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SPONSORED BY OXLEY GROUP
PLC. www.oxleygroup.com
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30 Apr 08. BATTLESPACE Editor, Julian Nettlefold, interviewed Michael Johnson, Head of Business Development, DRS Data & Imaging Systems, Inc., about DRS’s new Airborne Tactical Server (ATS).
“Can you give a background to the development of ATS?” The Editor asked
“ATS came about to meet the needs of a Web-Enabled Cockpit Demonstration at NAWC-WD, China Lake to put internet capability into an F/A-18. The Requirement was to provide new technologies to enable the transfer of data between airborne platforms in a timely manner – in theatre time is everything. The goal was to provide a solid state ‘Server in the Sky’ which would take over from the legacy systems which relied on tape recording systems, which were slow and cumbersome and prone to breakdown. ATS was developed using IRAD funds and from our own in-house technology leveraging from recorder base. DRS had already developed a solid state Airborne Separation Video System (ASVS) high-speed digital imaging system, thus ATS provided the platform to merge the two technologies. We developed an earlier tape-based system for the OH-58 helicopter for the U.S. Army.”
“DRS was originally located in Mount Vernon, NY, where it was founded in 1968 by Leonard Newman (father of current CEO Mark Newman) and David Gross. DRS stands for “Diagnostic Retrieval Systems.” DRS moved its headquarters to Oakland, NJ in 1980, and we at Data & Imaging Systems have the distinction of still being the founding division of DRS Technologies, Inc., which today is a $3 billion company. We currently employ 130 people and operate four production lines.”
DRS Airborne Tactical Server (ATS)
DRS’s Airborne Tactical Server (ATS) is a highly reliable and environmentally rugged, next generation data storage and manipulation device. The form, fit replacement for single channel 8mm tape-based recorders has the ability to record four channels each of video, audio and MIL-STD-1553B while providing net-centric playback of up to 2 channels of stored data either within the aircraft or for off-aircraft transmission. It is ideal for use in the Global Information Grid (GIG), and allows for a Web-enabled cockpit and “Push/Pull” of tactical data. ATS has a 5-400 GB (or larger) removable, “hot swappable” solid-state memory module.
The ATS is a powerful data server and a multi-channel recorder allowing robust, on-the-move, high speed automated data exchange within the aircraft and between air and ground participants using IP networking architecture. Initially loaded with pre-flight data, the ATS receives and stores uploaded mission data from ground or air systems and displays it in the aircraft or transmits the updated information directly to a weapon. The ATS’s unique client/server architecture allows real-time pushing and pulling of tactical imagery and crucial mission and flight safety data to/from ground stations or troops, shipboard displays or other aircraft.
The ATS collects and stores multiple channels of analogue video/audio and all forms of digital data including Multi-Function Display (MFD), weapon data, FLIR data, maintenance and aircraft system flight data. The unit is flexibly controlled via discrete signals, RS-422 (FDX), RS-232, MIL-STD-1553B or 10/100BaseT Ethernet. Data easily downloads to a standard COTS PC requiring no special software or equipment via USB 2.0 or IEEE-1394B.
“Does ATS require the pilot to download the data on request from the Ground Station?”
“No, the Ground Station operative can interrogate the ATS and select the images/data to download or the system can download automatically via Link 16 when passing the Ground Station. All the information is stored automatically, thus creating a machine-to-machine interface. ATS is in effect a Net-centric data processor which can record and download all video, radar images and FLIR inputs. The system has its own IP address and thus can be easily interrogated from the Ground Station or by any vehicle, ship or aircraft which has a data link. ATS can store up to 400 Gigabytes of data. We have already conducted trials using Link 16 with the U.S. Navy.”
“What platforms are slated to receive ATS?”
“Although we are not officially under contract, we are waiting the final paperwork, we have been downselected by the U.S. Navy to provide retrofitted ATS for their F-18 fleets on all models from ‘A’-‘E’ and newbuilds into the ‘G’ fleet. The Swiss and Finnish ?Canada? F-18 fleets are also being fitted under this contract, whilst the Australians will have to acquire the technology under a separate contract; the Malaysians have not decided.”
“Are you looking at JSF and European platforms such as Typhoon, Rafale and Gripen?”
“Yes, JSF is a major target for sales while we are actively pursuing mounting the system on the European range of aircraft.”
“Does ATS suit other non-fastjet platforms?”
“Absolutely, we have strong interest from the U.S. Coastguard for helicopter and sea-based applications. We have been asked to offer a proposal to supply 200 systems. ATS is a flexible system which can be mounted on any platform in the land, sea and air environment. We also have huge interest from the UAV community.”
ATS Features
• Form, fit replacement for single channel 8mm tape-based recorders
• Records 4 channels each of MPEG-2 compressed video, audio and MIL-STD-1553B
• Playback on-board and/or off-aircraft transmission of up to two channels of stored data
• Highly reliable with extensive BIT
• A 16-400 GB removable “hot swappable” solid-state memory module with fast and secure erases
Video
Input: 4 input channels, Composite or S-Video (Y/C)
Output: Net-centric playback of up to two channels
Format: Monochrome RS-170, Color NTSC or PAL (may be intermixed)
Power: 1 Vpp nominal input/output, 75 ohms, 60 Hz/50 Hz
Resolution: Full D1, 720-pixel horizontal, 480 lines NTSC or 576 lines PAL vertical
Audio
Input: 4 input channels, 20 kHz bandwidth, 1.0Vrms, single-ended, 12Kohm
Output: Net-centric playback of up to two channels
MIL-STD-1553B
4 channels Bus Monitor, Remote Terminal or Bus Controller
Physical Dimensions
Height: 4.74 inches
Width: 5.85 inches
Depth: 6.38 inches
Weight: <9.5 lbs.
Power
MIL-STD-704A, 28 VDC, 45 watts, 4 channels
Environmental
Operational temperature: -40°C to +68°C
Humidity: 5% to 95% (Non-condensing)
Altitude: -1,000 to 50,000 ft
Vibration MIL-STD-810E, Method 514
Shock: MIL-STD-810E, Method 516, 20G 11 ms operations, 40G 11 ms crash
EMI/EMC: MIL-STD-461E
Performance
MTBF: 8,035 hours (Airborne Inhabited Fighter)
MTTR: 15 minutes
General
Data identification: Event marking and time tagging
Timing: IRIG B Time Code or Aircraft Timing
Ground based playback system: 12 channels simultaneously on COTS PC
Data download: IEEE 1394B Firewire or USB 2.0
Processor: 800 MHz Pentium
Operating system: Windows® XPe
Interfaces: 10/100 Base T, MIL-STD 1553B, RS232, RS422, USB 1.1, USB 2.0, IEEE 1394B
WIND RIVER AND PARTNERS DRIVE COTS AVIONICS DISPLAYS
Avionics systems suppliers using these combined COTS solutions can save up to 35% or more over the life of a DO-178B certified system
05 Mar 08. Wind River Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:WIND), the global leader in Device Software Optimization (DSO), has established a new product integration with Esterel Technologies, a leader in model-based design, verification and qualified code. The partnership will incorporate formal design and development technologies into safety-critical software for the avionics industry, which delivers advanced 3-D graphics and video displays, utilizing more data than ever before and requiring a new design process. The result is code generated from Esterel’s SCADE Suite® and SCADE Display™ targeted for Wind River’s VxWorks 653® platform, which is safety-certified to DO-178B Level A and fully conformant to ARINC 653, Supplement 2 Part 1. These combined commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) solutions allow avionics systems suppliers to save up to 35% or more over the life of a DO-178B certified system.
Wind River’s VxWorks 653 Integrated Multiple Avionics (IMA) platform allows sophisticated display functions to be easily integrated into time- and space-partitioned systems using standard COTS platforms. Developers of displays can now focus on providing added functionality and new features rather than building a foundation from scratch to meet rigorous safety standards. Technology from Esterel gives the embedded developer the ability to efficiently design safety-critical avionics display applications targeted for the Wind River platform. The unique integration between Esterel and Wind River products includes qualified code generation, verification, and enhanced support for OpenGL SC, safety-critical graphics in the deployed system.
Once the application is designed, the code can be automatically generated in C or Ada and integrated on the Avionics Platform. AdaCore, provider of high quality Ada tools and support services, has fully integrated their Ada code, compliant to the Ada 2005 standard, into the design workflow. The Ada programming language is the language of choice in a long list of avionics projects (787, A380, 767, A330 MRTT, 777, Eurofighter, NH90 and others). The new ISO standard, Ada 2005, goes even further in providing innovative features for building safety-critical software. New restrictions and profiles allow projects to adapt their run-time to their safety-critical development, supporting deterministic scheduling and initialization, together with static source code analysis. Ada 2005 introduces flexible task-dispatching policies, execution-time clocks and timers, and a unification of concurrent and object-oriented features. These make Ada the safest choice when building programs that can’t fail.
Barco, a Wind River customer and maker of display systems for the E2-D Advanced Hawkeye, Pilatus PC-21 and Honeywell’s Primus 1000, 2000, 2000XP, SPZ-8400, 8500 and SPZ-8000 avionics systems, are taking advantage of open architecture to build open standards-based displays based on COTS design tools and OpenGL. These components enable customers to easily develop and integrate their own applications into display solutions.
Jean-Christophe Monfret, Product Management Director at Barco, explains, “Military and civil aviation customers are demanding more advanced applications that become available faster, that are cheaper and that are better integrated into the same unit. This approach enables them to reduce weight and space, improve system availability, and comply with various levels of the DO-178B software safety standard. The open architecture enabled by Wind River and its partner ecosystem allows us to meet these rigorous requirements and reduce our time to market. Certifying systems such as primary flight display, synthetic vision, enhanced vision and digital moving map for ARINC 653 requires a COTS approach to maintain a competitive edge. Wind River is a pioneer in COTS software and understands the high service-level demands of our environment. That is why we have selected VxWorks 653 as the default core operating system for our MOSArt solution for open displays.”
Alex Wilson, Aerospace and Defence Specialist for Wind River adds, “Avionics systems are quickly moving toward standards-based certification as systems integrators are being asked to deliver increasingly complex products. Together with our partners, we are able to reduce development and certification risk. With approximately 40,000 developers using Wind River platforms, we are confident that the airspace of tomorrow requires a COTS strategy for software development.”
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