS AND ENCLOSURES require several connections. Target
Rugged chassis for data recording in
space introduced by Curtiss-Wright
The Curtiss-Wright Corp. Defense
Solutions Division in Ashburn,
Va., is introducing a rugged multi-
slot embedded computing chas-
sis called the KAM/CSB/12U Smart
warfare (EW) and intelligence, Backplane subsystem for data
surveillance, and reconnaissance acquisition, data processing, and
(ISR). The board uses the Intel recording in radiation-intensive connectors are for use in place of
Xeon D-1500 processor family space environments. The rugged SMT pads on a printed circuit board
with as many as 16 cores, as much Smart Backplane is designed for as the mating surface for spring-
as 32 gigabytes of DDR4 SDRAM use in demanding space-based, loaded pins. They provide increased
memory, and support for 10/40 mission-critical data handling durability and are useful in achiev-
Gigabyte Ethernet across the back- applications on launch vehicles, ing specific distances between
plane. The SBC367D provides a 40 re-entry vehicles, and low Earth boards. These connectors are all sur-
Gigabit Ethernet alternative to the orbit (LEO) satellites. Curtiss- face-mount, available in single- or
PCI Express-based SBC347D, and Wrights Smart Backplane tech- double-row packages, and come with
includes a range of security for nology provides system design- flat or concave target faces. Concave
support user-defined anti-tamper, ers with an intelligent multi-slot face targets provide additional sur-
information assurance, and other backplane that protects critical face area for mating and can aid in
cybersecurity strategies. The board data acquisition electronics with a centering/alignment of components
includes the secure Microsemi radiation-tolerant architecture. A and boards fitted with spring-loaded
SmartFusion2 FPGA, and sup- fundamental threat for electron- connectors. Precision-machined pins
port for Intel Trusted Execution ics systems deployed in radia- with an overall length tolerance of
Technology. The SBC367D also tion-intensive environments is the plus-or-minus 0.0015 inches help
includes Abacos advanced thermal destructive power of single event to achieve a co-planarity of 0.005
technologies to operate at the max- latch-ups (SEL). Until now, this inches or better for connectors as
imum rated speed of its compo- threat has required radiation-hard- long as 1 inch. Advanced machining
nents, and is available in air- and ened electronics hardware. techniques ensure no burr protru-
conduction-cooled versions with FOR MORE INFORMATION visit sion on either the target face or the
extended temperature capability. Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions surface-mount termination end.
FOR MORE INFORMATION visit Abaco online at www.curtisswrightds.com/ FOR MORE INFORMATION visit Mill-
Systems online at www.abaco.com. products/space. Max online at www.mill-max.com.
www.militaryaerospace.com MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS JUNE 2017 37

1706MAE_37 37 6/6/17 7:34 AM


new products
SECURE MEMORY EMBEDDED I/O RF AND MICROWAVE

Secure high-density digital Half-size PCI Express I/O for RF amplifiers for radar,
DDR4 SDRAM memory positioning and communications test, and communications
introduced by Mercury introduced by NAI introduced by Pasternack
Mercury Systems Inc. in Andover, Pasternack Enterprises Inc. in Irvine,
Mass, is introducing a high-den- Calif., is introducing five low phase
sity secure memory product line noise RF and microwave amplifiers
that integrates double-data-rate for sensitive test and measurement,
fourth-generation synchronous radar, and communications receiver
dynamic random-access memory systems. The RF amplifiers incorpo-
(DDR4 SDRAM) with -SWaP-efficient rate gallium arsenide (GaAs) het-
packaging technology. Replacing as erojunction bipolar transistor (HBT)
many as 18 industrial or commer- monolithic microwave integrated
circuit (MMIC) technology to deliver

North Atlantic Industries Inc.


(NAI) in Bohemia, N.Y., is intro-
ducing the 79G5 single-slot, half-
size PCI Express multifunction
embedded computing I/O board
for digital and analog I/O; position
control, measurement, and simu-
lation; and communication inter-
cial DDR4 devices with one mili- face applications. The off-the-shelf
tary-hardened component, Mercury solution is built on NAIs Custom- phase noise performance over a
delivers 75 percent space savings On-Standard-Architecture (COSA), wide dynamic range. These amplifi-
in a ball grid array (BGA) package which supports more than 40 dif- ers can help optimize the sensitivity
with data transfer speeds as high as ferent intelligent I/O, communica- and dynamic range of high-perfor-
3200 megabits per second. Mercurys tion, measurement and simulation mance test, radar and communica-
Advanced Microelectronics Center functions. These preexisting tested tion receiver designs where perfor-
(AMC) in Phoenix will produce functions can be combined quickly. mance depends on how effectively
8-gigabyte DDR4 devices later this Each I/O function has dedicated the smallest and largest signal levels
year, 2- and 16-gigabyte devices processing, unburdening the sys- can be processed. For systems that
after that. Mercurys 3-D packaging tem processor from unnecessary must be able to amplify weak signals
technology transforms a two-di- data management overhead. The close to the noise floor, the low phase
mensional array of discrete memory 79G5 PCI Express multifunction I/O noise performance of these amplifi-
devices into one vertically stacked and communication board meets ers can help reduce unwanted noise
dense BGA package without sacrific- the needs of commercial, military and distortion that can inhibit the
ing the benefits of DDR4 adoption, and aerospace applications that quality of the transmitted signal.
company officials say. require measurements, simulation FOR MORE INFORMATION contact
FOR MORE INFORMATION contact and communications, says Lino Pasternack online at www.
Mercury Systems online at www. Massafra, vice president of sales pasternack.com.
mrcy.com/DDR4. and marketing at NAI.
FOR MORE INFORMATION contact
North Atlantic Industries online at
www.naii.com.

38 JUNE 2017 MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS www.militaryaerospace.com

1706MAE_38 38 6/6/17 7:34 AM


new products
FPGAS EMBEDDED COMPUTING SAFETY-CRITICAL SOFTWARE

Secure FPGA with cryptographic Computer and data storage Software tools for
microprocessor introduced for encrypted data streaming safety-critical applications
by Microsemi introduced by LCR introduced by LDRA
Microsemi Corp. in Aliso Viejo, LCR Embedded Systems Inc. in LDRA in Wirral, England, is inte-
Calif., is introducing TeraFire cryp- Norristown, Pa., is introducing the grating the companys LDRA soft-
tographic microprocessor capa- Featherweight COM Express embed- ware tools suite with the IBM
bility for the Microsemi PolarFire ded computing and data storage Rational DOORS Next Generation
field programmable gate array solution for demanding applications requirements-management tool for
that require lightweight, rugged, security- and safety-critical aero-
compact compute and storage, such space and defense applications.
as harvesting and streaming sensor DOORS Next Generation provides
and video data in the field. Weighing requirements definition and man-
in at 7.5 pounds and featuring COM agement capabilities, a work item
Express technology, the convec- system for task management and
tion-cooled, customizable, feather- planning, and a reporting system.
weight COM Express single-board
computer system features a 6th gen-
(FPGA) for embedded computing eration Intel Xeon Core i7 (Skylake)
applications that require cyber-
security. The TeraFire hard core
provides Microsemi customers
access to advanced security capa-
bilities with high performance The LDRA tool suite integration
and low power consumption. brings software analysis and ver-
Athenas secure TeraFire cryp- ification into this open collabora-
tographic microprocessor tech- tion platform. The integrated LDRA
nology offers some of the most mobile server and embedded proces- tool suite and IBM Rational DOORS
commonly used cryptographic sor with as much as 32 gigabytes of Next Generation can reduce the
algorithms. Among the algo- DDR4 memory, and dual DisplayPort design time and development costs
rithms available are those allowed outputs. An optional graphics pro- of safety- and security-critical sys-
for military and government use cessing unit (GPU) provides additional tems for the Internet of Things (IoT),
by the U.S. National Institute of DisplayPort and HDMI options and including aerospace and defense
Standards and Technologys (NISTs) HD video processing support. The applications. This solution enables
Suite B, up to the top-secret level, system also includes as much as 32 embedded software and Internet
as well as those recommended terabytes of removable and expand- of Things systems developers to
in the U.S. Commercial National able data storage. The system offers achieve life-cycle traceability in an
Security Algorithm (CNSA) Suite. a choice of operating systems such open services for life-cycle collab-
The TeraFire cryptographic micro- as Red Hat Linux, Ubuntu, and others oration (OSLC) environment. For
processor also supports algorithms depending on licensing. Wireless/ those environments requiring soft-
commonly used in commercial Wi-Fi communications can be sup- ware qualification or certification,
Internet communications proto- ported, as well as customizable I/O to this integration provides the trans-
cols such as TLS, IPSec, Makes, support a variety of inputs, connec- parency and audit trail required for
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