Military & Aerospace Electronics - May 2015

MAY 2015
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES
FOR NATIONAL DEFENSE
Rad-hard
electronics
The need for reliable
components in space
and other harsh
Sensor
environments pushes
industry state of
the art. PAGE 20
Fighters to
networking
drones
Retired F-16 jet fighters
escape the boneyard to
become sophisticated
target drones. PAGE 34
militaryaerospace.com
Sensor data from land

vehicles is becoming
Internet content on the
digital battlefield. PAGE 8
1505mae_C1 1 5/1/15 3:36 PM

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MAY 2015
VOL. 26, NO. 5
Space Grade
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Converters for
2 TRENDS
120V Input
4 NEWS
4 IN BRIEF
COvER STORY 
8 SPECIAL REPORT
The evolution of networked sensors
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MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS ©2015 (ISSN-1046-9079) is published monthly by PennWell Corp.,1421 S. Sheridan, Tulsa, OK 74112. Periodicals postage paid at
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1505mae_1 1 5/1/15 3:31 PM

trends BY JOHN KELLER, EDITOR IN CHIEF 
HD infrared sensors a boon to

military ISR and lens manufacturers
One of the biggest trends in military from the latest generation of HD in- mean a need for fewer surveillance
night vision these days involves the frared sensors doesn’t look like platforms and fewer reconnaissance
transition to high-definition (HD) in- much. For long- and mid-wave infra- missions to gather the same data.
frared sensors. The new sensor tech- red, which essentially are heat-seek- These new sensors are being de-
nology increases sensor resolution ing sensors, images look like con- ployed today on weapon systems like
typically from 640 by 640 pixels to trasting blobs of warm and cool the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. In the fu-
1,920 by 1,280 pixels, delivering more areas. It’s only when sensors start ture, deployed HD infrared sensors
imagery data than ever before. to zoom in that the full effect of HD are expected to increase in resolution
HD infrared sensor technology not starts coming out. There’s detail in from 1,920 by 1,280 pixels to 2,000 by
only offers quantum-type leap en- those images that rarely, if ever, have 2,000 pixels, or even finer resolution,
hancements for the value of intelli- come out in previous generations of with each pixel progressively becom-
gence, surveillance, and reconnais- infrared sensors. At the SPIE show, ing smaller and smaller. These sen-
sance (ISR) images and video, but for example, the heat signatures from sors will start out to be large and
also provides big market opportuni- the breadth of attendees was appar- heavy, but are expected to evolve to
ties for infrared lens manufacturers. ent once those sensors zoomed in for sizes to fit medium- and small-sized
For the most demanding surveil- a close look. Other details — buttons, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and
lance and intelligence applications, creases in clothing, and individual other manned and unmanned sys-
where analysts require the highest hairs in beards — also were clear. tems. It’s only a matter of time before
resolution possible, the move from Users of ISR systems with HD in- the costs of HD infrared sensors start
standard-resolution to high-resolu- frared sensors will be able to see coming down, too. The trend from
tion infrared sensors requires new more than they ever have before, low- to high-definition infrared is ex-
lenses that can take advantage of ev- industry experts say. One likened pected to bring unprecedented capa-
erything the new infrared sensor for- HD infrared capability to the differ- bility for infrared sensors of all kinds.
mat offers. These requirements for ence between looking through a pa- New HD infrared sensors can re-
new lenses to exploit the most from per towel tube, and relatively wide quire new lenses. HD images and vid-
the new HD infrared sensors has field of view. This new capability has eo are different dimensions than low-
lens manufacturers tooling up to broad implications for reconnais- def images; using the same lenses
meet new demand. sance and surveillance. Manned and for both would cut off portions of the
HD infrared was on the minds of unmanned surveillance aircraft fly- image and diminish the intelligence
many attending last month’s SPIE ing at the same altitudes could get value. For sensitive military surveil-
Defense, Security, and Sensing con- roughly twice the information on a lance applications, new lenses will
ference and trade show in Baltimore. reconnaissance pass. Yet if analysts be a must, and lens manufacturers
“Lens manufacturers just can’t keep simply need the same amount of in- are rising to the occasion. Some es-
up,” said a representative of one HD formation, these aircraft could fly at timate the transition to HD infrared
infrared sensor manufacturer. higher altitudes and take in wider will represent hundreds of millions
At first glance, imagery and video swaths of intelligence data. It could of dollars over two to three years. 
2 M AY 2 0 1 5 MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS www.militaryaerospace.com
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news
IN BRIEF
Air Force seeks to shield military
avionics from computer hackers 
Special Forces look for new
combat diver technologies
BY JOHN KELLER U.S. military special operations
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio— Officials experts are reaching out to in-
of the Air Force Research Labora- dustry for new technologies to
tory at Wright-Patterson Air Force help combat divers and swim-
Base, Ohio, have issued a notice for mers maneuver, navigate, com-
the upcoming Avionics Vulnerability municate, and fight in the wa-
Assessment Mitigation and Protec- ter. Officials of the U.S. Special
tion (AVAMP) program, which seeks Operations Command (SOCOM)
to find ways of protecting avionics Air Force researchers are approaching are interested in new technol-
industry for ways to safeguard military
from cyber attack. ogies for frogman maneuver-
avionics from malicious computer hackers.
A formal solicitation is expected ability, weapons use, communi-
by the end of June. The AVAMP pro- environments involving electron- cations, navigational accuracy,
gram will involve two or more con- ic warfare (EW) systems, space sys- and diver situational awareness
tractors and will be worth as much tems, and mobile devices. in and out of the water column.
as $49.7 million. Contract awards are For this project Air Force re- This request for information is
expected by next November. searchers want to develop auto- in preparation for at-sea experi-
AVAMP will investigate and devel- mated tools to support avionics ments scheduled for 3 to 7 Aug.
op methodologies, tools, techniques, vulnerability assessments; auto- 2015 at the Coronado Naval Am-
and capabilities to identify suscepti- mated reverse engineering, pro- phibious Base in San Diego.
bilities and mitigate cyber vulnera- gram understanding, and software
bilities of avionics systems. Research assurance tools to identify and de- 
Marine Corps avionics
will focus on embedded system cy- tect weaknesses in avionics; mal- computers to receive
ber security technologies involving ware detection tools and counter- next-gen Ethernet
vulnerabilities from physical, re- measures; and techniques to detect, U.S. Navy avionics experts are
mote, and supply chain access. respond, and adapt to never-be- sponsoring a project to upgrade
The program’s scope will include fore-seen types of cyber attacks. mission computers in U.S. Ma-
manned and remotely piloted vehi- For technical questions and con- rine Corps AV-8B Harrier II jump
cles; on-board intelligence, surveil- cerns, contact the Air Force’s Lisa jets with next-generation Eth-
lance, and reconnaissance (ISR) sys- Jones, the AVAMP program manager, ernet capability. The Naval Air
tems; munitions; and any equipment, by email at lisa.jones.6@us.af.mil or Systems Command is awarding
component, or subsystem that could by phone at 937-528-8018. For more a sole-source contract modifi-
compromise Air Force weapons. information, contact Maureen Gran- cation to General Dynamics Ad-
Avionics cyber security technol- don, the AVAMP contract specialist, vanced Information Systems in
ogies developed in the AVAMP pro- by email at maureen.grandon@us.af. Minneapolis to upgrade the
gram should be able to interface mil or by phone at 937-713-9959.  second Open System Processor-
and interoperate with anti-tamper Generation 3 to function with
MORE INFORMATION IS online at www.
and open avionics system architec- future Ethernet cards and to up-
fbo.gov/spg/USAF/AFMC/AFRLWRS/
tures and apply to a wide-range of date the data requirement. 
BAA-RQKS-2015-0008/listing.html.
aircraft that operate in contested
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news
VPX standard tailored for space applications
ratified by ANSI and VITA
BY JOHN KELLER
FOUNTAIN HILLS, Ariz.—A new em-
bedded computing open-systems
industry standard for creating
high-performance, fault-tolerant in-
teroperable backplanes and mod-
ules for spacecraft electronics and
other high-availability applications
has been ratified.
The VITA 78 SpaceVPX Systems
standard capitalizes on the Open-
VPX standards family, and has been
ratified by the VITA Open Systems
and Open Markets trade group in
Fountain Hills, Ariz., as well as the
American National Standards Insti-
tute (ANSI).
The ANSI/VITA 78.00-2015 speci-
fication has completed the VITA and Industry is starting to embrace a new embedded computing open-systems industry standard for
ANSI processes reaching full recog- spacecraft electronics and other high-availability applications.
nition under guidance of the VITA
Standards Organization (VSO). faces, where re-use is not a priori- The standard defines payload,
SpaceVPX Systems seeks to ty, says Patrick Collier, senior elec- switch, controller, and backplane
achieve an acceptable level of fault trical research engineer and deputy module profiles to meet the needs
tolerance while maintaining reason- program manager at the Air Force of space applications, and adds fea-
able compatibility with OpenVPX Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air tures to the utility plane for fault
components, including connector Force Base, N.M., and chairman of tolerance. Space VPX calls out point-
pin assignments. It seeks to create the VITA 78 Working Group. to-point data paths, not bused
standard electronic architectures for VITA 78 SpaceVPX, instead, seeks paths, to help space systems toler-
satellites and manned spacecraft in to use open-systems architecture ate faults and avoid module failures
an effort to reduce costs and ease guidelines and open standards to that affect the entire system.
systems upgrades and technology achieve loose coupling between NASA is evaluating 6U and 3U
insertion. software and hardware in space SpaceVPX form factors, and proto-
The standard defines standard electronics designs. type products should be available by
interfaces, data paths, connectors, SpaceVPX is intended to reduce next fall or winter.
and other building blocks for space risks and costs tied to reintegra- Those interested can buy cop-
electronics, which historically have tion of interfaces to make software ies of the VITA 78 SpaceVPX spec-
been custom legacy designs that are and hardware reuse more attractive ification for $100 online at http://
difficult and expensive to replicate and affordable. Use of industry-con- shop.vita.com/searchquick-submit.
and upgrade. sensus interfaces will provide more sc?keywords=SpaceVPX. 
Legacy space systems often are vendor based options from a broad-
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION visit
point solutions with proprietary and er market, with more regular sus-
VITA online at www.vita.com.
application-specific internal inter- tained competition.
1505mae_6 6 5/1/15 3:31 PM

news
L-3 Chesapeake Sciences to build next-generation
towed-array sonars for attack submarines
BY JOHN KELLER tow vessel noise to improve the so-
WASHINGTON—Sonar designers at L-3 nar’s signal-to-noise ratio and abili-
Chesapeake Sciences Corp. in Mill- ty to detect and track faint contacts
ersville, Md., are building the U.S. Na- like quiet nuclear- and diesel-pow-
vy’s next-generation towed-array so- ered submarines and seismic sig- Transformers
nar for submarines and unmanned nals. Effective use of towed array so- & Inductors
surface vessels (USVs) to detect, nar systems limit a vessel’s speed,
track, and classify quiet, modern sub- and crews must take care to pro- SURFACE MOUNT
marines in open-ocean and shallow tect the cable from damage. Current
(and thru-hole)
coastal waters. towed-array systems also are com-
plex designs and need to be upgrad-
ed to maintain reliability while de-
ployed, while stowed, and while
reeling the array in and out of sub-
marines and other marine vessels.
Compared with existing towed Size Does matter!
arrays, the L-3 Chesapeake TB-29A Low Profile
L-3 Chesapeake Sciences Corp. is designing the
Compact Towed Array offers signifi- From .18” Height
U.S. Navy’s next-generation towed-array sonar
cant reduction in sensor power, inter- 1.2 Grams Weight
nal component diameter, bend radi-
system for submarines and surface vessels. Reliability:
us, and production costs. MIL PRF27/MIL PRF21308
Officials of the Naval Sea Systems The TB-29A CTA submarine thin- Manufacturing Approved DSCC
Command announced a $20.8 million line array is designed to reduce com- Quality:
contract to L-3 Chesapeake to build plexity, lower power, and improve AS9100C Qualified Facility
six TB-29A Compact Towed Array robustness to withstand in-situ op- US Manufactured
(CTA) towed-array sonar systems for erations and stresses of handling Military and Commercial Aircraft
Navy Virginia-class fast-attack subsystems. Its performance teleme- Supplier for over 45 Years
marines. The TB-29A CTA represents try, acoustic sensors, and electron-
the next generation of sonar array ics are designed to provide a ubiq-
For all your
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TRANSFORMER
& INDUCTOR
ment array that incorporates CTA te- of submarine, surveillance, and un- requirements
lemetry while maintaining TB-29A manned towed arrays. Multimission ï Audio ï Pulse
acoustic performance. commonality for high-volume and ï DC-DC ï MultiPlex
Current towed-array sonar sys- unique components provides cost ï Power & EMI
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800 431-1064
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from unmanned vehicles. aboard attack, cruise-missile, and E Mail: info@picoelectronics.com
Towed array sonar uses hydro-
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143 Sparks Ave. Pelham, N.Y. 10803-1837
behind a submarine or a surface ship;
FOR MORE INFORMATION visit L-3 CSC
it can be miles long. It’s designed to
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1505mae_7 7 5/1/15 3:31 PM

S P EC I A L REPORT
The evolution of
networked sensors
From the dawn of military sensor networking during Vietnam The WIN-T system is among the first combat
vehicle networking technologies to provide
to today’s struggle against insurgents and IEDs, military reliable data, imagery, video, and voice
mobile sensor networks strive for ever-higher bandwidth and networking capabilities to combat forces on
the move.
resolution, and smaller more lightweight platforms.
units—even down to the individu-
al warfighter. The lack of a defini-
BY J.R. Wilson tive “front line” during the Vietnam
War created a critical need for ev-
Technology has been the force mul- east Asia, and precision-guided air- ery Army and Marine Corps land ve-
tiplier giving the U.S. military grow- and sea-launched weapons decimat- hicle independently to sense, locate,
ing superiority over its adversaries ed traditional enemy military for- define, and respond to high-, mid-,
since World War II, and battlespace mations. In response, adversaries and low-tech localized weapons.
dominance since the Reagan build- turned to insurgent warfare with This is no small feat; it requires
up of the 1980s. Military technolog- small units, no heavy armor, or even significant improvement in sensors to
ical dominance has come at a cost, aircraft. Instead they relied on im- detect dangers, situational awareness
however, and that cost is asymmet- provised explosive devices (IEDs) as to map threat locations, and vehicle
rical warfare. suicide and vehicle bombs. networking to ensure all other vehicle
Much of this shift started during That, in turn, placed a growing crews are aware of the dangers.
the 1960s in Vietnam. As America U.S. military emphasis on the equip- Fast-forward to today. The ability
gained total air dominance in South- ment and capabilities of small to perform technology refresh and
1505mae_8 8 5/1/15 3:31 PM

insertion into existing vehicles be- Staff. “Our tanks and Bradleys are the A summer 2014 demonstration
came part of original design param- finest fighting platforms in the world, at Fort Bragg, N.C., saw six defense
eters after 9/11, allowing for rela- but they’re heavy. You’ve got to seize contractors exhibit their proposals
tively quick and on-site upgrades in a major airfield to get them in. You’ll for such a vehicle. Proposals includ-
many instances. see, in the future, some equipment ed the General Dynamics Flyer, the
Such new technologies, howev- that’s not quite so heavy, but enables Boeing-MSI Defense Phantom Bad-
er, rely on continuous research and us to have tactical mobility.” ger, the Polaris Defense deployable
development, funding for acquisi-
tion and fielding, training for users
and maintainers, and development
of next-generation vehicles, sensors,
networking, and related capabilities.
That evolution has been slowed,
deferred, or shelved due to declin-
ing military budgets, military down-
sizing, and, most significantly, se-
questration. All that comes at a time
of increasing geopolitical instabili-
ty, rising Chinese military technolo-
gy, a resumption of Russian military
adventurism, and demand for U.S.
Army and Marine Corps units across
a wider global distribution than any
time since the end of the Cold War.
Defense leaders testifying before
Congress during this year’s budget
hearings were unanimous in saying
the funding trends of the last few
years have forced the services into
quixotic choices—none of which
bode well for the future of U.S. com-
bat operations.
Vehicles as sensor platforms

On the one hand, technology makes
it possible for land vehicles of all siz-
es to carry an array of sensors and
communications equipment. On the
other hand, severe funding cuts have
left little money for the research and
development necessary to upgrade
and replace such systems.
“We know that we need a middle-
weight, mobile, protected firepower
platform to allow early entry forces to
seize and exploit the initiative,” says
Gen. Daniel Allyn, Army Vice Chief of
1505mae_9 9 5/1/15 3:31 PM

S PECIAL REPORT
U.S. and allied combat vehicles are receiving secure networking equipment at an accelerated rate for enhanced situational awareness and
targeting capability.
advanced ground off-road DAGOR, Black Hawk medium-lift helicopter. It to enable troops to discriminate be-
the Hendrick Dynamics Commando also must have the power and com- tween shovels and rifles, tanks and
Jeep, the Vyper Adamas Vyper, and puting capability for advanced sensor commercial trucks.
the Lockheed Martin High Versatili- and communications suites. In April, Raytheon and DRS Tech-
ty Tactical Vehicle—a version of the “Nobody had ever asked industry nologies announced they have
UK Army’s HMT-400 Jackal. for a 4,500-pound vehicle that can teamed on development of the IF-
The U.S. Special Operations Com- carry nine guys and still be highly LIR in anticipation of the procure-
mand already has awarded a con- mobile and have a long range,” Park- ment announcement. An Army re-
tract to General Dynamics Land Sys- er notes. “We had requirements that quest for proposals is expected in
tems in Sterling Heights, Mich., for are hard, but that’s what we need this month, leading to an engineer-
its Ground Mobility Vehicle 1.1 (aka, the vehicle to do.” ing and manufacturing program and
Flyer) to meet a similar need, but Meanwhile, development of the production award in the early 2020s.
even lighter vehicles may be neces- ULCV’s sensors, situational aware- “The new third-gen technolo-
sary, says Lt. Col. Kevin Parker, light ness, and networking equipment gy will dramatically improve the
systems branch chief in the Mount- also is moving apace, subject to fur- range performance of ground com-
ed Requirements Division. ther funding restrictions. bat vehicle sensors, allowing great-
Requirements for an ultralight er standoff range and identification
combat vehicle (ULCV) include a Third-generation FLIR capability,” says Clay Towery, senior
maximum empty weight of 4,500 At a Washington conference in manager for business development
pounds, the ability to carry a nine- March, Army Acquisition Executive at Raytheon EO Innovations in Rich-
man infantry squad and their equip- Heidi Shyu said the Army is ready ardson, Texas. “It’s very important
ment (3200 pounds), a range as far as to convert 16 years of research on a to the Army and it will provide a sig-
300 miles on one tank of gas, size to third-generation Improved Forward nificant combat advantage and it’s
fit inside a CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift Looking Infrared (IFLIR) electro-op- critical that we field this technology
helicopter, air-droppable by a C-130 tical sensor into a program of record to maintain combat overmatch.”
Hercules or C-17 Globemaster cargo for Abrams tanks and Bradley infan- The current second-generation
aircraft, and by sling load on a UH-60 try vehicles. The IFLIR is expected FLIR, fielded on more than 20,000
1505mae_10 10 5/1/15 3:31 PM

S PECIAL REPORT
Army, Marine Corps, and Navy plat-

forms in the past decade, uses a lin-
ear scanned array that sweeps across
its field a view. The third-gen will use
staring focal plane arrays that do not
sweep but use several detectors on
an image plane, thus gathering sig-
nificantly more information. It also is
capable of simultaneous detection in
mid- and long-wave bands.
“The Army and our team have
a strong track record of delivering
state-of-the-art, next-generation FLIR
technology on our nation’s premiere
ground vehicle combat platforms,”
Sally Wallace, DRS C4ISR group pres-
ident, said in a statement. “Our ex-
perience integrating a common FLIR
across the Army’s combat vehicle
platforms is critical to synchronizing
the Army’s modernization strategy.”
Sensors also are key to improved
situational awareness. Blueforce De-
velopment Corp. in Salem, Mass., of-
fers this definition of the complexity
of field-level situational awareness:
“The asymmetric threat has
moved us to a network-centric con-
cept of operations where chaos and
non-predictiveness replaces past
eras of order; where today’s coalition
The Army’s WIN-T technology makes use

of a sophisticated infrastructure of vehicle
antennas and rugged on-board networking
routers to keep warfighters abreast of
battlefield developments as they unfold.
1505mae_11 11 5/1/15 3:31 PM

S PECIAL REPORT
or interagency workgroup presents BAE Systems CHECK-6 Rear-View

a different membership tomorrow. System, which uses thermal or col-
Operational approaches require the or cameras embedded into mili-
complete and total embrace of tactics tary-style LED taillights—thus of-
and technology that address the ul- fering commonality across military
timate in complex adaptive systems vehicle types—to provide ground
where we operate and interoperate vehicles with a rear vision system.
in denied, dysfunctional, and dispa- “This innovative solution pro-
rate last tactical mile environments. vides a streamlined path for vehicle
These operating environments re- installs that can be accomplished
quire complete mobility, but also agil- as a field-upgrade kit requiring few
ity given the non-predictive nature of tools and minimal vehicle down-
The latest increments of the Army WIN-T
disasters and manmade incidents.” program make use of lightweight, fast, time,” according to BAE. “Check-6
and maneuverable vehicles to ensure that delivers needed battlefield situa-
Vehicle situational awareness networking capability keeps up with leading tional awareness during all weath-
One situational-awareness initiative elements on the battlefield. er, day and night operations. (It) is
at the U.S. Defense Advanced Re- evaluate surroundings for opti- in production and currently sup-
search Projects Agency (DARPA) in mal travel surfaces; and porting 40,000 armored combat and
Arlington, Va., is the Ground X-Vehi- • autopilot capabilities that would tactical wheeled vehicles across the
cle Technologies (GXV-T) program automate routine driving tasks to Joint Armed Forces.”
to improve the survivability of enable drivers to focus on more
ground-based armored fighting ve- strategic activities. Small, fast movers
hicles through crew augmentation— “Ground-based armored fighting Providing each vehicle with indepen-
improved physical and electronical- vehicles and their occupants have dent sensor suites and situational
ly assisted situational awareness for traditionally relied on armor and awareness is a major step forward,
crew and passengers. maneuverability for protection. The but new battlefield environments—
GXV-T also involves semi-auton- amount of armor needed for today’s with fast-moving small vehicles,
omous driver assistance and auto- threat environments, however, is threats from hidden IEDs and two-
mation of key crew functions simi- becoming increasingly burdensome or three-man insurgent teams with
lar to capabilities found in modern and ineffective against ever-improv- rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs),
commercial airplane cockpits to re- ing weaponry,” the Agency reports. sudden attacks from the cover of ci-
duce onboard crew and training “GXV-T seeks to develop revolu- vilian crowds, hospitals, schools,
requirements. tionary technologies to enable a lay- etc.—make real-time sharing of each
According to DARPA’s GXV-T pro- ered approach to protection that vehicle’s (and individual warfight-
gram office, potential approaches would use less armor more strate- er’s) information even more criti-
include: gically and improve vehicles’ ability cal. But networking on the move in-
• a closed cockpit that would use to avoid detection, engagement and volves a number of problems, from
visualization technologies to pro- hits by adversaries. Such capabilities jamming and spoofing to encryption
vide high-definition, wide-angle would enable smaller, faster vehicles and available, reliable bandwidth.
visibility of external conditions; in the future to more efficiently and “Bandwidth is probably the big-
• path planning that would display cost-effectively tackle varied and gest problem with all that data. LOS
optimal routes; unpredictable combat situations.” [line-of-sight] is another issue, trying
• sensors that would use a variety While some efforts to improve to reach the soldier over the horizon.
of technologies to visualize sur- situational awareness are complete If you use a satellite, you’re going to
roundings and identify and track system proposals, some defense have a latent connection. Crunching
allies and adversaries; contractors have developed inde- big data numbers strikes me as more
• terrain classification that would pendent components, such as the a software issue. As far as our wired
1505mae_12 12 5/1/15 3:31 PM

S PECIAL REPORT
Innovation
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1505mae_13 13 5/1/15 4:28 PM

S PECIAL REPORT
research and development] to come rather than specialized systems, he

up with devices that are smaller, added, in order to further reduce
lighter, and require less power, but SWaP and leave more room in the
meet the same specs as their larger vehicle for crew and passengers.
counterparts.” “So instead of having a mis-
The next generation of on-board sion computer and a router, you
systems also will require multi-task would put those together. Same with
Power over Ethernet allows for the reduction
of cables on a mobile platform. A MILTECH
910 POE Ethernet switch can provide
connectivity and power to sensors, cameras,
With 16,535 and other devices.
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of our technology, but we will see
we already have a proven DC-DC a lot more of that in the future—
converter that meets your requirements. which, in turn, means a growing de-
(If not, we can build it.) mand for more compute power, more
capacity,” MilSource’s Isaac says.
From standard models with built-in EMI
filtering and low voltage outputs to semi- “We’re starting to see a connect-
custom designs, our robust state-of-the-art ed battlefield where you have sol-
converters meet the unique power diers and vehicles on the ground,
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needing to share video, voice, situa-
For example, the 3650E-S02F
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1505mae_14 14 5/1/15 3:32 PM

S PECIAL REPORT
establish a framework similar to in- specific knowledge of the available

dustry best practices. One of these networked sensors, Sensor CE en-
Army COEs is the Sensor Compute terprise services include the ability,
Environment (CE), which address- subject to mission priorities, to:
es the sensor interoperability ques- • identify the existence and deter-
tions of: (1) am I using the right sen- mine the capabilities of sensors
sor standards, (2) am I exchanging on a network to support a mis-
data with the correct format, and (3) sion requirement;
am I exchanging relevant data. Sen- • distribute summary event infor-
sor CE will provide a common sen- mation from sensor observations
The shrinking of components and platforms sor interoperability layer, imple- to the network with a pre-defined
has allowed the consolidation of multiple
menting standards and technology distribution and level of priority;
platforms. The Techaya MILTECH 9012X
for specialized, human-controlled • obtain full motion video streams
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single-board computer, and a GPS receiver. or unattended sensors. This effort is from sensors;
applicable to future UGS [unmanned • request specified sensors on a net-
Strategy-Tactical version was craft- ground systems],” says Clair Guth- work to perform operations; and
ed in response to this directive, with rie, sensor computing environment • request specified sensors for re-
the Common Operating Environment chair at the U.S. Army’s program ex- mote management of sensor
(COE) architecture serving as a key ecutive office for PEO intelligence, operations.
component of that guidance. electronic warfare & sensors. In the expanding paradigm of
“With a COE, the Army can Without the operator having military adaptation of commercial
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1505mae_15 15 5/1/15 3:32 PM

S PECIAL REPORT
developments, one of the top re- Commercially developed Communications-Electronics Re-

quirements is for faster military ac- technology search Development and Engineer-
quisition and fielding of new sensor, “One observation from the report ing Center’s (CERDEC’s) Night Vision
networking, and situational aware- was how sensors—including detec- and Electronic Sensors Directorate
ness technologies—and doing so be- tion technologies, measuring tools (NVESD).
fore potential adversaries accom- and self-aware feedback mecha- “Known as the Integrated Sensor
plish the same goal using the same nisms and their supporting technol- Architecture (ISA), this framework
openly available technologies. ogy development areas, such as data identifies the critical capabilities to
“Science and Technology Trends fusion, algorithm development, en- be adopted for sensor interoperabil-
2013-2043: A Review of Leading Fore- ergy harvesting and networking— ity. This strategic approach enables
casts,” sponsored by Deputy Assis- were consistently identified as key program management offices to in-
tant Secretary of the Army for Re- science and technology (science and stantly refresh their programs with
search and Technology Mary Miller, technology) enablers across most of the latest technology and adapt ex-
aggregated and analyzed trends from these trends. It is imperative to the isting Army portfolio assets to this
multiple sources and identified, at Army’s future effectiveness and ef- new environment. Thus the Army
a macro level, 16 megatrends of sig- ficiency to accept and adapt to the could leverage the often very fast
nificance to the military, including rapid pace of change driven by these development cycle of cheap com-
robotics and autonomous systems, global commercial trends,” accord- mercial sensor technologies (like
human augmentation, big data, 3D ing to Susan Harkrider, deputy di- those on cell phones) and integrate
printing, the Internet of things and rector of the Modeling, Simulation them into cross-domain solutions
ubiquitous nanotechnology. & Netted Sensors Division at the with existing, expensive and unique
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1505mae_16 16 5/1/15 3:32 PM

S PECIAL REPORT
military sensors (like those on satel- reporters in February, funding for

lites and military platforms).” research and development is at its
Harkrider views sensors as “the lowest point since the turn of the
glue that enables the Army to em- century. At that same briefing, dep-
brace the global trends shaping war- uty budget director Davis Welch
fare in 2025 and beyond”. added that while the Army has not
“How the Army chooses to em- terminated any programs, continu-
brace global changes and commer- ing to allocate science and technol-
cial trends will determine in many ogy funding through 2025, several
ways how successful it is in main- programs have been delayed—in-
taining technical superiority. Con- cluding the future infantry fighting
KEEP
cepts like ISA are but one approach vehicle and full-on-the-move tacti-
to helping the Army maintain agil- cal networking.
ity in a rapidly changing world. Es- The latter also is a major blow
COOL
tablishing the adoption of common to Marine Corps modernization
standards and protocols can be very plans, which rely heavily on Army
challenging when working with so research and development. Brig.
many different communities, all of Gen. Joe Shrader, head of the Ma- wit i nc
which have different opinions on rine Corps Systems Command, told
power n

what ‘right’ looks like,” she says. a House Armed Services Subcom-
connectors
Achieving those goals has be- mittee hearing on Army Ground
come an increasingly difficult cir- Force Modernization plans that de-
cle to navigate: Today’s warfighters laying development and fielding of Scorpion Connector
must have vehicles of all types that Networking-on-the-Move “leaves
offer integrated sensor suites and two-thirds of our operating forces
networking to facilitate enhanced without the ability to conduct mo-
situational awareness, for that ve- bile networking in distributed en-
hicle and its occupants as well as vironments.” That deficit becomes
all other friendly forces in the area. even more dangerous if they face a
That must be achieved at the low- future enemy that does have such a

est SWaP-C possible, which requires capability.

funding of new research and devel- “The Army’s modernization bud-

opment to adapt commercial tech- get remains near historic lows. Still,

nologies—and, in some cases, cre- our modernization mission—to de-

ate military-specific elements. All of velop and procure systems that al-

which need to be accomplished un- low our soldiers to dominate across

der severe budget restrictions—es- the full spectrum of operations—re-
pecially the possible return of se- mains essential. We must always
questration—and a backdrop of ensure our soldiers have the right
fielding urgency to enable the U.S. equipment, at the right time and at
military to maintain its techno- the right place to accomplish the as-
logical edge over any potential signed mission,” Lt. Gen. Anthony R.
adversaries. Ierardi, Army Deputy Chief of Staff,
and Lt. Gen. Michael E. Williamson,
connectpositronic.com
Budget constraints Military Deputy to the Assistant
But as the Army’s budget director, Secretary of the Army for Acquisi-
Maj. Gen. Thomas Horlander, told tion, Logistics and Technology, told
1505mae_17 17 5/1/15 3:32 PM

S PECIAL REPORT
the HASC subcommittee. System-Army (DCGS-A), which initiatives, the U.S. Army Cyber
Among those programs they provides integrated ISR process- Command and the Army acquisi-
identified to lawmakers as “critical ing, exploitation and dissemina- tion community are pursuing ways
[to] provide overmatch capabilities tion of airborne and ground sen- to bring ‘big data’ analytic capabili-
at the tactical and operational levels sor platforms, giving commanders ties to Army operations in order to
of combat operations” were: at all levels access to the Defense improve our cyber defense capabil-
• Joint Battle Command-Platform Intelligence Information Enter- ity. These efforts, as well as cyber
(JBC-P), the next generation of prise and leverages the entire na- science and technology initiatives
Force XXI Battle Command Bri- tional, joint, tactical and coalition focused on the enabling technol-
gade and Below/Blue Force Track- ISR community. ogies for future capabilities, will
ing and “the foundation for The FY16 funding request sup- generate resourcing requirements
achieving affordable information ports correction of any issues iden- which will compete against other
interoperability and superiori- tified during the May 2015 Limited modernization priorities.”
ty on current and future battle- User Test, support for the Increment In an increasingly unstable world
fields [as] the principal command 2 Request for Proposal and milestone where demands on ground forces—
and control/situational awareness decisions, including plans to begin and threats to them—grow even
system for the Army and Marine Increment 2 development, as well as as the U.S. military and its budget
Corps at the brigade level and be- modernize and procure COTS soft- downsize, the technology explosion
low.” The Army requested pro- ware and hardware components for that has given those forces a de-
curement funding for 2988 vehi- DCGS-A (fixed, mobile and data cen- cisive edge in recent decades now
cle platform computer systems, ters), integrate hardware and soft- may be turning against them.
300 command post systems, sat- ware and equip and train next de- “Army equipment modernization
ellite receivers, encryption devic- ployers and high priority units. enables the U.S. Army to remain the
es, ancillary equipment, program world’s decisive land force. Soldiers
management support, training, Network cyber security and units operate as part of joint,
fielding, publications, support Each new technology incorporat- inter-organizational and multi-na-
equipment and post deployment ed into combat vehicles, especially tional teams that are tailorable and
software support. those involving data exchanges with scalable to the mission. As we con-
• Warfighter Information Net- other vehicles and command cen- tinue to examine how to achieve ef-
work-Tactical (WIN-T), which ters, also brings an increased need fective balance among force struc-
“provides broadband communi- for data security and more research ture, modernization and readiness,
cations for the tactical Army [ex- and development funding require- we must have stable, predictable,
tending] an IP-based satellite and ments for the growing field of cyber long-term funding to modernize our
LOS communications network security—and thus a further drain force to meet evolving threats and
throughout the tactical force, on available funds. execute our mission,” Ierardi and
supporting voice, data, and vid- “Network dominance and de- Williamson warned lawmakers.
eo.” Funds were requested to up- fense is an integral part of our na- “The security challenges of to-
grade 31 WIN-T Increment 1 units tional security. The Army is focused morrow will be met with the equip-
to enhance interoperability with on proactively providing increased ment we develop, modernize and
units fielded with WIN-T Incre- capabilities to the Joint force. The procure today. Because adversar-
ment 2, procure 248 communi- evolving cyber environment is forc- ies will continue to invest in tech-
cations nodes for WIN-T Incre- ing the Army to adapt to cyber nology to counter or evade U.S.
ment 2 and continue fielding and threats by transforming processes, strengths and exploit vulnerabili-
support for previously procured organizations and operating prac- ties, resource reductions and insuf-
WIN-T Increment 2 Low Rate Ini- tices to mitigate vulnerabilities,” the ficient force modernization place at
tial Production (LRIP) equipment. generals told Congress. risk the Army’s ability to overmatch
• Distributed Common Ground “In terms of new and emerging its opponents.” 
1505mae_18 18 5/1/15 3:32 PM

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1505mae_19 19 5/1/15 3:32 PM

TECHNOLOGY F CUS
Averting on-orbit mission failure

Engineers rely on modern radiation-hardened and radiation-tolerant
electronics for harsh-environment applications requiring high reliability.
BY Courtney E. Howard
“We expect 1,200 new spacecraft

of 110 pounds mass or larger to be
launched within the next 10 years,”
says Marco Caceres, senior analyst
and director of space studies at the
Teal Group market-research firm in
Fairfax, Va. “This represents 20 per-
cent growth in the number of space-
craft in this mass category over the
preceding 10 years.”
Space programs are growing by
leaps and bounds, with exponen-
tial growth in satellite launches and
hosted payloads, manned and un-
manned space travel, and similar
activities being realized today and
forecast into the foreseeable future.
The requirements for each aero-
Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor building the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, NASA’s
space mission are, likewise, grow- first spacecraft designed for long-duration, human-rated deep space exploration.
ing—a majority of which now speci-
fy the use of electronic systems and to ensure the reliability and longev- company, in Bothell, Wash. “Driving
components capable of withstand- ity of systems and platforms de- this is increased customer aware-
ing the harsh, radiation-riddled ex- ployed in the harsh environment of ness of potential detrimental space
panse of space. space, through the use of modern radiation effects on certain silicon
System failures can be costly in radiation-hardened (rad-hard) and electronic components.”
virtually any environment, but per- radiation-tolerant (rad-tolerant) elec-
haps none more so than in space— tronic components. Radiation effects
where even a single computing “There is a global trend of in- Space radiation can have serious ef-
event upset can bring an untimely creasing requirements for both rad- fects on electronics system and sat-
end to an entire and very expensive hard and rad-tolerant products for ellite operation. “Some particle ra-
mission. Aerospace engineers and space applications,” explains Mon- diation is so energetic that it can
technology providers are increasing- ty Pyle, vice president of sales and penetrate to the interior of a satel-
ly and proactively working together marketing at VPT Inc., a HEICO lite and interact with its electronic
1505mae_20 20 5/1/15 3:32 PM

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1505mae_21 21 5/1/15 3:32 PM

TECHNOLOGY F CUS
circuitry. This can cause a to the specific internal mate-

wide variety of effects that rials that we may use. That
range from unimportant ones same experienced customer
to the shutdown of a vital may have another program
system. For example, if the in its early requirements
circuitry controls the way the stages and they are unsure
satellite is pointing its anten- what radiation levels or even
na, the satellite can veer out what qualification level of
of contact with ground-based product the application will
receivers and be lost,” NASA ultimately require,” Pyle de-
officials say. scribes. “In cases such as
Radiation effects on elec- this, we are able to provide a
tronics, including satellite sys- wide range of product level
tems, often are grouped into offerings and as the program
three categories: total ionizing requirements become more
dose, displacement damage, defined, we work with our
and single-event effects. Total customer to pinpoint which
ionizing dose effects in elec- products will best meet the
tronics tend to build up over specific needs.
a long period of time and can “When other customers
change the device properties, are not sure what they need,
degrade performance, and they typically default to the
eventually cause the device to highest level rad-hard prod-
fail completely. ucts available and the high-
Displacement damage, a est quality level which is
cumulative effect occurring Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle and Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) MIL-PRF-38534 Class K,” Pyle
in the electronic device’s was the first high orbital test flight for the Orion spacecraft. says. “As with all our cus-
semiconductor material, managers to understand the space tomers, we work with them
can cause the device to deterio- radiation environment. Underesti- to better understand their real
rate and possibly fail if exposed to mating the radiation environment needs so they ultimately receive the
enough radiation. Single-event ef- leads to excessive risk, which can re- product that best fits their applica-
fects, which can be either non-de- sult in degraded performance and a tion without adding unnecessary
structive or destructive to the de- shorter mission lifetime, they stress. cost and lead time of the higher-
vice, are caused by the passage of a level products.”
charged particle through a sensitive Selecting solutions
region in an electronic device, NASA Customer requests depend on the Time and money
officials say. program requirements and the cus- Cost and lead time are two common
The severity of the single-event tomers’ experience base, Pyle says. customer considerations. “As you go
effects can range from minor and Aerospace customers are using VPT from commercial-level material to
unnoticeable to extreme and caus- radiation-level products—including rad-tolerant material and finally to
ing a system to shut down. A DC-DC converters and EMI filters— rad-hard material, cost increases
charged particle can cause bit flips in satellites, space probes, capsules, and material lead time increases,”
in solid-state memory devices, launch vehicles, and the Interna- Pyle explains. “These increases can
changing ones to zeros or zeros to tional Space Station. have appreciable effects on the pro-
ones, and corrupt important data. “Some experienced customers gram viability. The most frequent
NASA officials encourage aero- working on a program may know bind we see is that the less initiated
space engineers and program exactly what is required, right down space customers may use traditional
1505mae_22 22 5/1/15 3:32 PM

TECHNOLOGY F CUS
commercial product lead times in Testing technology

their material scheduling, but that “We have seen increased adoption
same rad-hard device may have a of the established (by-design) ra-
lead time of 5X. This is why we al- diation-hardened components to
ways encourage customers to place mitigate design risks and to mini-
their demand as early in the process mize time to market,” explains Tiva
as possible. Bussarakons, marketing director
“We routinely review customer for Space Products at Internation-
schematics, layouts as well as pro- al Rectifier, An Infineon Technol-
gram requirements, especially for ogies Company, in El Segundo, Ca-
space-level programs,” Pyle de- lif. International Rectifier has for
scribes. “This is part of our compli- more than 25 years delivered rad-
mentary services as we know it’s hard technologies to the space com-
munity worldwide for use in
military programs, including
countless classified missions;
commercial constellation sat-
Microsemi’s RTG4 offers immunity to

radiation-induced configuration upsets.
critical to catch any potential ‘got- ellites; and scientific exploration

chas’ or surprises. It’s ideal to identi- space programs.
fy potential snags early on instead of “We have seen increasing needs
six months in when the customers for expanded test coverage with
might learn that they’ve designed broader test conditions and increas-
not only the wrong level of product, es in sample sizes,” Bussarakons
but the product is already on order.” says. A product’s reliability and per-
“We highly discourage ‘sidestep- formance track records are among
ping’ the use of rad-hard or rad-tol- the top criteria for any designs, es-
erant products if radiation perfor- pecially those destined for high-ra-
mance is required. If you do not diation environments. “For most in-
need radiation performance, do not stances, these factors would easily
use the space-level products and outweigh any new technologies and
instead select from our broad of- a higher cost of rad-hard technolo-
fering of MIL-PRF-38534 Class H gy. Careful trade-offs study and risk
and Class K qualified non-rad prod- assessment/mitigation often are
ucts,” Pyle advises. “However, if mandatory to build a case for mis-
you need rad-tolerant or rad-hard sion success.”
products, the risk of mission fail- Cobham Semiconductor Solutions,
ure is very real if you use non-rad a provider of aerospace integrated
material. Space radiation effects circuits (ICs), systems, and services
are genuine.” in Boston, provides radiation testing
1505mae_23 23 5/1/15 3:32 PM

TECHNOLOGY F CUS
services as well as build-to- O’Neill has seen signifi-

specification and build-to- cant growth in the compa-
print services, Senior Product ny’s global radiation-tolerant
Marketing Manager Elaine FPGA business, especially in
Gonsalves says. North America, Europe, Japan,
VPT officials, to better serve and India. “It has been linear
the space industry and in re- growth—a straight line going
sponse to growing demand for up and to the right—in reve-
certification and test services, nue and numbers shipped. Ap-
have launched a certified ra- plications are across the board,
diation laboratory and test- commercial satellites, civilian
ing services facility, VPT Rad. and scientific satellites, nav-
VPT Rad is a 5,000 square-foot igation satellites, interplan-
radiation laboratory and test etary orbiters and landers,
services facility in Chelms- deep-space probes, military
ford, Mass., designed to serve and defense satellites.”
the radiation and related test Engineers are opting for FP-
needs of aerospace electron- GAs over application-specif-
ics manufacturers. The facili- ic integrated circuits (ASICs),
ty, formerly known as Si-REL, which are designed for a spe-
provides specialized environ- cific use. “ASICs, which have
ments and equipment for eval- long lead times and large
uating electronics used in ap- NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover continues making science observations; non-recurring engineering
plications where ionizing it has logged 10 kilometers of driving since its 2012 landing. (NRE) charges, go through
radiation can degrade device long fabrication cycles—and
performance, officials say. The VPT today tend to value systems that that incurs risk,” O’Neill says. “If
Rad facility meets the requirements are flexible and reprogrammable. you’re a program manager, you’re
of MIL-STD-750 and MIL-STD-883, “We are seeing growth, in par- nervous about finding a late break-
has approved Source Suitability from ticular an increased interest in ing bug or specification change, in-
the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), our non-volatile memory solutions curring schedule and cost risks. You
and uses European Space Compo- as a bulletproof boot solution, not don’t want to have to pay the tool-
nents Coordination (ESCC) 22900 only for processors, but also for ing charge again. FPGAs protect you
compliant test methods for custom- field-programmable gate arrays from all that. Accomplishing a spec
ers and programs outside the U.S. (FPGAs),” Gonsalves says. “There change or fixing a bug is as simple
“The ever-growing demand of VPT is a lot of interest in supporting as programming a single part, and
Rad’s laboratory and testing services re-programmability in space.” is far better than waiting months for
is testament to the growing con- Increasingly, engineers design- ASICs to go through the lab.
cerns and considerations of radiation ing systems for deployment in “If you’re late delivering your sys-
effects of various silicon electronic harsh environments are adopt- tem to a satellite integrator, you can
components in space,” Pyle affirms. ing field programmable gate arrays be fined for every day that you’re
“The cost of performing a small lot (FPGAs). The use of radiation-tol- late, delaying the launch. In the
test at VPT Rad is minute compared erant (RT) FPGAs has grown dra- case of commercial satellite, every
to a system failure in orbit!” matically since 1992, when the day you are late is another day the
first FPGA flew in space, says Ken satellite operator is losing money,”
Deadline demands O’Neill, director of space and avia- O’Neill cautions. “When it comes to
Failure is not an option for many tion marketing at Microsemi in Ali- a science mission, the repercussions
missions, so aerospace programs so Viejo, Calif. can be even worse. When launching
1505mae_24 24 5/1/15 3:32 PM

TECHNOLOGY F CUS
to Mars, for example, the planets weather forecasting and meteorol- don’t need are hermetically-sealed
have to be in precise alignment. If ogy, and civilian and scientific mis- ceramic packages, and device man-
you’re late with the delivery of your sions. The problems you’re solving ufacturing testing and screening
system, you can’t launch the satel- are the same; the detail of the in- to Mil Std 883 and Mil Prf 38535.
lite to Mars for many more months, struments onboard varies, but the Our RT FPGAs are qualified to QML,
until planets come into alignment architecture for payload is essential- which is recognized around the
again. Several Jupiter missions are ly the same no matter what it is do- world as a gold standard; customers
currently being developed and re- ing. Whether commercial, science, around the world are happy to buy
quire optimum planet alignment, civilian, or military, data is pulled in products that are QML qualified.”
which happens only once every few from a sensor, D/A converters digi-
years, to minimize flight time in tize it, and then the heavy-duty dig- Flash v. SRAM
those long interplanetary missions. ital signal processing (DSP) starts.” O’Neill touts the advantage of
FPGAs get around scheduling de- Customers are requesting parts Flash-based, rather than Static
lays—a risk-mitigation advantage. that are bigger, faster, and with Random Access Memory (SRAM)-
more features (more memory, mul- based, FPGAs in space applications.
FPGA flexibility tipliers, high-speed transceivers, “Next-generation, radiation-tolerant
FPGAs have become quite sophisti- etc.), O’Neill says. “That’s universal FPGAs eliminate the cost and sched-
cated over time, O’Neill describes. for all FPGA consumers, no matter ule risks of SRAM,” he says.
FPGAs, once offering between 1,000 the application area. What RT cus- “SRAM cells are vulnerable to ra-
and 2,000 gates of logic, are now tomers need that other customers diation in space,” O’Neill says. When
measured in millions of gates, he
says. In turn, the role of FPGAs
has also matured to include more
high-performance and demanding A Single Board Computer (SBC) from
responsibilities. a Proven IC and Service Provider
“RT FPGAs have historically been
The most important thing we build is trust
used for command, control, and in-
terfacing applications,” O’Neill ex- Cobham Semiconductor
Solutions’ (formerly
plains. “Now with the introduction GEN 6 LEON 3FT Aeroflex) Off-the-Shelf
of RTG4, we are seeing the adoption Single Board Computer (SBC) Solution for Command and
Control Applications.
of RT FPGAs for heavy-duty signal
processing in payload applications. 𰓍 Flexible Architecture
𰓍 Core LEON 3FTs -
“Science and imaging missions
UT699, UT699E, UT700
now have sensor data process- 𰓍 Up to 95 Dhrystone
ing taking place onboard satellites, MIPS performance with
132MHz System Clock
and FPGAs are doing the heavy lift-
𰓍 64MB of SRAM Memory
ing, the processing, and are used in-
𰓍 32MB of NV Memory
creasingly in the data path,” O’Neill 𰓍 Two cPCI bus I/F
adds. “That’s the big driver we are World Class CCA facility…Bill of Materials (BOM) connectors (Hypertronics)
seeing for adoption of FPGAs. It’s a with Cobham IC Content 𰓍 Two SpW connectors and
front panel test connector
global trend, with a growing mar- Standard, Readily Available SBC
ket in North America, Europe, India, The GEN 6 SBC is available
now for your missions.
and Japan—and a good sales track
Flight Ready TRL-6 SBC, Designed for
record in Russia, although sanctions 800-645-8862
LEO, GEO and Planetary Missions
are now in place—for essentially ev- www.aeroflex.com/SBC
erything: commercial communica-
tions and imaging, operations like
1505mae_25 25 5/1/15 3:32 PM

TECHNOLOGY F CUS
radiation strikes a part, the SRAM export

changes state and the device is mis- licensing; it is
configured—misbehaving and mal- hindering FPGA adop-
functioning. A piece of logic in your tion,” O’Neill notes. “Having
system not behaving as intend- said that, it has eased somewhat in
ed could be catastrophic. For the the last 12 months with the transi-
most part, designers of space hard- tion of RT FPGAs from Internation-
ware are aware of this risk; it is al Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) The European Space Agency’s Rosetta is the
rare for anyone to go into it blind- to Export Administration Regula- very first mission to rendezvous with a comet.
ly. They use mitigation techniques, tions (EAR) control; however there lower Earth orbit, geostationary or-
such as requiring triple chip re- are still locations around the world bit (GEO), and also deep-space mis-
dundancy or continuous monitor- to which exports of RT FPGAs are sions,” Gonsalves says. “The densi-
ing. Then they have to reload the prohibited. China is biggest potential ty of both volatile and non-volatile
part and that interrupts the mis- market that we’re currently not able memory in a small 3U CompactPCI
sion; you can lose data and oppor- to sell to.” form factor, while supporting Space-
tunities to collect data. Putting it The entire industry is, of course, Wire (SpW) interfaces is attractive
into real terms, the problem is cum- impacted by the embargo with for many types of missions.”
bersome design burden. It also in- Russia, but we are seeing good po- A key market growth area will be
creases the size, weight, and power tential both domestically, in Europe, in the “Internet in the Sky” missions,
(SWaP) of the solution; you use more and other International areas, Gon- which have challenging requirements
parts and they consume more power salves says. for cost, schedule, and performance,
and board space. It is really a subop- Gonsalves predicts. “While Cobham
timal way of going about it.” Cost conundrum understands the cost competitive na-
Microsemi RT FPGAs are used in Customers are requesting more in- ture, in particular of high-volume
software-defined radios in NASA tegrated and innovative solutions missions, the value of proven tech-
IRIS and LADEE missions; command while also requiring competitive nologies to withstand harsh environ-
and control in the spacecraft and in- price points, Gonsalves explains. As ments for critical applications still
struments on ESA Rosetta mission; a result, Cobham officials “continue needs consideration.”
interfacing and control in the telem- to look at appropriate commercial
etry transponder on the European off-the-shelf (COTS) solution iden- Small satellites
Galileo navigation satellites; and in tification with optimized flows to Small satellites, also common-
many systems on the Iridium Next meet mission requirements.” ly known as nanosatellites and mi-
commercial communications satel- Cobham Semiconductor Solutions crosatellites, are big business. Ana-
lites. In fact, more than 15,000 of the is expanding its portfolio of off-the- lysts at SpaceWorks Enterprises Inc.
company’s reliable space products— shelf solutions with new bus switch- (SEI) in Atlanta are currently track-
including FPGAs, diodes, transis- es, SSRAMs, and single-board coming roughly 1,100 future (2015–2017)
tors, and integrated circuits (ICs)— puters. The new boards, Gonsalves nano/microsatellites with mass-
have been and continue to be used says, help to solve “application-spe- es between 1 kilogram and 50 kilo-
in mission-critical applications over cific challenges for command and grams in various stages of planning
the 10-year, four-billion-mile Roset- control applications.” or development.
ta Spacecraft mission by the Europe- The company is providing its Gen “The small satellite market con-
an Space Agency (ESA), NASA, and 6 LEON 3FT single board comput- tinues to flourish, bolstered by in-
technology partners. er for the command and control of creased commercial activity. The
weather instruments in both do- commercial sector remains highly
Impediments to adoption mestic and international missions. interested in using small satellites to
“The impediment to adoption of “There is also interest in our SBC for provide customers with valuable im-
RT electronics around the world is some small satellite applications in agery and data services for a wide
1505mae_26 26 5/1/15 3:32 PM

TECHNOLOGY F CUS
variety of applications,” pounds to be cost-effective

says Elizabeth Buchen, di- and achieve their import-
rector of SpaceWorks’ Engi- ant missions,” a representa-
neering Economics Group tive says. “Smaller satellites
in Atlanta. Many commer- are becoming a much larg-
cial powerhouses, includ- er part of the satellite busi-
ing Google and SpaceX, are ness, with several major
driving to deliver wide- new constellations in vari-
spread access to the In- ous stages of development.
ternet with the help of In all, these initiatives will
modern satellite commu- place thousands of small
nications technologies and, satellites in earth orbit.”
likely, the launch of myriad Honeywell, to meet
The Modular Devices Inc. (MDI) Compact Dual Redundant DC-DC
small satellites. the needs of this rapid-
power system with inrush limiting is well suited for scientific payloads.
Space systems engi- ly expanding market, has
neers at Honeywell are applying “That means reducing product launched new onboard process-
their expertise in developing sys- size, weight, power requirements and ing systems that are radiation hard-
tems for most of the larger satel- manufacturing costs while develop- ened, offer high throughput, and
lites orbiting the earth today to ing products with the reliability and have modular packaging to support
improve the performance and reli- performance characteristics that en- a variety of missions and architec-
ability of small satellites. able satellites weighing less than 500 tures. As space systems engineers
AIRPLANES
KARL KITTS
High performance
relays, contactors &
power distribution
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solutions
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EVERY CONNECTION COUNTS
1505mae_27 27 5/1/15 3:32 PM

TECHNOLOGY F CUS
work on new products to meet the System, logged a successful test Orion traveled through the Van Al-
specific needs of small satellites, flight, called Exploration Flight Test len belt, a layer of intense radiation
they’re forging partnerships with 1 (EFT-1), in December 2014. above Earth’s atmosphere, helping
other Honeywell business units, in- The Lockheed Martin-built Ori- to measure the effect of deep-space
cluding those that build aircraft en- on spacecraft launched from Cape radiation on the on-board electron-
gines, avionics systems, and auto- Canaveral, Fla., aboard a Unit- ics. Honeywell Aerospace designed
motive turbochargers, “to find ways ed Launch Alliance Delta IV heavy and developed Orion’s command
to apply techniques they’ve perfect- rocket and orbited the Earth twice, and data handling hardware, navi-
ed to achieving the right balance reaching speeds of 20,000 miles per gation systems, and core operating
between affordability and reliabili- hour and traveling through belts software.
ty,” officials say. They’re also active- of intense radiation before endur- Honeywell Aerospace engineers
ly partnering with other aerospace ing a fiery, 4,000 degree Fahrenheit developed radiation-tolerant Eth-
technology firms. re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. ernet backbone ASICs as core com-
EFT-1 tested technologies that are ponents of Orion’s On-board Data
Orion achievement fundamental to future deep-space Network (ODN) using TTEther-
NASA’s Orion Multi-Purpose Crew missions, says a spokesperson of net switch and end system chip
Vehicle (MPCV), a deep-space ex- prime contractor Lockheed Martin, IP cores from TTTech in Vienna,
ploration capsule designed to car- which will use the flight test data Austria. The ODN multi-hop, redun-
ry as many as four astronauts to to improve Orion’s design for future dant backbone network facilitates
or beyond low-Earth orbit via the space exploration. communication between vehicle
much-publicized Space Launch Twice during the test flight, management, avionics, power data
1505mae_28 28 5/1/15 3:32 PM

TECHNOLOGY F CUS
units, and other major systems in Much research is happening re- create radiation-hardened COTS elec-
Orion MPCV. The ODN will also in- lated to electronics, including robot- tronics able to withstand the effects
terface to Orion’s European Service ics, capable of use in harsh nuclear of radiation from the explosion of nu-
Module (ESM). These ASICs merge environments, such as in the wake clear weapons.
intellectual property (IP) from the of nuclear explosions. U.S. Navy re- Officials at the Naval Surface
core TTEthernet chip with Hon- searchers are working with industry Weapons Center in Crane, Ind.,
eywell IP to create a space radia- and academia to find new ways to have invited organizations to help
tion-hardened version of TTEther-
net, referred to as Time-Triggered
Gigabit Ethernet.
Building blocks
Officials at Modular Devices Inc.
(MDI), a manufacturer of rad-hard
AIA
CONVERTER
DC-DC converters and rad-hard

building blocks for power systems,
also are witnessing increased de-
mand for rad-hard components.
“While the DC-DC business is
strong, we are seeing more design-ins
Avionics Power
for the rad-hard building blocks, such Supply Solutions
as inrush limiters, bus management EMI - TRANSIENTS - HOLD UP - CONVERSION
modules, and active diode ORs,” says
Steve Summer, president of MDI in
Shirley, N.Y. MDI is seeing more activ- Gaia Converter’s proven power modules protect
ity at the higher level of satellite bus and regulate power for avionic applications.
voltages, such as 100 volts DC, 120
Example Block Diagram for a Flight Sensor:
volts DC, and even 270 volts DC. “This
[trend] is probably due to increased
usage of electric propulsion,” he says. +5V
Summer cautions aerospace and +15V
28VIN
defense engineers from trying to up-
-15V
screen commercial parts that are not
radiation capable, or relying on radi-
ation shielding in the hope of saving
EMI Transient Hold-Up DC-DC
on component cost. “In the end, they
Filters Suppression Modules Converters
will probably be unsuccessful and 2 / 10 / 20 Amps 50 / 100 / 300 Watts 50 / 300 Watts 4 ~ 200 Watts
wind up spending even more money. ï DO160 C-F • MilL-STD-704 A-F ï 50ms, 200ms & up ï 1 ~ 3 Output Modules
“In addition to rad-hard appli- ï Passive, common & • DO160 C-F ï Charge, monitoring ï DO160 & Mil-Std
cations for space, we are seeing differential modes & switching functions 704 Input Ranges
rad-hard applications in the area

of high-energy physics and nucle-
ar power generation,” Summer men-
tions. “These applications demand
rad-hard-by-design techniques that
are a decade lower in cost than com-
parable space components.”
w w w . g a i a - c o n v e r t e r . c o m
1505mae_29 29 5/1/15 3:32 PM

TECHNOLOGY F CUS
evaluate the survivability of COTS process data for telecommunica- Interpoint rad-hard Point-of-Load
electronics that are exposed to the tion companies based all around MFP converters, whereas the Curios-
radiation of nuclear explosions. Re- the world. The long life expectan- ity Mars Science Laboratory uses a
search will involve evaluating mod- cy and orbital location of these sat- variety of Interpoint DC-DC convert-
ern electronics when they under- ellites require them to have radia- ers and electromechanical interfer-
go severe changes in behavior when tion immunity at a minimum of 50 ence (EMI) filters, including the com-
exposed to nuclear radiation. Navy pany’s SMTR DC-DC converter with
experts are interested in simula- integrated EMI filter, Odell says.
tions long-term exposure to radia- Sidestepping the integration of
tion, as well as high levels of radi- rad-hard electronics will only serve
ation during the first minute of a as a short-term, money-sav-
nuclear explosion. ing technique, Odell
Navy researchers are exploring warns. “When
how modern COTS electron- an entire
ics can withstand mission relies
radiation damage on a robust
long- and short- system that
term radi- can withstand
ation ex- the harsh envi-
posure, ronmental conditions of
with an eye space for years, time-tested
to using sur- radiation-hardened electronics play
vivable COTS an integral part of the mission. Radi-
electronics in ma- ation-hardened components are of-
jor defense acquisition pro- ten backed by years of research and
grams. Research also will involve Engineers are adopting Interpoint rad- testing conducted to comprehend
hard electronics from Crane Aerospace &
radiation-hardened microelectron- the myriad effects introduced in the
Electronics for myriad space projects.
ic devices such as integrated cir- space environment.
cuits, ASICs, magnetoresistive ran- krad(Si) total ionizing dose (TID), and “Our understanding of the space
dom-access memory chips (MRAMs), often up to 100 krad(Si). Electronics environments is always evolving as
micro-electro-mechanical systems systems comprising sensors, tran- new standards and testing are in-
(MEMs), and FPGAs. sponders, and stabilization subsys- troduced to accommodate the ad-
tems all require reliable and stable vancement of technologies,” Odell
Commercial space power to last the entirety of the mis- continues. “For example, the trend
“Commercial satellites, most notably sion—and rad-hard power modules in electronics systems is to imple-
for communication, are driving the like Crane Aerospace & Electronics ment smaller and faster processors,
demand for radiation hardened elec- DC-DC converters play pivotal roles resulting in lower supply voltage.
tronics,” affirms Peter Odell, electri- in the satellites.” This leads to higher susceptibility to
cal engineer and lead RHA coordina- Crane’s Interpoint brand con- noise and transients, which are in-
tor at Crane Aerospace & Electronics verters are used in a wide variety of troduced by charged ions prevalent
in Redmond, Wash. Odell is see- space applications from launch ve- in space called Single Event Effects
ing global adoption of rad-hard elec- hicles, space exploration, and com- (SEE). In order to protect these sys-
tronics from China, India, Russia, mercial and scientific satellites, tems, the SEE rating of components
and European countries as well as Odell describes. “The converters are is now more important than ever
the growing U.S. market. “Commu- used in critical electrical systems be- to ensure proper protection from
nication satellites use powerful sen- cause of their robust design.” a larger range of ions and energies
sors and processors to capture and The Orion Spacecraft uses encountered in space.” 
1505mae_30 30 5/1/15 3:32 PM

ELECTRO
ELECTRO
O
watch
OPTICS
watch
c
OPTICS

Army scientists seek electro-
optical camouflage fabrics
U.S. Army electro-optics experts
are reaching out to industry for
ideas on how to develop electro-
New photonics sensor masts to improve optical camouflaged fabric to help
submarine stealth and survivability warfighters hide from enemy
short-wave infrared (SWIR) sen-
BY John Keller
sors. Officials of the U.S. Army
WASHINGTON— U.S. Navy submarine Natick Soldier, Research, Devel-
experts needed improved sensor opment, and Engineering Center
photonics masts for Virginia-class (NSRDEC) in Natick, Mass., released
fast attack submarines to improve a request for technical papers for
stealthiness and survivability. They the Short Wave Infrared Signature
found their solution at L-3 KEO (for- Virginia-class attack submarines like the one Reducing Technology project. Re-
merly Kollmorgen Electro-Optical) shown above are receiving new photonics searchers are searching for ways
in Northampton, Mass. Officials of masts to enhance situational awareness and to help warfighters on the ground
targeting capability.
the Naval Sea Systems Command an- avoid potentially hostile surveil-
nounced an $111.8 million contract rine’s risk of detection by enemy sub- lance using electro-optical sensors.
to L-3 KEO to develop deployable pro- marines and surface warships while
totypes of the Low Profile Photonics the system is in use, while improving 
Night Optics to provide
Mast (LPPM). With options, the con- the submarine’s sensor capability. military night-vision devices
tract could be worth $157 million. Navy Chief of Naval Operations U.S. Army night-vision experts
Photonics masts operate in place Adm. Jonathan Greenert has asked needed low-light vision equipment
of the traditional submarine peri- for all Pacific Fleet Virginia-class for the Jordanian armed forces.
scope aboard Virginia-class attack submarines to be equipped with the They found their solution at Night
submarines. The photonics mast uses LPPM and spare parts for the system Optics Inc. in Huntington Beach,
various electro-optical sensors, and to be made available beginning this Calif. Officials of the Army Con-
does not penetrate the submarine year to support sensitive missions tracting Command at Aberdeen
hull like a traditional periscope does. vital to national security. LPPM proto- Proving Ground, Md., awarded an
Photonics mast sensors connect to types initially were developed with- $8.8 million contract for 2,000 PVS-
the submarine by optical fiber. out the installation and spares nec- 14 night-vision monoculars for the
The LPPM is a modular non-hull- essary to support deployments and Jordanian military under foreign
penetrating imaging sensor in a tele- intended only for integration and military sales. Internally, Night Op-
scoping universal modular mast bay testing as part of local operations. tics refers to the PVS-14 military
that provides submarines with im- Production masts will not be avail- night-vision device as the Sentry 14
provements in stealth and surviv- able as fleet deployable assets un- night-vision monocular, which is
ability. Imagery from the LPPM is dis- til 2018. The only way to provide the designed to help infantry warfight-
played on high-definition screens LPPM capability this year is to employ ers navigate in difficult terrain in
aboard the submarine. Features in- the LPPM prototypes on all deploying extremely low-light conditions. In-
clude short-wave infrared (SWIR) and Virginia-class submarines. fantry warfighters can use the Sen-
high-definition imaging, laser range- L-3 will do the work in Northamp- try 14 electro-optical device as a
finding, special stealth features, and ton, Mass., and Newington, Va., and handheld or hands-free single eye
an antenna suite with broad spectral should finish by December 2018.  goggle, or as a night-vision weapon
coverage and direction finding. system when coupled to a daytime
FOR MORE INFORMATION contact L-3
The LPPM is a low-observable op- close-quarters battle sight. 
KEO online at www.l-3com.com/keo.
tical mast that reduces the subma-
1505mae_31 31 5/1/15 3:32 PM

RF&
m i crowave
Four companies to develop

General Dynamics
network encryptor affordable sub-reflector-
certified top-secret
The U.S National Security Agency
based imaging radar
(NSA) at Fort Meade, Md., certi- BY John Keller
fied the KG-175X TACLANE-10G
in-line network encryptor from ARLINGTON, Va.—U.S. military re- Electronic Systems sector in
the General Dynamics Mission searchers have chosen four compa- Linthicum, Md., which won a
Systems segment in Fairfax, Va., nies for contracts worth a potential $713,256 contract;
for government cyber security $11.3 million to carry out a project • HRL Laboratories LLC in Malibu,
use at the Top Secret level and to design new kinds of imaging ra- Calif., which won a base contract
below. NSA certification autho- dar that rely on electronic sub-re- of $881,786, with potential op-
rizes U.S. government organiza- flector designs, rather than on a tions for $5.9 million;
tions to order the 10G data en- moving platform or target, to per- • First RF Corp. in Boulder, Colo.,
cryption device. This newest form scanning. which won a $499,237 base con-
member of the General Dynam- Officials of the Defense Advanced tract with potential options for $2
ics cyber defense product fami- Research Projects Agency (DARPA) million; and
ly, can encrypt the equivalent of in Arlington, Va., are choosing the • Vadum Inc. in Raleigh, N.C., which
a high-definition feature film in companies for the Advanced Scan- won a $364,141 base contract with
moments. ning Technology for Imaging Radars potential options for $962,523.
(ASTIR) program that seeks to de- These companies are developing

BAE Systems to provide sign a cost-effective imaging radar technologies for advanced radar that
Navy shipboard IFF system with similar performance to provides high-frame-rate, three-di-
interrogators synthetic aperture radar (SAR). mensional (3D) imaging of objects
U.S. Navy aviation experts are The companies are: through adverse obscurants like fog,
asking BAE Systems to build • The Northrop Grumman Corp. smoke, and heavy rain, and efficient
identification-friend-or-foe (IFF)
interrogators for surface ships
and land installations to help
identify friendly and potentially
hostile aircraft. Officials of the
Naval Air Systems Command
at Patuxent River Naval Air Sta-
tion, Md., announced an $8.5
million contract modification to
the BAE Systems Electronic Sys-
tems segment in Greenlawn,
N.Y., to provide 22 AN/UPX-41
digital interrogators for ships
and land sites. For this order, 14
are for the Navy and eight are
for the government of Japan.  DARPA is working with four companies to develop new kinds of affordable imaging radar that
rely on electronic sub-reflector designs.
1505mae_32 32 5/1/15 3:32 PM

beam steering and radar imaging. systems that use the electronic which will last for six months; and
ASTIR technology will use one sub-reflector for a specific military electronic sub-reflector prototype
transmit and receive chain and elec- application. demonstration, which will last for
tronic sub-reflector designs that pro- This effort to develop a new kind 18 months. 
duce a readily available, cost-effec- of imaging radar electronic sub-re-
FOR MORE INFORMATION visit the
tive sensor that does not require flector has two technical areas:
DARPA Strategic Technology Office
platform or target motion as in SAR electronic sub-reflector approaches,
at www.darpa.mil/Our_Work/STO.
or ISAR, DARPA officials say. The
ASTIR concept will minimize system
Tough
complexity by using a compound an-
tenna with an electronic sub-reflec-
tor that works together with a large
primary aperture that would define
Enough?
the angular resolution of the radar.
Ways to do this could include re-
placing an electro mechanically dis-
placed mirror, as currently used in
some imaging radars, with a planar
electronically reflecting surface for
beam steering; using phase-shifters
on the sub-reflector to steer a small
spot across the main reflector; or
digitally modulating each element
on the sub-reflector with an orthog-
onal phase code.
The ASTIR program’s goal is to
provide high-resolution 3D imaging
for enhanced identification and tar-
geting, independent of platform or
target motion; well-focused imag-
es at speeds faster than 10 frames
per second, even when there is Hammer Tested for Your
no platform or target motion; and
beam steering with one transmit
Demanding Applications.
and receive chain to reduce system Mission critical computers require a design team that can deliver. With
complexity. over 30 years of experience and industry knowledge, Daisyís engineers design
The four ASTIR contractors will and produce a variety of complex, yet extremely rugged computing solutions
focus on an electronic sub-reflec- for the military. Daisyís team can customize to any spec, including the
tor for use with a larger aperture to Mil Standard 901D Grade A hammer test ó and our solutions can withstand
generate 3D images of stationary anything you throw at them.
and moving objects. A government
More Competitive. More Reliable.
team, meanwhile, will identify po-

tential military applications of this

technology.
In 2016 DARPA officials plan to Visit

issue another industry solicitation to learn more.

to build prototype imaging radar 717.932.9999 COTS Design, Mil standard 901D Grade A Shock tested, EMI Mil
standard 461 and more. 19î LCD Panel PC with integrated touch
screen. Used by the US Navy in the Smart Carrier program.
1505mae_33 33 5/1/15 3:32 PM

UN M A N N ED
vehicles
Raytheon to build 250
Air Force to convert 25 F-16 jet
EW drones to defeat fighters to target drones
enemy missile defenses
U.S. Air Force airborne weap- BY John Keller
ons experts are asking Raythe-
on to build 250 electronic war- EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla.—Military avi-
fare (EW) jamming drones under onics experts at the Boeing Co. will
terms of a $91.6 million contract. convert 25 retired U.S. Air Force
Officials of the Air Force Life Cy- Lockheed Martin F-16 jet fighters
Retired Air Force F-16 jet fighters are getting a
cle Management Center at Eglin into sophisticated manned and un-
second life as sophisticated target drones to help
Air Force Base, Fla., are asking manned target drones under terms fighter pilots hone their air-to-air combat skills.
the Raytheon Missile Systems of a $28.5 million contract.
segment in Tucson, Ariz., to pro- Officials of the Air Force Life Cy- out of active service in the 1980s.
vide 250 Miniature Air Launched cle Management Center at Eglin Air The newer QF-16s bring a new level
Decoy Jammers (MALD-J), Force Base, Fla., are asking experts at of sophistication to U.S. supersonic
which are relatively simple air- the Boeing Defense, Space & Securi- target drone capability. The F-16 is a
launched unmanned aerial vehi- ty segment in St. Louis to handle the fourth-generation fighter, and brings
cles (UAVs) designed to jam ene- conversion of 25 F-16 fighters into QF- new challenges for weapons testing
my radar. The contract involves 16 Full-Scale Aerial Targets (FSATs). over the third-generation F-4.
lot 8 of the MALD-J missile pro- The Air Force has used converted Boeing started converting the
gram. MALD-J is an electron- jet fighters as target drones for de- first F-16s into QF-16 drones in 2010.
ic jamming version of the Ray- cades, beginning in the 1960s when Company experts strip down re-
theon Miniature Air Launched the Air Force converted 24 Lock- tired F-16 fighters to remove unnec-
Decoy drone that navigates and heed F-104 Starfighter jets into tar- essary parts like the jet’s 20-milli-
operates much closer than con- get drones. Other U.S. jet fighters, in- meter cannon and APG-66/68 radar.
ventional EW to the victim ra- cluding the F-100, F-102, F-106, and Boeing alters the aircraft to fly un-
dar, Raytheon officials say. The F-4, have become target drones. Air manned or with human pilots. Boe-
MALD-J EW drone can loiter in Force experts use converted jet fighting also installs a flight termination
the target area for an extend- ers as target drones to test sophisti- system that can destroy the drone if
ed time to help keep manned cated missiles and electronic warfare it goes out of control, command te-
aircraft out of harm’s way. The systems. Although some of these re- lemetry systems so the drone can be
MALD-J low-cost, air-launched tired jet fighter target drones are de- controlled from the ground, a scor-
programmable unmanned air- stroyed during weapons tests, often ing system to gauge the accuracy of
craft that duplicates the combat the drones rely on onboard sensors air-to-air missiles fired at the drone,
flight profiles and signatures of to calculate the point of missile det- as well as avionics packages to en-
U.S. and allied aircraft. onations to record “kills” without able these plans to fly unmanned.
destroying the target aircraft. This lot-3 F-16 conversion will
DARPA eyes unmanned The order represents lot 3 of bring the QF-16 fleet to 76. Air Force
sensors to detect and the Air Force’s planned QF-16 tar- leaders are expected to buy a total
classify surface vessels get drone buy. These aircraft are re- of 120 QF-16 target drones through
U.S. military researchers are sur- placing the Air Force’s fleet of QF-4 2019. Optionally Air Force leaders
veying industry to find mature target drones, which are convert- are considering buying a total of
electro-optic sensor payload and ed McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phan- 2010 QF-16 through 2022. The fleet
tom jet fighters, which were phased should last until 2025. 
1505mae_34 34 5/1/15 3:32 PM

Navy developing swarming drones for signal-processing technologies
overwhelming land and sea attacks that can help unmanned surface
vessels (USVs) detect and clas-
BY John Keller sify other surface ships in the
area. Officials of the Defense Ad-
ARLINGTON, Va.—U.S. Navy researchers vanced Research Projects Agency
have demonstrated swarming un- (DARPA) in Arlington, Va., issued
manned aerial vehicles (UAVs) de- a request for information (DAR-
signed to overwhelm an adversary PA-SN-15-27) for the Hardware
autonomously as the UAVs fly to- and Software for Unmanned
gether like flocks of birds. Vessel Perception project. Un-
UAV experts at the U.S. Office of manned vehicle payload experts
Naval Research (ONR) in Arlington, in the DARPA Tactical Technol-
Va., announced they have conduct- Navy researchers are demonstrating the ability ogy Office are trying to identify
ed recent technology demonstra- to launch many small, inexpensive air drones sensor systems and image-pro-
tions of swarming drones as part of from canisters to create swarms of unmanned cessing technologies to support
aircraft that fly together like flocks of birds.
the Low-Cost UAV Swarming Tech- automatic real-time surface ves-
nology (LOCUST) program. sel detection and classification
The LOCUST program is devel- flight. Even hundreds of small au- from electro-optical and infrared
oping enabling technologies to help tonomous UAVs cost less than one (EO/IR) and light detection and
sailors and Marines launch over- manned tactical aircraft; this capa- ranging (LIDAR) sensors.
whelming swarms of reconnais- bility will force adversaries to focus
sance and armed UAVs from launch- on UAV swarm response. Boeing Insitu boosts sensor
ers on land or at sea. The LOCUST “This level of autonomous and image processing
program includes a tube-based swarming flight has never been 2d3 acquisition
launcher that can send UAVs into done before,” says Lee Mastroian- Executives of unmanned aeri-
the air in rapid succession. The ni, the LOCUST program manag- al vehicle (UAV) specialist Insitu
drones then share information er at ONR. “UAVs that are expend- Inc. in Bingen, Wash., are boost-
among themselves on a wireless able and reconfigurable will free ing their company’s expertise in
network to coordinate their behavior manned aircraft and tradition- digital signal processing for un-
in defensive or offensive missions, al weapon systems to do more, and manned sensor payloads with
Navy officials say. essentially multiply combat power the acquisition of 2d3 Sensing in
Navy researchers are designing at decreased risk to the warfighter.” Irvine, Calif. 2d3 Sensing’s soft-
UAVs and launchers small enough ONR officials note that while the ware and services are used by
to operate from surface ships, land LOCUST autonomy is cutting edge the U.S. Air Force and other gov-
vehicles, manned aircraft, other compared to remote-controlled ernment and commercial cus-
UAVs, or unmanned marine ve- UAVs, there will always be a human tomers. Their products can be
hicles. Navy researchers also are monitoring the mission, able to step found on the Insitu ScanEagle
working on small reconnaissance in and take control as necessary. and Integrator UAVs. The acqui-
UAVs that can be launched covertly ONR announced the LOCUST sition will enable further inte-
from submarine missile tubes. demonstrations last month at the gration of 2d3 Sensing’s video
ONR LOCUST demonstrations, Navy League Sea-Air-Space confer- analysis and other capabilities,
held last month in several locations, ence and trade show in National into Insitu UAVs. Insitu is a sub-
included Coyote UAVs able to carry Harbor, Md.  sidiary of the Unmanned Air-
varying payloads for different mis- borne Systems branch of the
sions. A separate nine-UAV demon- FOR MORE INFORMATION visit the Boeing Co. Defense, Space & Se-
stration showed autonomous UAV Office of Naval Research online at curity segment in St. Louis. 
synchronization and formation www.onr.navy.mil.
1505mae_35 35 5/1/15 3:32 PM

PRODUCT SPACE COMPUTERS
European designers choose
applic at ions Curtiss-Wright data handling

for Space Station
European space experts needed
data handling equipment for use
on the International Space Station.
They found their solution from the
Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions
ELECTRONIC WARFARE
division in Ashburn, Va.
Transmitters from Cobham chosen for radar Curtiss-Wright won a contract
jammers aboard Navy EA-18G jets from Kayser Italia S.r.l. in Levorno,
U.S. Navy electronic warfare (EW) experts are looking to Cobham plc Italy, to supply the Curtiss-Wright
to provide RF transmitters for electronic jammers aboard the Navy

EA-18G jet aircraft that are designed to spoof and blind enemy low-
frequency radar systems.
Officials of the
Naval Air Systems
Command at
Patuxent River Naval
Air Station, Md.,
announced their Acra KAM-500
intention to award data acquisition
a contract to the units for use on the Internation-
Cobham plc Advanced al Space Station’s Advanced Closed
Electronic Solutions Loop System (ACLS).
segment in Lansdale, The space electronics contract
Pa., to provide low-band transmitters (LBT) for the AN/ALQ-99 came from Kayser Italia through As-
jammers on EA-18G aircraft. trium GmbH in Paris and the Euro-
The upcoming contract involves the AN/ALQ-99 Low-Band pean Space Agency (ESA) headquar-
Consolidation (LBC) system now in production. The value of the ters in Paris. The contract, worth
contract has yet to be determined. more than $1 million, started in
As part of the EA-18G Growler jet’s electronic warfare suite, the LBT 2012 and Curtiss-Wright should be
will provide the capability to jam hostile, low-frequency radar and finished after in 2015 after shipping
communications signals in a tactical environment, Navy officials say. flight model units.
The proposed low-band transmitter contract will call for Cobham The Space Station’s ACLS will
engineers to carry out an engineering change to modify the existing demonstrate European technolo-
LBT system and will include the design, manufacture, integration, and gies, and eventually will become
test of the LBC kit. part of the station’s life support sys-
The effort also will ask Cobham to deliver two test articles to tem. The ACLS converts carbon di-
support future qualification and testing of the modified transmitter, as oxide into breathable oxygen.
well as applicable technical data. Two networked Acra KAM-500

units will monitor sensors aboard
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION visit Cobham Advanced Electronic the Space Station and will inter-
Solutions online at www.cobham.com, and Naval Air Systems Command face to the ACLS’s onboard avion-
at www.navair.navy.mil. ics supplied by Kayser Italia S.r.l.
The prime contractor for the ACLS
1505mae_36 36 5/1/15 3:32 PM

is Airbus Defense & Space in Tou- electronics (vetronics) architec-
louse, France. ture. The Ethernet switch connects
The Curtiss-Wright Acra KAM- the networked elements of the ve-
500 is a compact, low-power data hicle together; the gateway proces-
acquisition unit (DAU). It is driven sor provides processing for the Gen-
by hardware finite state machines eral Dynamics UK software to run
that provide data acquisition for low the platform; and the data and vid-
Earth orbit applications. eo servers enable the vehicle to
FOR MORE INFORMATION visit Curtiss- store and distribute data and video all legacy CRT sonar displays in the
Wright Defense Solutions online at around the platform and on into the fleet, Navy officials say. The dis-
www.cwcdefense.com, or Kayser Italia wider connected battlefield. plays will be upgraded with new
at www.kayser.it. The GE offering took advantage of flat panel technology, increased dis-
two GE capabilities. GE’s close work- play size within the same phys-
VETRONICS ing relationship with NVIDIA and ical footprint, lower power con-
GE to provide rugged computing its expertise in developing and de- sumption, and air-cooling instead of
systems for British Army Scout ploying rugged graphics processing water-cooling.
Vetronics designers at General Dy- unit (GPU) technology that helped For this order, Navy officials ex-
namics UK in Bryn Brithdir, Wales, GE meet the Scout SV’s size, weight, pect to order 10 displays with an op-
needed embedded computing sub- and power (SWaP) constraints. tion for five more. The order will
systems for the British Army Scout GE designers also were able to sole-source because Argon makes
specialist vehicle (Scout SV). They use their company’s OpenWare the only displays that are 100 per-
found their solution from GE In- switch software to help optimize cent form-, fit-, and function-com-
telligent Platforms in Towcester, the vehicle’s network to Scout SV patible with the CRT sonar displays
England. requirements. they will replace in the Navy’s sub-
General Dynamics UK has made FOR MORE INFORMATION visit GE Intel- marine fleet.
about $100 million worth of orders ligent Platforms at www.geautomation. Argon displays also are shock test-
to GE for scalable, open-architecture com, or General Dynamics UK at ed to comply with Navy submarine
subsystems, which include Ethernet www.generaldynamics.uk.com. requirements for shock, vibration,
switches, gateway processors, data and other harsh operating conditions
servers, and video servers. DISPLAYS found aboard Navy fast-attack and
GE’s embedded systems will en- Argon flat-panel sonar displays to ballistic-missile submarines.
able low Scout SV platforms to be replace CRTs aboard submarines Argon produces the ARD17 rug-
easily upgraded during their lifetime U.S. Navy submarine sonar experts ged 17-inch display that is suitable
as new requirements and technolo- needed flat-panel color displays to not only for submarine sonar dis-
gies emerge, GE officials say. replace old-model cathode ray tube plays, but also for command and con-
These subsystems provide the (CRT) displays for sonar technicians trol console applications where space
backbone of the Scout SV’s vehicle aboard U.S. submarines. They found is at a premium, such as in military
their solution from Argon Corp. in tactical vehicles, mobile shelters, and
Great Neck, N.Y. other close-in naval spaces.
Officials of the Naval Undersea The ARD17’s small bezel size,
Warfare Center Division in Newport, flexible mounting configurations,
R.I., announced their intention to configurable I/O, and universal AC/
purchase Argon 17-inch ruggedized DC power supply make it a solution
display units in support of the Sub- for many mission-critical applica-
marine Fleet Maintenance Activities tions, Argon officials say.
and NAVSUP. FOR MORE INFORMATION visit Argon
These displays are to upgrade Corp. online at www.argoncorp.com.
1505mae_37 37 5/1/15 3:32 PM

To submit new products for consideration,
new products
contact John Keller at jkeller@pennwell.com.
DATA STORAGE computing applications. The embed-

Secure solid-state drives with ded computing boards are based on
encryption and self-destruct the Intel Xeon D server-class proces-
introduced by Microsemi sor with support for as many as eight
Microsemi Corp. in Phoenix is intro- Xeon cores and two channels of ECC
ducing a secure 64-gigabyte solid- memory. Dual integrated 10 Giga-
state drive (SSD) for embedded com- bit Ethernet ports natively support
puting in harsh environments where XAUI/KX4/KR to further enhance I/O
data protection is of the utmost im- capabilities, while reducing concerns
portance. The secure data storage for size, weight, power consumption,
device can overcome malicious at- 8-way Ku-band iso-divider RF and and cost.
microwave unit for space applica- FOR MORE INFORMATION visit X-ES
tions. The unit combines the func- online at www.xes-inc.com.
tions of high-performance power
dividers with ferrite isolators to pro- POWER ELECTRONICS
vide a high-isolation power divider Low-profile power supplies

solution, making the external isola- for industrial applications
tors redundant, for satellite receiv- introduced by TDK Lambda
er applications. Integrating the two TDK-Lambda Americas Inc. in San
functions into one package enhanc- Diego is introducing CUT75 low-
tack concerns with Microsemi’s faces product reliability due to fewer profile, triple output power supplies
tory firmware lockdown technology external components, interconnects, for test and measurement, industri-
to prevent covert firmware repurpos- and switches, Crane officials say. al, and broadcast applications. The
ing. Offered in a 32-by-28-millime- FOR MORE INFORMATION visit power suppliers come in the indus-
ter ball grid array (BGA) package, the Crane Aerospace & Electronics try-standard, 3-by-5-inch footprint,
SSD is a self-encrypting drive. For Microwave Solutions online at and measure 1.06 inches high. Op-
sensitive applications, the encryp- www.craneae.com/Products/Microwave.
tion key can be erased in less than
30 milliseconds and a second securi- BOARD PRODUCTS
ty layer can be activated to erase the 3U and 6U VPX embedded

entire storage media in less than 10 computing boards with server-class
seconds, virtually rendering data fo- processors introduced by X-ES
rensically unrecoverable. Extreme Engineering Solutions Inc.
FOR MORE INFORMATION visit Micro- (X-ES) in Middleton, Wis., is intro-
semi online at www.microsemi.com. ducing the XPedite7670 3U OpenVPX
REDI single-board computer and the
RF AND MICROWAVE XCalibur4640 erating from a universal input volt-
Ku-band iso-divider RF and 6U VPX sin- age of 85 to 265 volts AC, the CUT75
microwave unit for space gle-board is available in two standard models.
applications introduced by Crane computer for The units can be configured as du-
The Crane Aerospace & Electron- military and al-output power supplies (5-to-24-
ics Microwave Solutions segment in aerospace volt or 5-to-30-volt) by connecting
Chandler, Ariz., is introducing the embedded outputs 2 and 3 in series. Options
1505mae_38 38 5/1/15 3:32 PM

for the product include a cover, baseplate, or screw ter- more confidence in design quality.
minal blocks replacing plug-in type connectors. FOR MORE INFORMATION visit Keysight Technologies
FOR MORE INFORMATION visit TDK Lambda t online at www.keysight.com/find/Vseries.
www.us.tdk-lambda.com.
AVIONICS DATABUSES
RUGGED COMPUTERS Interface computer introduced by DDC to develop
Rugged mission computer for image and signal MIL-STD-1553 and ARINC 429 system applications
processing introduced by Curtiss-Wright Data Device Corp. (DDC) in Bohemia, N.Y., is introduc-
Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions ing the Avionics Interface Computer (AIC), a scalable, pro-
in Ashburn, Va., is introducing the grammable, and portable platform to develop and test
MPMC-9355-0002 multiplatform MIL-STD-1553 and ARINC 429 sys-
mission computer for image, signal, tem applications via an Ether-
and radar processing aboard mili- net network. The AIC has two PMC
tary and commercial aircraft and and two Mini-PCI Express expan-
ground vehicles. Users can config- sion sites that enable users to se-
ure the five-slot 3U OpenVPX rugged mission comput- lect interface boards optimized for
er with as many as four 2.1 GHz VPX3-1257 3U Open- their applications and connectivity
VPX single-board computers, each with a quad-core 3rd needs. An onboard Intel Atom E3845 Quad Core 1.91 GHz
Generation Intel Core i7 processor. Connecting the MP- processor provides programming flexibility and simplifies
MC’s computer boards is a managed Layer 2 Ethernet connectivity by automatically bridging messages in re-
switch and a PCI Express backplane infrastructure. The al-time between Ethernet, ARINC 429, and MIL-STD-1553.
VPX3-652 Ethernet switch supports as many as eight FOR MORE INFORMATION visit DDC online at
external Gigabit Ethernet connections for inter-system www.ddc-web.com.
communication.
FOR MORE INFORMATION visit Curtiss-Wright Defense
Solutions online at www.cwcdefense.com. ADV ERTIS ERS IND E X
ADVERTISER PAGE
TEST AND MEASUREMENT Aerospace Optics�� 15
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1505mae_39 39 5/1/15 3:32 PM

PRODUCT & LITERATURE SHOWCASE
ST-9020 rugged computer

system with 20” display,
MIL STD shock & vibration
qualified
A proud supplier of
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products.
Join us at
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The Worldís First True UHD Video Wall Display Processor
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Travel safely with GROUP PUBLISHER Alan Bergstein
603 891-9447 ⁄ alanb@pennwell.com

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF John Keller
Certified Epoies
603 891-9117 ⁄ jkeller@pennwell.com
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Courtney E. Howard

509 413-1522 ⁄ courtney@pennwell.com
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
WESTERN BUREAU J. R. Wilson
EP90FR 702 434-3903 ⁄ jrwilson@pennwell.com
Family of Products EDITORIAL ART DIRECTOR Cindy Chamberlin
EP90FR-V PRODUCTION MANAGER Sheila Ward

Passes demanding SENIOR ILLUSTRATOR Chris Hipp
vertical burn test
AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Debbie Bouley
EP90FR-H 603 891-9372 ⁄ debbieb@pennwell.com
Passes horizontal AD SERVICES MANAGER Glenda Van Duyne
burn test 918 831-9473 ⁄ glendav@pennwell.com
EP90FR-HFL MARKETING MANAGER Gillian Hinkle

Flexible system, passes 603 891-9126 ⁄ gillianh@pennwell.com
horizontal burn test SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES
Phone: 847 763-9541 • Fax: 847 763-9607
E-mail: mae@halldata.com
Web: http://www.militaryaerospace.com/subscribe.html or
Hackensack, NJ 07601, USA ∙ +1.201.343.8983 ∙ main@masterbond.com https://www.sub-forms.com/dragon/init.do?site=PNW20_MFcontact
www.masterbond.com
AIRBORNE, SHIPBOARD, GROUND MOBILE Editorial offices

PennWell Corporation,
DATA RECORDING AND DATA STORAGE Military & Aerospace Electronics

98 Spit Brook Road LL-1, Nashua, NH 03062-5737
603 891-0123 • FAX 603 891-0514 • www.milaero.com
RPC 24 Sales offices

EASTERN US & EASTERN CANADA & UK
𰀖𰀙𰀋𰀋𰀉𰀈
Bob Collopy, Sales Manager
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𰀈 FAX 603 686-7580 ⁄ bobc@pennwell.com
WESTERN CANADA & WEST OF MISSISSIPPI

Jay Mendelson, Sales Manager
4957 Chiles Drive, San Jose, CA 95136
408 221-2828 ⁄ jaym@pennwell.com
REPRINTS Jeanine Pranses

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w w w.phh enxinn t.com 714-- 283-4800
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Unlocking The Insights
That Inspire Your Next
ìEureka!î MomentóSooner
Keysight's leading-edge measurement tools and sophisticated, future-friendly

software cover all phases of the 5G development cycle.
Offering expertise you can leverage

Mark W
Wallace This is happening in aerospace and defense applications where
Vice Pre
President and General Manager
Keysight Technologies, Inc. increasingly realistic signal simulations are accelerating the
development of advanced systems that protect those who go in
harm’s way. It’s happening in research labs where our tools help
turn scientific discovery into the discovery of new sciences.
For more than 75 years we have been helping you unlock
It’s taking place with 400G Ethernet and the enabling PAM-4
measurement insights, first as the electronic-measurement
technology, where our end-to-end solution ranges from simulation
businesses of Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies,
of new designs to characterization of hardware inputs, outputs
and now, as Keysight Technologies.
and connectors. And in wireless communications we’re providing
From Day 1, there have been two sides to the story. One is leading-edge measurement tools and sophisticated, future-friendly
the work we do, creating leading-edge instrumentation and software that cover all phases of the 5G development cycle.
software. The other is the work you do: designing, developing,
Within these application areas, there are often more standards
debugging, troubleshooting, manufacturing, testing, installing
than a single engineer can keep up with. That’s why so many of
and maintaining components, devices and systems.
our people are involved in standards bodies around the world.
Those seemingly unrelated activities are actually connected by We’re helping shape those standards while creating the tools
something profound: the “A-ha!” that comes with a moment of needed to meet the toughest performance goals.
insight. When those happen for us, the results are innovations
Through our global presence, we also have measurement experts
that help you reach new breakthroughs.
near you: our application engineers have the skills and experience
to help you unite the hardware and software solutions that meet
Enabling the right idea at the right time
your unique requirements.
This is our legacy. Keysight is a company built on a history
of firsts, dating back to the days when Bill Hewlett and Dave
Helping inspire your next breakthrough
Packard worked in the garage at 367 Addison Avenue in Palo Alto,
To help Keysight customers continue to open new doors, we’re
California. Our firsts began with U.S. patent number 2,268,872
concentrating our effort and experience on what comes next in
for a “variable-frequency oscillation generator.” Appropriately,
test and measurement. Our unique combination of hardware,
the heart of Bill’s design was a light bulb, which is often used to
software and people will help enable your next “A-ha!” moment,
symbolize a new idea.
whether you’re working on mobile devices, cloud computing,
Our future depends on your success, and our vision is simple: by semiconductors, renewable energy, or the latest glimmer in your
helping engineers find the right idea at the right time, we enable them imagination. Keysight is here to help you see what others can’t,
to bring next-generation technologies to their customers—faster. and then make it reality—sooner.
© Keysight Technologies, Inc. 2015
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