Daily Briefing: News Snippets
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‘Background’ technology moves forward in development
While the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) gets all the limelight for its part of NASA’s year 2020 moon-and-beyond Constellation Program, the Orion CEV wouldn’t get off the ground, literally, without its more “background” technology: the perhaps less-glamorous (but just as essential) 25-ton payload capacity Ares 1 vehicle booster (Figure 1). Consequently, Ares 1 development is progressing with a recent contract between Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. and Aitech Defense Systems. The contract specifies that Aitech provides its S950 single board computer, in addition to its S750 PMC, to be utilized for Ares 1’s Command Telemetry Computer (CTC) and Instrument Unit Avionics (IUA) Flight Computer (FC) systems. CTC and IUA FC systems proffer the navigation, control, and guidance hardware for Ares 1 and act as a vehicle control subsystem when the rocket ascends into orbit. The S950 will lend its 1 GHz processing capability, while S750 will render high-speed data imaging to Orion CEV’s ground support system and solid-state recorder.
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| Figure 1: Ares 1 photo courtesy of Aitech |
Turkish Armed Forces build SCA repertoire
Prototyping … porting … testing … it’s all in a day’s work when developing SDR waveforms. Thus, Spectrum Signal Processing by Vecima’s (“Spectrum’s”) flexComm SDR-4000 multipurpose, SCA-compliant transceiver will be used by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) and the National Research Institute of Electronics and Cryptology (UEKAE) for the aforestated triad of purposes. Specifically, “TUBITAK UAKAE” will use flexComm SDR-4000 within the final phase of its twofold SDR project: Building a test bed for testing and developing SCA-compliant waveforms per Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) specifications, and SCA verification and testing on SDRs to be utilized by the TAF.
Helmet jettison device to enlighten Air Force
Sometimes the full ramifications of events are not understood until much later, if at all. However, the U.S. Air Force is aiming to change that with a recent Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 1 grant to Diversified Technical Systems, Inc. (DTS) for a helmet jettison device. The project’s threefold objective is to design a helmet-mounted device that can execute real-time analysis of sensor data; to create simulated eject conditions under which the device is tested; and to perform analysis on existing testing data on ejection events and Air Combat Maneuver (ACM) events. Based on a customized version of DTS’s e-SENSING Embedded Recorder (ER), the smart helmet-mounted sensor system will specifically be used in the measurement and detection of blunt impact and blast events and will send a release signal to the Helmet-Mounted Display System (HMDS) during eject events.
Iraqi Air Force’s vision widens, courtesy of USAF
Situational awareness makes or breaks a mission – and the safety of military personnel and nearby civilians. Consequently, the USAF and Lockheed Martin recently penned a $28.1 million Phase 1 contract to enhance the situational awareness of the Iraqi Air Force in the civilian and military airspace. The Iraq Air Command and Control System contract, awarded by Hanscom Air Force Base’s Electronic Systems Center in Massachusetts, is designed to afford the Iraqi Air Force with modernized C2 technology interoperable with Coalition forces. Specifically, the agreement stipulates that Lockheed Martin renders the Iraqi Air Force an integrated technology network comprising: a Ground-to-Air Transmitter and Receiver (GATR) site, a networked comms infrastructure consisting of a training suite and Sector Operation Center (SOC), and a long-range AN/TPS-77 radar system (Figure 2) for air surveillance. Delivery is slated to occur inside the next 27 months.
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| Figure 2: AN/TPS-77 radar system, photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin |
3U VPX drafted for M1A2
The 3U VPX (VITA 46) form factor will soon be tucked inside the U.S. Army’s rough-and-ready Abrams M1A2 tank (Figure 3), according to a recent contract between prime General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) and GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms. As part of the Army’s M1A2 Abrams Evolutionary Design (AED) program, GE will supply 3U VPX wares including: graphics processors, single board computers, switches, and disk subsystems. The bonus capability: The wares are all additionally incarnated in accordance with the REDI (VITA 48) specification, yielding resiliency in the harshest environ-ments and easing Two Level Maintenance via their Line Replaceable Module (LRM) format. Specified under the contract are GE’s SBC340, an SBC based on the Intel Core 2 Duo processor; SBC310, a Freescale 8641D-based SBC; SDD910 solid-state SATA disk module; GBX410 GbE switch featuring 16 ports; PEX430 PMC/XMC carrier and PCI Express switch; and the GRA110 NVIDIA G73 graphics processor. AED will gradually supersede the current GE Fanuc-supplied 6U VME-based systems under the Abrams Continuous Electronics Enhancement Program (CEEP) and System Enhancement Program (SEP V2).
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| Figure 3: M1A2 Abrams tank, U.S. Army photo |
PHM extends ‘advanced aircraft’ life cycles
Though it has, of course, been targeting matters of national security for decades, the U.S. Air Force has a relatively new target: the identification and analysis of jet engine equipment degradation. Accordingly, the USAF recently awarded DSPCon, Inc. a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract for ongoing optimized-processing-platform development, in accordance with the USAF’s goal of heightening Propulsion Health Management (PHM) systems’ signal processing capabilities. As the platform in development provides real-time data capture and enhanced diagnostics, the USAF can detect jet engine equipment degradation faster and more thoroughly, before equipment fails. The net result: Extended and improved equipment life cycles. PHM technology will be utilized in “advanced aircraft” and commercial aircraft applications.
Boeing demo embodies Future Force
The U.S. Army knows that networking technology such as its Wideband Networking Waveform (WNW) can bring to life its vision of Future Force networking, enabling video, voice, and data communications between military personnel in the sky and on Earth. Accordingly, Boeing recently held its first WNW integrated capabilities demonstration. Held at the U.S. Army’s C4ISR On-The-Move (OTM) Event 09, the demonstration comprised an airborne AH-64 Apache helicopter (Figure 4), a tactical operations center, several High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, and an airship, all equipped with surrogate JTRS radios sporting WNW version 3.1a. The WNW network was monitored by a Boeing-designed network management software that proved compatible with the network operation manager system of Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T). Demonstration information transmitted by WNW consisted of imagery, streaming video, spot reports on hypothetical enemy forces, and more.
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Figure 4: AH-64 Apache, U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brent Hunt (click graphic to zoom by 1.9x) |
USMC radios: Making the grade?
Whether in legacy or new digital style, U.S. Marine Corps’ radios need testing to keep them at “grade A” level. Thus, the USMC recently granted Aeroflex a $40.5 million, five-year contract for Ground Radio Maintenance Automatic Test Systems (GRMATS): Aeroflex’s 7200 Configurable Automated Test Set (CATS). The 7200 CATS (Figure 5) is designed to test SDRs such as military tactical radios, with a modular design to easily accommodate future technology. The 7200 CATS is also crafted for compatibility with the Joint Tactical Radio System’s (JTRS’s) Software Communications Architecture (SCA) and includes multi-gbps data buses featuring plug-and-play software architecture. Additional highlights include MIL-PRF-28800F Class 3 packaging, 90 MHz signal generation and instantaneous digitization bandwidth, 2.6 GHz frequency coverage, and phase noise capability of more than -108 dBc/Hz.
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Figure 5: 7200 CATS test system, photo courtesy of Aeroflex (click graphic to zoom by 1.9x) |
