Military Embedded Systems April/May 2021

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John McHale

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Military committed to unmanned platforms

Mil Tech Trends

Open architectures for unmanned

Industry Spotlight

sFPDP: Ethernet alternative

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Guest Blog

Raytheon’s Paul Meyer: DoD collaboration 40 www.MilitaryEmbedded.com

April/May 2021 | Volume 17 | Number 3

COUNTERING MILITARY DRONE SWARM THREATS VIA DIRECTED ENERGY P 16

UNMANNED SYSTEMS

ISSUE P 20 IFF technology aims for a safer battlefield

By Dawn M.K. Zoldi

Complex Problems, Simple Solution For mission critical applications, Analog Devices delivers proven, beamforming technology with trusted reliability when and where you need it most—from the unknown vastness of space to the unrelenting theater of war.

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Find your solution at analog.com/phasedarray

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 16

April/May 2021 Volume 17 | Number 3

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COLUMNS Editor’s Perspective 7 Military committed to unmanned platforms

By John McHale

University Update 8 Hacking for Defense program seeks to connect university minds with DoD, intel community

By Lisa Daigle

Mil Tech Insider 9 Integrating a secure, tactical, Type 1 hypervisor on an OpenVPX SBC

By Steve Edwards and Mike Mehlberg

Industry Perspective 10 Navy’s unmanned campaign: Looking for partners

By Dawn M.K. Zoldi

Guest Blog 44 How collaboration can lower the barrier of entry to DoD business

By Paul Meyer, Raytheon Intelligence & Space

FEATURES SPECIAL REPORT: Counter-UAS technology 16 Countering military drone swarm threats via directed energy

By Sally Cole, Senior Editor 20 IFF technology aims for a safer battlefield

By Dawn M.K. Zoldi

MIL TECH TRENDS: SOSA and SFF designs for unmanned platforms 24 Open architecture initiatives bolster unmanned sensors and systems

By Emma Helfrich, Technology Editor 30 Simplifying the integration of Assured PNT with CMOSS/SOSA-aligned solutions

By Jason DeChiaro, Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT: Interconnect technologies for unmanned platforms 34 Moore’s Law – or the law of more?

By Todd Prouty, Crystal Group 38 sFPDP: optimized data transport, an alternative to Ethernet

By Patrick Mechin and Philippe Marvin, Techway

45 Changing at the right time makes all the difference

By Stephen St. Amant, PC104 Consortium President

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ON THE COVER: As the threat of weaponized drone swarms continues to escalate for U.S. forces, defense planners are considering high-energy laser and high-power microwave countermeasures to combat the threat of these groups of unmanned aerial systems (UASs). Pictured: An artist’s rendering of an air base air-defense scenario where high-energy lasers are used to take out enemy UASs. Image courtesy of Raytheon.

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EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE

Military committed to unmanned platforms John.McHale@opensysmedia.com

It’s unmanned systems issue time again: That means it’s time for the annual xPonential event, which is being held virtually May 4 -6 this year due to the ongoing pandemic. This issue will appear virtually there as well; AUVSI has also announced that the event will be held in person in Atlanta August 16-19. That’s good news. Even more positive news: The continued growth of the unmanned systems market plus renewed commitment from U.S military leadership to leverage autonomous systems. he . . Department o De ense DoD reconfirmed its ocus on unmanned systems at the recent virtual 2021 Unmanned Systems Defense Conference, also run by AUVSI. Speaking at the conference, Rear Adm. Brian Corey, Program Executive ficer or nmanned iation and trike eapons said that “the U.S. military must better prepare to address a changing and d namic threat landscape. pecific capa ilities that support the needs of future missions include vertical takeoff and landing, ease of transportability, noise reduction, and senseand-avoid capabilities,” according to an AUVSI blog. a o ficials echoed this commitment in the ser ice’s nmanned Campaign Framework, which you can view in depth here: https://bit.ly/2PIRwBq. here is a clear need to field a orda le lethal scala le and connected capabilities,” says Adm. M.M. Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations, in the framework. “That is why the Navy is expanding and developing a range of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs), and unmanned surface vessels (USVs) that will play key roles as we shift our focus toward smaller platforms that operate in a more dispersed manner.”

Commercial partnerships will also be key as the military is no longer the driver of innovation in autonomous systems.

“For the Navy, investing in common manned/unmanned C2 and cross-cutting platforms will provide an incredible force multiplier,” writes Dawn Zoldi – Colonel, USAF, Retired and the CEO of P3 Tech Consulting LLC – in her Industry Perspective on pa e . t seeks commercial partners or a m riad o projected intelligence, studies, wargames, experiments, exercises, testing, modeling, and simulation efforts. The good news for industry is that the Navy has historically put their money where their mouths are, when it comes to research and development (R&D).”

Quoting Vice Adm. Moran, “Industry will be a huge partner.

You can look at our budgets. We’re committing to this.” Zoldi writes that this pledge “opens up an ocean of possibilities for potential for industry.” www.militaryembedded.com

By John McHale, Editorial Director Working with commercial suppliers, especially in the embedded electronics space, means greater adoption of open architectures too. he a campai n is la in do n fi e oals hich includes creating “a capability-centric and sustainable approach for unmanned contributions (platforms, systems, subsystems) to the force – through a modular and open system environment that will include common standard interfaces, common data and autonomy libraries, an integrated network/naval tactical grid, common control system and interface,” Zoldi writes.

Open architectures like the Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA) Technical Standard 1.0, set to be released this summer, ould e a natural fit or the a ’s initiati es and is alread being considered by embedded systems designers.

For example, open-architecture initiatives like SOSA enable improved signal processing and reduced size, weight, and power (SWaP) in unmanned system payloads, reports Technology Editor Emma Helfrich in the Mil Tech Trends feature on page 24.

“SOSA will inspire competition from vendors to provide more performance in their board-level products for wider bandwidths, higher channel densities, increased digital signal processor capabilities, and faster system interfaces,” says Rodger Hosking, VP and cofounder of Pentek, in Helfrich’s article. “All o these can enefit a in s reducin the num er o oards in s stems.

The DoD and the Navy’s commitment to new platforms and embracing of open architecture bodes well for embedded hardware and software suppliers, but the hottest market within the military space might well be counter-UAS (C-UAS) technology, as unmanned platforms become more complex and dangerous threats, especially when they form in swarms.

“Small drones are an asymmetric threat to troops on the ground because an adversary can spend a few hundred dollars on a drone to take out expensive equipment worth much more,” says Michael Blades, vice president of Aerospace and Security for Frost & Sullivan (San Antonio, Texas) in the Special Report on page 16. “If you have 50 or 100 drones coming at you it’s a vastly different situation than simply one or two drones. If you can’t detect, identify, and mitigate swarms quickly, you’re in trouble.”

C-UAS technology will also rely heavily on radar systems, sophisticated sensors, signal-processing systems, and other technology that leverages open standards. You can see all of these by attending xPonential virtually this month and in-person in August. We’ll be at each, in booth #2264. See you soon.

MILITARY EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

April/May 2021

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UNIVERSITY UPDATE

Hacking for Defense program seeks to connect university minds with DoD, intel community

By Lisa Daigle, Assistant Managing Editor An often-heard comment in the defense community is that it’s getting harder to attract and retain talent for industry and research roles. In fact, in the most recent report from the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), “Vital Signs 2020: The Health and Readiness of the Defense Industrial Base,” defense industry production inputs – which encompass skilled labor, intermediate goods and services, and raw materials used to manufacture or develop end products and services for consumption by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) – did not score well in 2020, earning the same grade of “D” as in 2018. Moreover, the NDIA’s report estimated the size of the defense-industry workforce in 2020 at approximately 1.1 million people, substantially below its mid-1980s peak of 3.2 million.

H4D is a credit-bearing university program that enables talented student teams to collaborate with DoD and intelligence community members with the aim of developing novel solutions to the nation’s emerging threats.

To combat the slumping numbers and perhaps attract some new talent from the nation’s student pool, the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN), a DoD proram o fice under the De ense nno ation nit that seeks to create ne communities of innovators to solve national security problems, partners with participating universities to offer a program called Hacking for Defense (H4D). H4D is a credit-bearing university program that enables talented student teams to collaborate with DoD and intelligence community members with the aim of developing novel solutions to the nation’s emerging threats.

the RIT Saunders College of Business, and the Department of Computing Security within the Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences.

The course was piloted at Stanford University in spring 2016 and continues to expand to other colleges and universities across the U.S., 47 of them at last count. One of the most recent entrants to H4D is Wichita State University (WSU – Wichita, Kansas), which has ecome the first hi her-ed institution in the state to ena le students to sol e real-world national-defense challenges. The WSU program itself is courtesy of the university’s Masters of Innovation Design program and the FirePoint Innovations Center; FirePoint is a partnership between the U.S. Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command, Aviation and Missile Center (CCDC AvMC) and Wichita State University.

Doug Stucky of the WSU College of Innovation and Design, who is leading the initial D class at the uni ersit sa s that the pro ram o ers a dual enefit to oth the participants and the DoD. “First it provides real-world problems that students get to fi ure out on their o n. his not onl teaches pro lem sol in ut it rein orces the problem-solving techniques they have been taught in previous classes. Additionally, it builds students’ soft skills through interviewing, communication, and gaining empathy for the user. These skills are among the most valued.

“In return,” Stucky continues, “the DoD gets access to a host of ideas, some new, some just di erent spins on e istin ones ut the real enefit is not miti atin the ra in o the de ense industr ut connectin e perience ith a ne eneration of ideas, ways of thinking, uses for technologies, attitudes towards work and more. It is also great for identifying upcoming talent. As the requirements of the military continue to evolve, this Hacking for Defense program allows them to manage the changes more effectively by focusing on connecting generations to merge organizational and tactical knowledge with new outside perspectives, skills, and technologies.”

“Hacking for Defense is really meant to be an incubator for domain/problem understanding, which leads to a minimum viable product (which can be as simple as a graphical representation) at the end of the course,” says James Santa, Rochester Institute of Technology’s (RIT’s) Director of Advancement Information Systems and adjunct teachin acult ithin the ana ement n ormation stems department at

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MILITARY EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

“All students, regardless of their backround or selected majors rin uni ue and important perspectives to the work they do in H4D, and it’s important that we encourage and celebrate those ideas,” Santa continues. “Anecdotally, I think a lot of students simply don’t know about the innovative work being done within the government agencies; this program opens eyes and minds in ways that more traditional classes aren’t set up to do.”

For the DoD and intelligence agencies, H4D enables them to tap into universities’ resources to gain a new perspective and accelerate mission-critical problem solving. In the process, DoD program sponsors also gain access to a pipeline of talented and much-needed STEM students to help address future workforce needs. Since its launch in 2016, H4D has resulted in 18 funded solutions and nine new business startups.

For universities, it keeps their programs grounded and focused on real-world problems; it also gives students experience and the chance to become effecti e in their chosen field ith an actual portfolio or body of work to back it up.

For more information on the Hacking for Defense program, visit the website at https://www.h4d.us/. www.militaryembedded.com

MIL TECH INSIDER

Integrating a secure, tactical, Type 1 hypervisor on an OpenVPX SBC

By Steve Edwards and Mike Mehlberg An industry perspective from Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions The number of boards and servers deployed on a military system can be reduced drastically by using a Type 1 hypervisor.

Virtualization improves cyber resiliency: A quick clone and replacement of one or more virtual machines can near-instantly get a damaged system back up and running with minimal loss of mission capability. Embedded operating systems can be chosen (and secured) for their particular mission requirements.

Instead of installing a full-function enterprise version of Linux, a specific distri ution can e selected or the mission at hand and secured accordingly.

An example of a secure virtualization solution for advanced mission computing and radar systems is Wind River’s Titanium ecure per isor hich is specificall desi ned or hostile computing environments. The hypervisor leverages hardwarebased root-of-trust to perform a secure boot process and can optionally leverage hardware-provided security services at runtime. During system operation, the hypervisor enforces physical and logical isolation. Software loads execute within private enclaves, even though they may be running on a single physical processing board. With strong technology and anti-reverseengineering protections built in a hypervisor can ensure that sensitive applications and data remain protected against unauthori ed access the t and malicious modification.

A hypervisor can be easily preintegrated onto an OpenVPX single-board computer (SBC); the integration process can e done in less than a da and desi ned securel or specific missions: ›

› › ›

›

›

eri the peripheral confi uration nsure the on oard and their associated drivers support virtualization, utilize well-established DMA channels and (memory) ranges, and are free of lurking issues such as transparent PCI-E s itches hich re uire special handlin in a irtuali ed environment. onfi ure the Within the BIOS/UEFI, the onboard peripherals need to e confi ured or passthrou h.

The OS or hypervisor loaded on the SBC will need to access the peripherals (either thru direct passthrough, Intel’s VT-d instructions, or as a purely virtual device) and cannot do so unless this confi uration is set.

Next, set up legacy emulation for the environment so older operatin s stems can utili e le ac hard are exposed through newer interfaces.

Finally, disable hyperthreading for performance and security reasons. Despite the performance improvements hyperthreading provides, various side-channel attacks e ist in irtuali ed en ironments. lso t in specific

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processors ph sical cores to specific irtual machines enables predictable performance and security. › Enable Intel virtualization bits: The CPU’s built-in hardware virtualization acceleration might need to be explicitly turned on ithin the s stem . onfirm these for high-performing, secure virtualization: Intel VT-x, which enables the virtual machines to leverage hardwareacceleration features built into the Intel chipset; Intel VT-d, which enables the virtual machines to directly access peripheral de ices and restrict uest access to specific peripherals, plus enables PCI device passthrough and confi uration and ntelntel’s trusted oot mechanism that’s used with virtualization to ensure proper authenticated machine boot. › After enabling these features in BIOS, they must be erified as operational in a uest or h per isor. his testin and integration ensures that the hypervisor can access all of the hardware and identify any present/enabled features.

• Install the hypervisor to local storage: The virtualization software must be installed onto the SBC so control is transferred to it during the boot process. In the case of a Type-1 hypervisor it’s necessary to install a ase to act as the control domain such as inu . he h per isor is then installed in conjunction ith the OS, where the actual hypervisor is added to the boot environment, and the actual control domain is established. Any drivers and/or BSPs must be installed for any peripherals used by the hypervisor, either directly or indirectly. nstall inu e ore oot and erification the uest operating system must be installed. In this example, Linux is used for the guest VM(s). After the board support packa e is confi ured in the uest this time a secure confi uration is orced usin irtuali ation extensions and the associated provisioning tools.

This entire process of integrating virtualization onto an SBC can be accomplished in as little as four hours. In this example, there ere ero modifications to the so t are and minimal t eaks to the hypervisor, mostly related to the heuristics used for various virtualization detections.

Steve Edwards is Director of Secure Embedded Solutions for Curtiss-Wright. Mike Mehlberg leads sales and marketing for Star Lab, Wind River’s Cybersecurity and Technology Protection Group.

Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions https://www.curtisswrightds.com/ Star Lab, a Wind River company • https://www.starlab.io/

MILITARY EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

April/May 2021

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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Navy’s unmanned campaign: Looking for partners

By Dawn M.K. Zoldi (Colonel, USAF Ret.) The Department of the Navy (DoN) plans to make some waves in the battle for limited resources. In over a thousand multiservice entries spanning all unmanned systems domains across the Department of Defense (DoD) in the 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act, Congress primarily funded the air domain.

The DoN response to the maritime hit: a rallying cry to roll the entire air, sea, ground, and manned/unmanned enterprise together to create an affordable, integrated, lethal, scalable, survivable and connected force. It’s called the Unmanned Campaign Framework. (Find the document at https://www.navy.mil/ Portals/1/Strategic/20210315%20Unmanned%20Campaign_ Final_LowRes.pdf?ver=LtCZ-BPlWki6vCBTdgtDMA%3D%3D.) The Navy unveiled the framework on March 16, 2021 to provide strategic direction and to advocate for the necessary asymmetric ad anta es necessar to in in a hi h-end fi ht ith a po er ul competitor (think: China). The good news for the unmanned industry, according to Vice Adm. Michael Moran, Principal ilitar Deput fice o the ssistant ecretar esearch Development and Acquisition), a keynote speaker at the recent ssociation or nmanned ehicle stems nternational De ense hase aritime e ent the a plans to open opportunities up to any company who can advance the DoN’s teaming efforts.

In the same boat The campaign’s vision is to “Make unmanned systems a trusted and sustainable part of the Naval force structure ... in support of the future maritime mission” and the Navy is trying to chan e perspecti es. nmanned s stems are not just tools. he ill ser e as an inte ral part o the a ’s arfi htin team. Human-machine shipmates will enable distributed maritime operations (DMO) for the Navy and littoral operations in contested environments (LOCE) for the Marine Corps.

The sea services have been employing unmanned systems for more than a decade. Air assets, in particular, have provided 35,000 hours of maritime domain awareness through persistent intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) and kinetic capabilities. The Navy wants more of this and wants it holistically connected to all its unmanned surface, unmanned subsur ace unmanned round counterunmanned aircra t s stems counterunmanned maritime s stems plat orms and the humans that drive them.

According to Adm. M.M. Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations creatin this seamless h rid eet ill re uire the “acceleration of critical enablers in technology, processes, and partnerships,” which will have impacts “across every aspect of doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, facilities, and policy.” Doing this will also

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MILITARY EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

require changing the internal departmental narrative from a historically stove-piped and platform-centric approach to a capability-centric approach.

A sea change ... at the speed of technology Why now? According to Rear Adm. James Pitts, director, Warfare nte ration fice o the hie o a al perations e were not effectively communicating or moving the ball down the field. his strate pro ides ali nment amon st all o the Department of the Navy, our Congressional partners, academia, industry to allow us to do deliberate planning and rapid execution. Unmanned systems need to be an integral part of our Navy’s team.” echnical cultural polic fiscal and procedural arriers must be addressed to break down existing stovepipes and drive the “solve once and scale” mindset demanded by Navy leadership. o achie e this the campai n la s do n fi e oals › Advance manned/unmanned teaming within the full range o na al and joint operations - au mentin the orce ith full spectrum unmanned capabilities, from small attritable systems to large ISR/weapons platforms, allowing greater operational risk to maintain the upper hand. › Build a digital infrastructure that integrates and adopts unmanned capabilities at speed and scale - aligned with roject ermatch the na al plan or oint ll Domain Command and Control (JADC2) for distributed force operations. › Incentivize rapid incremental development and testing cycles for UxS - by leveraging industry experience and expertise to transition core capabilities to the sailor and marine including: positioning, navigation and timing sense decide communications mission artificial intelligence (AI), cyber and physical security, reliability, payload integration, power and endurance, and edge processing. › Disaggregate common problems, solve once, and scale solutions across platforms and domain – by adopting the previously successful philosophy of the Navy’s AEGIS program, where Rear Adm. Wayne E. Meyer, established a philosophy of “Build a little, test a little, and learn a lot mindset. › Create a capability-centric and sustainable approach or unmanned contri utions plat orms s stems subsystems) to the force – through a modular and open system environment that will include common standard interfaces, common data and autonomy libraries, an integrated network/naval tactical grid, common control s stem and inter ace consolidated sta e ficiencies and shared facilities, sustainment and maintenance practices. www.militaryembedded.com

“These goals get everyone pulling in the same direction,” says Rear Adm. Casey Moton of the Navy’s Program Executive fice nmanned and mall om atants. ll our na al arfare centers are working on something relevant to unmanned, but … we are not going to do this in a stovepiped manner.”

projected intelli ence studies ar ames e periments e ercises testin modelin and simulation e orts. he . . acific Fleet has already scheduled a series of Fleet Battle Problem (IBP-21) events to focus on above and undersea unmanned contri utions to the maritime fi ht that start this month.

Not anymore.

The good news for industry is that the Navy has historically put their money where their mouths are, when it comes to research and development (R&D). In Fiscal Year 2019, the department put almost $300 million towards a variety of engineering efforts including a Counter Small Unmanned System Adaptive Multi-Sensor, Multi Weapon Fusion and Fleet Experiment, a Mission Ready Unmanned Assault Amphibious Vehicle, and achine earnin or uto- dentification o ar et jects from UAS. This resulted not only in the tech that helped close some serious attlefield aps ut also in the pu lication of more than 1,000 government, academic and industry technical papers.

Going faster & riding the wave Rowing in the same direction must happen quickly. According to Vice Adm. Moran, “Adaptation must occur at machine speed.” He suggested the best way to do this is, “to learn more from industry than we have before.” It’s all about Tech Transfer and Transition (T3). he a has ar are centers research la s o ernment field activities, NavalX Tech Bridges, a Rapid Autonomy Integration Lab (RAIL), and an instrument of ranges to learn and iterate fast with industry. However, Moran emphasized, “We need to come together in a common environment to do better in transitioning. Prototypes we can do, but we stumble in translating that to the operational environment.” The key is to not stop short with simulated and lab environments but rather to iterate tech to open environments on land and sea. “We need to do test and evaluation and share data almost immediately.”

For the Navy, investing in a common manned/unmanned C2 and cross-cutting platforms will provide an incredible force multiplier. And so it seeks commercial partners for a myriad of

According to Vice Adm. Moran, “Industry will be a huge partner.

You can look at our budgets. We’re committing to this.” This opens up an ocean of possibilities for potential for industry.

So get on board ... ride the wave!

Dawn M.K. Zoldi (Colonel, USAF, Retired) is the CEO of P3 Tech Consulting LLC. www.p3techconsulting.com

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April/May 20211/22/18 11 11:36 AM

DEFENSE TECH WIRE NEWS | TRENDS | DOD SPENDS | CONTRACTS | TECHNOLOGY UPDATES

By Emma Helfrich, Technology Editor

Radio frequency modifications to Raven UAS will take place under Army contract

AeroVironment announced that the U.S. Army exercised the second of three options under the source Flight Control Systems (FCS) domain of the Army’s multiyear s small unmanned aerial s stem contract. he contract option, valued at approximately $20.98 million, includes avionics and data link upgrade packages to modify radio frequencies employed by the Army’s existing eet o a en tactical s.

The contract option was exercised under the Army’s FCS domain initially awarded to AeroVironment in June 2019 ith a first order o . ccordin to compan o ficials is the first o si domains comprisin the rm ’s e istin fi eear indefinite-deli er indefinite- uantit s contract and has a potential alue o up to million. ero ironment sa s that its Raven system is designed for rapid deployment and high mobility for operations requiring low-altitude intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. The Raven’s Mantis i23 gimbaled payload is designed to deliver real-time video or infrared imagery to round-control stations.

Figure 1 | A U.S. Army soldier hand-launches a Raven B UAS during a field field-training exercise at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Photo: U.S. Army photo: by Sgt. Dustin D. Biven.

Autonomous mobile C-UAS system enabled with AI and ML

Milrem Robotics, a developer of autonomous systems, and Marduk Technologies, a provider of counter-unmanned aerial system solutions jointl launched a mo ile autonomous plat orm intended to o er protection a ainst loiterin munition and sur eillance drones. he o ficial announcement rom the companies re eals that the jointl de eloped s stem uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) and features the electro-optical C-UAS platform Marduk Shark and the THeMIS unmanned ground vehicle (UGV).

The autonomous mobile platform is aimed at enabling front-line military forces to independently detect, classify, and target loiterin munitions and other in o jects. he partners’ spokespeople sa that the mo ile plat orm can e inte rated ith kinetic and nonkinetic eapon s stems and ith di erent sensors and e ectors such as radar radio- re uenc detector jammer laser, and others.

Bell 360 Invictus to be equipped with DDC-I avionics system

Safety-critical embedded software maker DDC-I announced that Bell Textron has chosen the DDC-I Deos safety-critical DO-178 real-time operatin s stem or use in a data concentrator unit D that ill a oard the ell n ictus as part o the . . rm ’s uture ttack econnaissance ircra t (FARA) Competitive Prototype program.

DD - o ficials hi hli ht the Deos as ein . -con ormant sa et -critical and sa et -certifia le they say that their intent is to make Deos the platform of record for advanced avionics subsystems that require portable, upgradeable multicore solutions aligned to CAST-32A standards. The companies’ announcement describes DCUs as modular sensor-interface units that collect and con ert analo i ht data to mana e monitor, and control discrete analog and avionics bus data inputs from aircraft equipment and sensors to and from the Vehicle Management System (VMS) and Heath Usage Monitoring System (HUMS).

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Figure 2 | Artist’s rendering of the Textron/Bell 360 Invictus aircraft. Bell image.

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New Loyal Wingman contract to focus on advancing AI and teaming tech

Boeing Australia announced that the company, along with the Australian government, will co-develop an additional three Loyal Wingman aircraft to advance the air-teaming vehicle, payloads, and associated support and training capabilities. According to the company, the agreement will increase the aircraft’s production capability to six aircraft for Australian air force and is valued at $115 million over three years.

Figure 3 | Boeing Uncrewed Loyal Wingman conducts its first highspeed taxi test. Boeing photo.

The contract will aim to support the maturation of the aircraft design, handle evolution of current and future payloads, and create the sustainment system for the aircraft in operations. It will also advance Airpower Teaming System advanced concepts through digital testing and demonstration. oein o ficials also sa that in addition to pro ressin the desi n and support s stem the aircra t’s mission s stem hich includes ad anced artificial intelli ence decision-makin capa ilities and ne payloads – will be developed further in the future.

DoD supply chain to be protected under cybersecurity program

Next-gen EW system to equip F-16 fighter under L3Harris Technologies contract

he certification pro ram as created the DoD to enhance the protection o controlled unclassified in ormation or e ample lueprints or parts o ne de ense aircra t and specifications or militar uni orms ithin its suppl ase. ccordin to o ficials the C3PAO authorization process requires all C3PAOs to be ISO/IEC -accredited and -certified. ommercial assessments under the ne certification scheme are e pected to e in during spring 2021.

The baseline version is integrated into the aircraft fuselage, saving space for additional capability such as a fuel pod that could be attached externally to increase mission range. Integration with the F-16’s weapon systems, including the aircraft’s radar, is intended accordin to the contract announcement to enable Viper Shield to have broad application to ockheed artin’s lock aircra t confi urations or variants.

NSF International Strategic Registrations (NSF-ISR) has been authori ed the ersecurit aturit odel ertification ccreditation Body (CMMC-AB) to offer a new cybersecurity assessment to companies from the defense, aerospace, technology, and software industries within the Department of Defense (DoD) supply base. he - appro ed a mana ement s stems certification compan o nternational as one o the first ersecurit aturit odel ertification pro ram ertified hird- art Assessment Organizations (C3PAO).

L3Harris Technologies has won a contract from Lockheed Martin for development of a new advanced electronic warfare (EW) system to protect the international - multirole fi hter aircra t a ainst emer in radar and electronic threats. According to the company, L3Harris designed Viper Shield to provide U.S. and global coalition partners with next-generation countermeasures against evolving threats.

Open-architecture processors and sensors to equip Army combat vehicles

Lockheed Martin announced that it will soon begin supporting formal integration and testing of the U.S. Army’s combat vehicle protection s stem hich is intended to keep arfi hters sa er and more secure rom attlefield threats. nder the terms o a recent contract the company will provide its Modular Active Protection System (MAPS) base kit, which includes an open-architecture processor that integrates vehicle sensors and countermeasures in a common framework to detect, track, and defeat rocket-propelled grenades and anti-tank guided missiles.

Under the 36-month contract, Lockheed Martin is tasked with deliverin fi e production-read ase kits ith an option or up to the company will also support Army integration and testing on Abrams, Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, Bradley, and Stryker vehicles. The contract also covers developing base kit support for vehicle-protection capabilities beyond active protection, such as underbelly blast protection. www.militaryembedded.com

Figure 4 | U.S. Army Abrams battle tank. U.S. Army photo.

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DEFENSE TECH WIRE NEWS | TRENDS | DOD SPENDS | CONTRACTS | TECHNOLOGY UPDATES

Cybersecurity contract with AFRL intends to protect flightline ops

Industrial security company Xage Security has won a contract with the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) to digitize and secure i htline maintenance operations. nder the terms o the contract, selected maintenance squadrons of the Air Force Air Mobility Command (AMC) will use Xage’s Dynamic Data Security solution – based on the company’s umbrella Xage Fabric software product – to digitize, streamline, transform, and secure the ork o s used in aircra t maintenance operations.

Figure 5 | A F-15EX, the Air Force’s newest fighter aircraft, seen at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. U.S. Air Force photo by Samuel King Jr.

According to information from the company, the Xage Dynamic Data security product enables operational data to be digitally hashed, signed, and encrypted at the source; enforces data control at a ranular le el across all i htline participants devices, and applications; and protects and replicates policies across the i htline to ensure that data can e pu lished or consumed by authorized users on demand.

KBR contracts for research into optoelectronic tech and laser weapons

Study: Global UCAV market to slow during 2021-2025

According to the award announcement, applications for this research exist for nearly every airborne platform, including the F-35 Lightning II, spacecraft such as Wideband Global SATCOM and Global Positioning System satellites, as well as ground-based and modular sensing packa es. ill per orm this ork o er a fi e- ear period in Da ton Ohio. The Air Force’s 774th Enterprise Sourcing Squadron awarded the cost-plus fi ed- ee task order under the Department o De ense (DoD) Information Analysis Center’s Multiple Award Contract.

According to the study authors, volatility in the UCAV market is thought to be the result of the changing nature of advanced warfare, with several factors – most prominently rapid development of antidrone technology – impeding market growth. The study also found that power in the UCAV market is concentrated in very few vendors, all of whom are competing at once to gain market share.

. . en ineerin firm has on a . million contract to support optoelectronic technology research for the U.S Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Sensors Directorate’s Optoelectronic Technology Branch (RYDH). KBR will perform analyses of military and commercial developmental devices with emphasis on emerging electronic, plasmonic, electro-optic, and photonic technology. According to the company, these devices will include lasers, waveguides, detectors, and focal plane array.

The unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) market will experience decremental growth of $1.08 billion during 2021-2025, with the growth momentum of that market decelerating at a combined annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.16%, according to a new study from Technavio, “Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) Market by Type and Geography – Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025.”

Space Force chooses Northrop Grumman, Boeing, for next phase of PTS program

The U.S. Space Force chose Northrop Grumman and Boeing to design, develop, and launch payloads aimed at securing military satellite communications as part of the Protected Tactical Satcom (PTS) program. The Space Force expects the Northrop Grumman and Boeing payloads to launch in 2024 aboard a commercial or military satellite for on-orbit demonstrations. As part of those launches, the Space Force will assess the PTS prototypes as potential platforms for its next-generation satellites that could replace or augment Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellites and other e istin s stems or classified communications. or its part orthrop rumman has alidated the antijam per ormance o its desi n usin the rotected actical a e orm an antijam communications a e orm that ena les access to secure protected communications the tactical arfi hter.

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MILITARY EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Figure 6 | The Northrop Grumman and Boeing payloads are expected to launch in 2024. Stock image.

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U.S. and allied nation to get additional tactical missile systems

Unmanned aircraft system (UAS) maker AeroVironment has been tapped by the U.S. Army to supply additional Switchblade 300 tactical missile systems for the Army and for export to an allied nation.

Delivery of equipment under the $44.96 million contract option will occur over a two-year period. The contract will be managed by the U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, and the U.S. Department of Defense Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.

Figure 7 | AeroVironment’s Swichblade tactical missile system is shown.

AeroVironment photo.

AeroVironment’s Switchblade 300 – designed to be back-packable and rapidly deployable from ground platforms, including a multipack launcher – is intended, according to the company’s announcement to pro ide arfi hters ith rapid-response orce protection and precision strike capabilities up to six miles from its launch location. Its high precision, specialized effects, and “waveoff” feature results in Switchblade’s ability to minimize or eliminate collateral damage.

Autopilot software, flight hardware validated in solar aircraft UAS test

DoD research studying AI- and ML-enabled spectrum management

Once complete, the company states, Skydweller will transition to fully autonomous i ht testin . he compan has desi ned so t are and hard are components or the ne t testin sta e to oost e ficienc integration, and connectivity – all needed, the company says, to prove the e ficac o essential hard are re uired or its uture unmanned ariant along with advancements to aircraft functionality, including sensor, computing, and communications infrastructure required to achieve autonomous i ht.

DoD o ficials state that the oal o these projects is to provide advanced spectrum-management capabilities to the incumbent systems in the AWS-3 bands that are used for mobile communications.

The technology prototypes will also be applicable to all spectrum being managed on range.

. .- panish aerospace firm k d eller ero hich is currentl de eloping solar-powered aircraft for the defense and commercial industries, announced that it had per ormed i ht demos o the compan ’s initial aircraft control, actuation, and sensor technology systems following software desi n installation and round testin . ompan o ficials said that preliminary trials tested its proprietary autonomous software and measured and e aluated multiple open-loop s stem identification inputs to collect data on aircraft’s static and dynamic characteristics at various altitudes.

The testing concluded with an optionally piloted takeoff and landing.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has issued a third Request for Prototype Proposal (RPP) in support of electromagnetic spectrum research related to the capabilities of the over 400 members of the National Spectrum Consortium. The RPP is part of a series of requirements to develop near-real-time spectrum-management technologies that leverage machine learning (ML) and artificial intelli ence to more e ficientl allocate spectrum assignments based on operational planning and intended operational outcomes.

Automated ISR intelligence-sharing goal of Hexagon, General Atomics partnership

Hexagon US Federal has been selected to partner with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) to provide geospatial solutions from Hexagon’s Luciad Portfolio in support of cutting-edge intelli ence sur eillance and reconnaissance projects. nder the accord, Hexagon US Federal will offer capabilities from the Luciad ort olio to enhance t o projects etis or autonomous tasking, collection management, and intelligence-sharing; and the Multi-Mission Controller (MMC), an operator-based multiplatform control system.

- ’s etis project is intended to pro ide a capa ilit that can streamline and automate the ISR task management process while allowing for rapid, cloud-based intelligence sharing. GA-ASI’s MMC project is intended to ena le a sin le user to control multiple aircra t and their missions simultaneously by leveraging a combination of automation and user-experience (UX)-based design. www.militaryembedded.com

Figure 8 | Hexagon US Federal image.

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SPECIAL REPORT

Countering military drone swarm threats via directed energy

By Sally Cole

As the threat of weaponized drone swarms continues to escalate for U.S. forces, defense planners are considering high-energy laser and high-power microwave countermeasures to combat the threat of these groups of unmanned aerial systems (UASs).

Drone swarms pose a real and evolving threat to . . arfi hters and assets so the uest or a silver-bullet solution to autonomously mitigate these eapons is definitel on. he . . militar is seekin a one-si e-fits-all approach to counter drone swarms. And while directed-energy technologies aren’t new at all,

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Counter-UAS technology

Pictured is an artist rendering of an air base air-defense scenario where high-energy lasers are used to take out enemy unmanned aerial systems (UASs). Image courtesy of Raytheon.

the ’re finall emer in as the countermeasures most likel to e em raced for this purpose.

“Small drones are an asymmetric threat to troops on the ground because an adversary can spend a few hundred dollars on a drone to take out expensive equipment worth much more,” says Michael Blades, vice president of Aerospace and Security for Frost & Sullivan (San Antonio, Texas). “So counterdrone technologies are increasingly on the move, packable, and becoming more automated.” ommercial counters stems tend to e ocused on radio reuenc ecause the ’re orried a out small drones ith controllers using RF and Wi-Fi,” Blades notes. “On the military side, they’re going with directed-energy technologies such as high-powered microwaves and highenergy lasers – because they view them as the way to counter drone swarms of all sizes. A high-power microwave’s electromagnetic pulse can disable all of the drones within a swarm.”

Drone swarms of the future will become increasingly sophisticated, Blades posits. “If you have 50 or 100 drones coming at you it’s a vastly different situation than simply one or two drones,” he says. “There’s an issue of speed and the distance at which you detect drone swarms. This distance needs to

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Figure 1 | Raytheon’s Phaser high-power microwave system uses directed energy to down drones – single drones or swarms – by focusing a wide, arcing energy beam on drones. The beam sends out a short, high power burst of electromagnetic energy, destroying the drones’ electronics and dropping them simultaneously from the sky.

Raytheon has developed both highpower microwave (Figure 1) and high-energy laser counterdrone solutions to deal with small drone (sUAS) threats, which fall into Groups 1 and 2.

“Ironically, the smallest pose the biggest threats because they’re easily accessible and quite advanced now,” says Evan Hunt, director of business development for Raytheon (McKinney, Texas) counter-UAS (C-UAS) and high-energy lasers. “Every new model released is faster, more capable in weather, with longer range, and improved connectivity and i ht time. o the trick is reall to develop an answer to a threat that can withstand the evolutionary rate.”

While many drones today can be stopped or deterred ia jammin their Wi-Fi and GPS signals, “drones of the uture ill e unjamma le unt sa s.

“Jamming is only a temporary solution to the drone threat. Drones will not only ecome harder to jam the ill et faster, deadlier, and more autonomous, and they’ll attack in swarms.”

Figure 2 | The Epirus electromagnetic pulse creates a force field capable of disrupting adversary electronics, vehicles, and munitions. Image courtesy of Epirus website (www.epirusinc.com).

be pushed out, because some drones are extremely fast. If you can’t detect, identify, and mitigate swarms quickly, you’re in trouble.” ne i challen e no is that the detection ran e needs to e su ficient to miti ate an attack before it becomes a true threat. “This is where AI comes in – they’re trying to do a lot autonomously so you won’t even need a person sitting there thinking about it,” Blades points out.

An emerging trend Blades sees within the counterdrone realm is a shift toward supportin artificial intelli ence . he a ilit to process at the net ork’s ed e or in the cloud is going to be huge,” he says. “There will also need to be faster processing to support AI and turn data into actionable intelligence quickly. And open architecture is being championed to future-proof systems to enable sensor fusion. If you have one sensor and bring in another sensor later, you’ll want the ability to fuse them together to get the big picture.”

Anything that helps improve size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) continues to be important as well, Blades adds.

Emerging drone threats he . . Department o De ense DoD classifies drones ithin fi e cate ories roup includes commercial uadcopters that can e purchased online and modified to carr munitions or do reconnaissance and tar etin . roup includes fi ed- in s stems that look like tin airplanes hich are ast and maneu era le. hose in roup look similar to cruise missiles, while Groups 4 and 5 are akin to unmanned aircraft. www.militaryembedded.com

This makes it an air threat that requires optimized solutions not only to engage and defeat threats in a timely manner but also in a cost-effective way. “The cost-per-shot is minimal with lasers – it’s basically the cost of electricity,” Hunt says. “We need answers to the threat that provide a deep magazine to engage multiple targets within a short time.”

High-power microwave technologies One way to deal with drone swarms is via high-power microwave technology that uses essentially the same technology as household microwaves – but this antidrone microwave is millions of times more powerful. It’s well suited for swarms because it can take out all drones within a large swath.

Significant investments are currently being made in high-powered microwave technologies. “One of the most interesting counterdrone investments we saw during 2020 was in Epirus Inc. (Los Angeles, California and McLean, ir inia hich makes so t are-defined high-power microwave systems,” Blades says. (Figure 2.)

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SPECIAL REPORT The Epirus solid-state direct energy microwave doesn’t use vacuum tubes or require a truckload of coolant to operate, according to the Epirus website. Company engineers leveraged gallium nitride (GaN) for the Epirus microwave system because of its ability to operate at high voltages with low temperatures, its high power density, and its reduction of size, weight, and power (SWaP).

Epirus received a $70 million Series B investment from a group led by Bedrock Capital and investors including L3Harris Technologies, Piedmont Capital Investments, 8VC, Fathom VC, and Greenspring Associates. The company plans to roll out its Leonidas C-UAS system to market in 2021 and is working on other solutions.

High-energy lasers to oppose drone threat High-energy lasers are an extremely precise way to deal with drone threats for a wide range of scenarios. “It’s an exciting time for high-energy lasers because we’ve reached a atershed moment here the ’re finall transitionin to multiple pro rams of record,” Hunt says.

Raytheon is supporting rapid prototyping programs and, because the DoD is trying to do things faster, “it’s driving an effort where we build systems and send them into arfi hter hands to e used operationall he adds.

The company has built three 10-kW class systems, which are essentially laser dune buggies. “Two are already overseas, and a third will be sent soon. Between the two out there now, they have 4,000 operational hours,” Hunt says. “The laser has the capa ilit to fire an in isi le silent eam o li ht to not just stop a drone ut to shoot it down or deliver what we call a ‘hard kill’ in defense.” (Figure 3.)

Laser tech is evolving Fiber lasers serve as building blocks for Raytheon’s high-energy weapon system and, since the commercial fi er laser market is ad ancin at a rapid rate e er time a ne ersion o a fi er laser amplifier comes out it results in a etter and more e ficient laser weapon.

Counter-UAS technology “We’re constantly amazed by the rate at which our subsystem technologies are evolving,” Hunt says. “Lithium-ion batteries, and batteries in general, have evolved at such a rapid rate that we can store the energy for the laser as deeply as we need and it allows us to easily rechar e ith just a standard enerator.

AI and machine learning will play a big role in automation and will help laser eapon s stems ecome more e ficient.

So far, high-energy lasers aren’t fully automated: There’s a single operator within the loop with a gaming-style controller and screen, which enables them to use a camera that’s a combination of hybrid sensor and beam director.

“It’s a large-aperture camera, so an operator can zoom in on a target, monitor and positively identify it, and then press a utton to fire the laser i the ant to take action,” Hunt explains. “And they can actually see the drone pieces and parts all o the drone until it departs i ht.

Positive ID is built into the system, it provides real-time battle damage assessment, and you don’t miss in a normal form that a weapon system can miss. This is a new way of engaging threats.”

Laser range How far out can a laser weapon system take down a drone? “A missile for air deense e en or counterdrone use ill likely always have a role to play because of its extended range,” Hunt says. “We make a Coyote UAS, which is a bit of a h rid drone and missile com o to out e ond km . miles to shoot down even small drones.”

The laser weapon starts to identify and engage within a few kilometers, maybe out to km . miles . n rm air defense, this is short or very short range,” he continues. “But it’s important because there will be scenarios in which you have a clear forward line of operation and you kno that an thin in out there popping up on a radar shouldn’t be there, so you can launch Coyotes to go destroy it.”

Figure 3 | Pictured is an artist rendering of a Raytheon high-energy laser weapon system (HELWS) system mounted on the POLARIS MRZR dune buggy the company delivered to the U.S. Air Force. Image courtesy of Raytheon.

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In more asymmetric environments operating near residential areas or with highways near a base, the small-drone www.militaryembedded.com

threat can pop up from a building or highway within your threat range or one ou can’t fire a missile into. ou’re not oin to fire a missile at a drone passing through a civilian area,” Hunt says.

“Yet, you may need to protect your assets so ou need to find a a to defeat that threat.”

These environments are where lasers really shine. “It’s still a weapon, but as far as weapons go, it’s incredibly precise and nondisruptive. Lasers give you pinpoint accuracy to deliver that hard defeat,” he notes.

One of the biggest challenges for highenergy lasers has been getting into production, Hunt admits. “We’ve done the hard parts – we’ve proven the technology is viable by shooting down a hundred drones within different environments, we’ve trained operators from multiple ser ices ho to use it ithin just a day or two, and we’ve integrated with these larger air defense systems.”

hile it’s ine pensi e to fire a laser unt notes there’s still an up ront cost to procuring a laser weapon. “We need to continue to drive the price down and the maturity up, and lead times down by moving into production orders,” he adds.

Dealing with drone-swarm threats How do high-energy lasers compare to high-power microwaves, and which one would you want to throw at a drone swarm?

“It depends – both technologies are capable of countering a drone swarm,” says Hunt.

High-power microwaves can take out a bunch of targets at once. “But if your highener laser eapon has su ficient po er and is su ficientl automated ou can kill one target at a time every few seconds – and you’re going to be a great swarm killer.”

High-energy lasers and high-power microwave technologies both have advantages, but the laser weapon is ahead in terms of being used operationally. “Ultimately, both directed-energy solutions are preferred in many use cases,” Hunt says. “For some, high-power microwave might be more advantageous, especially if you’re in a forward operatin ase and can fire in an direction. ut a ain i ou need to en a e thin s precisely and can’t afford collateral impact, then you want a laser.” unt ants to dispel the m th that lasers aren’t an e ficient s arm killer. t just depends on the power and capability of your laser and the operational environment you’re in,” he says. “For a swarm, you need a big magazine, so that’s why directed ener is so compellin . ou just can’t a ord to e o er helmed the threat so ou need the a ilit to fire and rechar e.

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Counter-UAS technology

IFF technology aims for a safer battlefield

An IFF system consists of an airborne transponder with a ground or airborne interrogator.

The interrogator sends encrypted, coded information requests to the aircraft, and the transponder encodes identification and position information into the response. Sagetech image.

By Dawn M.K. Zoldi Enemy suicide drones, spy drones, and drones that deliver death and destruction increasingly complicate the modern battlefield. The advent of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) technology has enabled non-state actors to harness airpower in a way previously reserved for the large military forces of nation-states. For as little as $650 for an off-the-shelf UAS, an enemy can eviscerate a parked F-22 worth $344 million. This low-cost/high-impact threat vector fundamentally alters force protection and installation defense requirements for the U.S. and its allies.

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s most militar con icts in ol e joint coalition and intera enc pla ers ha in one technology to help all friendly forces identify the full spectrum of hostile drone platforms is a game changer. The advent of multiplatform unmanned aerial s stem identification technolo ill ena le . . ser ice mem ers and coalition partners to more readily determine if an inbound UAS is friend or foe, allowing them to react before it’s too late.

The enemy UAS challenge s are ersatile. hat’s h . . and partner orces use them. he can o er barriers, observe the positions of assets and operations, and accurately deliver lethal and nonlethal payloads from afar to damage, disable, or destroy critical capabilities and forces. UASs themselves can be used as guided missiles. That’s also why the enemy now regularly uses them.

However, the use of UASs in warfare is not new, but simply now more common.

Although aircraft without pilots technically date back to 1783, it was not until the 1990s that the weaponized Predator drone became a staple of modern warfare. It was around that same time that criminals and insurgents started incorporating small drones into their own plans. As early as 1994, the Japanese

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cult Aum Shinrikyo conducted unsuccessful dry runs to release sarin, a nerve agent, using aerial spray systems attached to remote-controlled helicopters. Over the years, the list of nefarious actors and their creative uses of drones continued to grow.

Fast forward in time. In the past few years, UASs have now become the weapon of choice for insurgents in Afghanistan, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. In 2017, ISIS e more than missions in one month durin the attle or osul here troops observed them dropping hand grenades. Two years later in Yemen, during a parade near Aden, a weaponized UAS exploded atop several senior Saudi-backed emeni o ficers killin at least si .

Late in 2020, the Taliban appears to have carried out a UAS attack that killed at least our securit o ficers in northern hanistan. n e ruar ranian- acked Houthi rebels used a Qasef-1 to target civilian aircraft at Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport, one of twelve recent UAS attacks on the country.

Now add civilian UAS to the equation. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) perormin humanitarian missions and locals in their ho s urther complicate the airspace picture.

Due to the proliferation of UAS in combat theaters, commanders today require an accurate means to identi them in order to ulfill their o li ation to protect their forces while defeating the enemy. www.militaryembedded.com

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SPECIAL REPORT The rules of engagement he la o armed con ict is a speciali ed su set o international humanitarian la and applies to armed hostilities. he o erns eha ior on the attlefield and is further ensconced in rules of engagement (ROE). Joint Publication 1-02 promul ated the . . Department o De ense DoD defines the as directives issued by competent military authority that delineate the circumstances and limitations under which United States forces will initiate and/or continue combat engagement with other forces encountered.”

For U.S. forces, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) Instruction 3121.01B, Standing Rules of Engagement for U.S. Forces (SROE), is the general foundation upon hich commanders ase theater-specific or other tailored across the ran e o militar operations. For multinational forces, reasonable efforts will be made to create common ROE. Regardless, U.S. national policy preserves a commander’s inherent authority and obligation to use all necessary means available and to take appropriate action in selfdefense of the commander’s unit and other U.S. forces in the vicinity. This includes the concepts of self-defense, national defense, collective defense, and unit defense.

Each type of defensive concept contains nuances. Hostile acts are obvious, such as an outright attack, whereas hostile intent, or “the threat of imminent use of force,” can sometimes pro e more di ficult. or e ample ho e actl does one determine the intent of an UAS? The UAS operator’s identity, capability and intentions will likely remain elusive. On the other hand, “If it ain’t ours, it must be theirs.” And if it’s theirs, it should be fair game, especially if the worst-case scenario does not involve taking a life. Until recently, knowing whether or not an UAS was “ours” – especially for groups 2 and 3 drones (anywhere from 21 to 1,320 pounds) – remained somewhat of a mystery, which makes obvious the need for interoperability requirements and transponders.

IFF functionality For years, to determine which aircraft is part of the home team, and thereby reduce fratricides and successful enemy attacks, militaries worldwide have been using Identify Friend or Foe (IFF) systems for command-and-control on aircraft. These military - ased identification s stems positi el distin uish riendl aircra t rom those o the enemy using spread-spectrum transmissions with secure data encryption. An IFF system consists of an airborne transponder with a ground or airborne interrogator. The interrogator sends encrypted, coded information requests to the aircraft, and the transponder encodes identification and position in ormation into the response. i ure .

Figure 1 | An airborne transponder (top, mounted on a UAS) replies to encrypted information requests from an interrogator to ascertain identification and position of unknown aircraft.

Sagetech graphic.

22 April/May 2021

MILITARY EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Counter-UAS technology “A decade ago, advanced drone technolo in areas o con ict as enerall limited to the U.S. and her allies. Today, even the most unsophisticated hostile forces have access to very similar technology,” says Sagetech Avionics CEO Tom Furey. “Now that IFF technology has een miniaturi ed e can finall distinguish between friendly and hostile UAS to take appropriate action to protect our troops and infrastructure.”

IFF can only positively identify friendly targets, not hostile ones; however, the ability to discriminate across the full spectrum of drones can make a lifesaving difference in protecting the lives of deployed troops and avoiding tragic fratricide events. Further, current U.S. forces’ operating procedures often restrict crucial manned aircra t i hts when unmanned aircraft are operating in the vicinity, since not all aircraft can e positi el identified. hen coalition forces are operating collectively, the problem escalates exponentially. In these situations, small IFF solves these problems for all allied and NATO forces.

This situation is exactly why standard agreements and processes exist for aircra t identification amon multinational forces – to rule out compliant “blue” or friendly forces as potential threats.

NATO publishes STANAGs, recorded agreements among several or all NATO mem er states ratified at the authori ed national level) to implement a standard. In STANAG 4193, NATO enacted a requirement that all military aircraft update to IFF Mode 5 by July 2020. Mode 5 IFF requires stronger encryption, different transmitter response prioritization, and GPS information about target aircraft locations than Mode 4, which had been used since the 1970s through its retirement in July 2020.

On the U.S. side, the DoD AIMS (Air ra fic ontrol adar eacon stem dentification riend or oe ark ark stems fice re uires that IFF systems comply with the Mark XIIB standard as specified in AIMS 17-1000, which replaced AIMS 03-1000 ark . he certification process is complicated, interagency, and www.militaryembedded.com

MX12B also includes extra features, such as ADS-B In, that tracks as many as 400 cooperative targets simultaneously and displays them for the remote pilot in the commandand-control graphical user interface. For the anticipated future changes to the MKXIIB standard, the unit is upgradeable to Mode 5 Level 2-B In and Out. (Figure 2.) MES

Figure 2 | The MX12B micro Mode 5 IFF transponder from Sagetech weighs just 190 g.

Sagetech photo.

lengthy, requiring thousands of hours of testing and evaluation prior to approval.

Dawn M.K. Zoldi (Colonel, USAF, Retired) is a licensed attorney with 28 years of combined active-duty military and federal civil service to the Department of the Air Force. She is an internationally recognized expert on unmanned aircraft system law and policy, the Law-Tech Connect columnist for Inside Unmanned Systems magazine, a recipient of the Woman to Watch in UAS (Leadership) Award 2019, and the CEO of P3 Tech Consulting LLC. For more information, visit her website at: https://www.p3techconsulting.com.

Sagetech https://sagetech.com/

The new IFF standard, Mark XIIB, requires the following functionalities: › Military Modes 1, 2, 3/C, and 5: These are the transponder interrogation modes, standard formats of pulsed sequences from an interrogating SSR or similar Automatic Dependent SurveillanceBroadcast (ADS-B) system; Modes to are or militar use › Civil Modes A, C, and S functionality: These are for civilian use › ADS-B Out: Enables equipped aircraft and ground vehicles to roadcast their identification position, altitude, and velocity to other aircra t and air-tra fic control › Mode 5 response prioritization › Antenna diversity for full aircraft visibility › Incorporation of internal crypto, or compati ilit ith an e ternal crypto computer such as the KIV-77 or KIV-78 › Full transmit power per AIMS 17-1000 › Satisfy the robust environmental standards of MIL-STD-461 and MIL-STD-8 Combined, these elements enhance robust systems to bolster situational awareness.

First to cert On February 5, 2021, the DoD AIMS Program Office issued the world’s first ark certification to Sagetech for its MX12B micro Mode 5 IFF transponder. The small military-grade transponder weighs only 190 g, or slightly more than one-third of a pound. The www.militaryembedded.com

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MIL TECH TRENDS

Open architecture initiatives bolster unmanned sensors and systems

By Emma Helfrich, Technology Editor The advent of unmanned systems reflects a huge aspect of warfare – that of protecting the warfighter – through the development of platforms that can be operated by humans from a distance, keeping them out of harm’s way. Some of these platforms are actually on the way to becoming fully autonomous. Hurdles in the way of both manufacturers and end users include interoperability and cost-efficiency.

Although these hurdles are challenging, organizations including The Open Group and corresponding consortia have made noticeable strides to standardize in an effort to universalize otherwise complex unmanned systems.

24 April/May 2021

SOSA and SFF designs for unmanned platforms

Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions can be lethal for troops; as such, unmanned aerial systems (UASs) are ideally engineered for such scenarios. As the eyes and ears of treacherous military tasks, the unmanned plat orms ha e ecome essential machiner on the attlefield since their initial development and use decades ago.

As both technology and war have evolved and progressed over time, so too have UASs and the operations that they are deployed to carry out.

Requirements centered around withstanding longer missions, avoiding detection, and the implementation of countermeasure systems continue to drive UAS advancements and inspire innovations in hardware and software development.

While today’s missions have become more complex and require more processing power, unmanned platforms are running up against the need – requested by both manufacturers and end users – to simplify design and ease deployment. Moving away from platform-centric architectures not only encoura es health competition in the market ut could allo or more e ficient operation and maintenance (O&M) in theater.

Open architecture initiatives led by such consortia as The Open Group, Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA), Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE), and Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA) are pushing for standards-based designs to ensure that these highly effective unmanned systems can keep pace with the evolving threat environment while remaining streamlined in their desi n. ficials elie e that ali nin s ith the a e o standardization is the necessary next step in open architecture implementation.

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“Right now, if you look at any military avionics architecture, it’s very platform-centric,” says Ike Song, vice president of strategy in the mission systems division at Mercury Systems (Andover, Massachusetts) (Figure 1). “And the prime who owns that platform also owns that architecture. Plus that architecture is not really open. In commercial applications it’s a little it easier ecause ou onl ha e t o companies ir us and oein ut or militar applications e er sin le aircra t that’s out there e en ithin the same company, the architecture within their own avionics suite is different. So it’s really hard to adapt to those kinds of situations.”

Without what industry professionals identify as a top-down approach, the ease of implementation pro ided open architecture desi ns is more di ficult to achie e.

Manufacturers are pushing for what Song describes as a “platform-agnostic” design, meaning one architecture that can be inserted into multiple platforms with little modification oth companies and standards or ani ations are noticin that their customers are advocating for platform-agnostic as well. t’s the same or round s stems. hen talkin a out and (Command, Control, Communication, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and econnaissance lectronic ar are odular pen uite o tandards the dream is that somebody could drive their vehicle to the depot and say, ‘My x-y-z card is dead and I need a new one,’ and then they would be handed a new one and could drive away,” says Jason DeChiaro, product manager at Curtiss-Wright (Ashburn, Virginia).

“At no point in the conversation would they have to say what vehicle they’re driving or what variant of that vehicle it is. That’s a powerful statement, because today there are platforms with multiple variants that include different cables, mounting brackets, and hardware. With SOSA and CMOSS, you don’t have to worry about that since that’s part of the platform, not the mission payload.”

Path to standards-enabled interoperability UAS-centric missions are touted in the industry as being safer and more costeffective than manned operations and have therefore become a near-ubiquitous aspect of modern warfare. The ability that unmanned platforms have to not onl protect human arfi hters ut also to collect and process vast amounts of signals have cemented the UAS’s role in battle. Adoption of open architectures in this space has been gradual, however.

major o stacle in pro ress to ard makin that dream a realit or manu acturers end users, and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has been the slow nature of the defense market’s acquisition process. In comparison to commercial avionics, which is far outpacing defense, acquisition requirements have resulted in the DoD ein slo to adopt ne technolo . ne major piece o pro ress he ri- er ice Memorandum released in 2019 has mandated the use of open system architecture for new programs, a promising advancement for the acquisition and standardization communities. here’s a la that all ne major de ense ac uisitions ha e to use architecture and derived from that, there was a memo that was put out by the secretary of the Army, Air Force, and the Navy – a Tri-Service memo – that is mandating open systems architecture or all ne pro rams De hiaro sa s. t called out specific thin s like ehicular nte ration or nteropera ilit and .

And each individual service has also expanded on that. So, with basically every new ac uisition e en ac uisitions that aren’t major de ense ac uisitions e’re seein the MOSA requirements.” ro ress is on oin and industr o ficials hope that these re uirements ill promote a more widely accepting environment for standardization and eventually begin to shape all facets of UAS development from individual system components to connectivity. pa loads specificall could see a si nificant impact.

Figure 1 | Mercury’s 3U OpenVPX LDS3517 single-board computer is powered by a Xeon D processor and is SOSA-aligned for maximum interoperability and technology reuse. www.militaryembedded.com

Requirements driving sensor payload design elia le communication is ke in attle and e ficient dispersal and anal sis o the data that UAS sensor payloads can collect could be vital to a victorious mission. As outlined in the Tri-Service memo, information-sharing across domains is essential to success on the attlefield. n order or sensor pa loads on unmanned plat orms to achie e this oal industr o ficials assert that common standards ill need to e a re uirement.

MILITARY EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

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MIL TECH TRENDS

SOSA and SFF designs for unmanned platforms

definin s stem inter aces and em racin standards like the . so t are radio protocol, SOSA makes it easier for multiple sensor platforms to be controlled by different operational equipment, to request sensor signal data, and then process it e ficientl sa s od er oskin ice president and co ounder o entek pper Saddle River, New Jersey).

There exists a corresponding push for standardizing not only the hardware- and software-level components of a sensor payload, but also how that sensor system connects with control stations. Whether the sensor load is an electro-optical/infrared sensor or a radar proponents o standardi ation in s are confident that a modular, open architecture could support the needs of multiple customers. he pa load desi ns ill consider an in rastructure definition le era in ell-defined pa load cards or s specified and constrained slot and module profiles sa s Ken Grob, director of embedded computing products at Elma Electronic (Fremont, California) (Figure 2). “Hardware classes include a primary payload, which is the workhorse profile. his profile supports compute-intensi e radio re uenc field-pro ramma le ate arra s sin le oard computers -intensi e s and thernet s itch profiles.

Figure 2 | Elma Electronic’s 3U backplanes – aligned to the SOSA Technical Standard – are available populated with or without VITA 67.3 connectors for timing and RF connectivity, the six-slot and eightslot backplanes designed to enable signal processing systems.

Optimizing the unmanned sensor payload through standardization will in turn require advancements in connectivity. Next-generation technology like 5G could soon enable a more reliable balance between edge computing and ground computing for unmanned sensors.

“Some application standards, things like VICTORY and FACE, allow manufacturers to virtualize a lot of the hardware,” DeChiaro says. “The connectivity is over Ethernet now instead of all these discrete signals, which makes systems easier to upgrade later.

These principles are applicable to all of the platforms, including unmanned.”

Connectivity is key: Unmanned sensor payloads can be rendered useless without robust signal processing. Esoteric, customized systems can be advantageous for an end user, ut companies insist that in order to reduce cost and increase e ficienc standardi ed processing modules are critical for unmanned applications.

Standardization facilitates efficient signal processing he multimodal mission threads defined descri in s nthetic aperture radar and si nals intelli ence are taskin the participants dri in the standard to define and uild re erence architectures to deli er usea le and orkin building blocks,” Grob says. “Modularity is apparent across all areas and output of the standard near-term DoD oals are dri in initiati es to de elop field and deplo s stems defined ith a specific purpose to pro e out and test ho sensors can operate in more than one mode and potentiall e rapidl reconfi ured. he approach o hich is a ke component pro ides a si nificant contri ution to the nearterm plannin defined in ol ed ser ice ranches and la s ithin the DoD. ndustr e perts are confident that standardi ation ill roaden the hori ons or si nal-processin technolo in unmanned a ionics suites. ficials also claim that an additional enefit o makin open architecture a re uirement could e an easier path to ard e uippin processors ith artificial intelli ence and machine learnin (ML) capabilities. e processin de ices include artificial intelli ence and machine learnin en ines to help classify and qualify sensor signals close to the antenna,” Hosking says. “Cognitive radios and adaptive spectral exploitation can help ensure more reliable and more secure radio communication links. SOSA and other open standards are ready to accommodate these new technologies as they emerge.” (Figure 3.)

26 April/May 2021

MILITARY EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Figure 3 | Pentek’s newly released Model 5553 Quartz RFSoC 3U VPX SOSAaligned processor features Gen 3 RFSoC devices with wider signal bandwidths and higher resolution.

The implementation of these openarchitecture initiatives is intended to push the adoption of next-generation technolo ies to authori e more e ficient signal processing overall. From the moment that a UAS receives a signal, down to the second that it reaches the ground station, the way that the gathered information is processed and disseminated could be positively impacted by standardization.

“When you have an architecture like that of SOSA and you have those pools of resource, it makes it easier to bring the algorithm to the data or bring the algorithm to the sensor,” DeChiaro says.

“Bringing the algorithm to the sensor allows for faster processing since you don’t have to wait for transport of the www.militaryembedded.com

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MIL TECH TRENDS large raw data set. You can then send the actionable information back over the network links, which in a lot of cases can be slow or congested. Bringing the algorithm forward gives you a huge advanta e just itsel .

With modular open architecture initiatives enabling more signal processing to be done directly on the unmanned platform, the e er-present o jecti es surroundin the limitation of size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) could become easier to accomplish.

SWaP-C optimization for UAS pulls from commercial sector “While minimizing SWaP is not its most important o jecti e oskin sa s “SOSA will inspire competition from vendors to provide more performance in their board-level products for wider bandwidths, higher channel densities, increased digital signal processor capabilities, and faster system interfaces. ll o these can enefit a in s by reducing the number of boards in s stems.

With the edge computing traditionally being done on the UAS platform, space has been at a premium. Now – as industries see the maturation of 5G, minimal-latency connectivity, and higher throu hput manu acturers are confident that the previously mentioned balance between ground-station processing and edge processing could save space and minimize heat, while standardized architectures could reduce cost.

“With respect to SOSA PICs, or payload implementation, technology roadmaps dri e si nificantl more po er ul chip sets and single-chip solutions,” Grob says.

“Cooling and constraint methodologies are evolving, allowing thermal and power approaches to close in a given design, enabling one- and two cardprocessing elements to support new AI and acceleration technologies.”

SWaP-C optimization in UASs isn’t a challenge exclusive only to the military.

Commercial avionics and urban air mobility (UAM) markets are facing the same o stacles and can reap the enefits www.militaryembedded.com

SOSA and SFF designs for unmanned platforms o modular architectures all the same these industries just ha e the a ilit to address them more quickly.

The military-acquisition process is very regimented, but industry experts claim that they are seeing inspiration being taken from the commercial sector and UAM. Mercury Systems’ Song claims that seeing this activity in the UAM space is a hopeful sign for both commercial and military UASs because it could mean cycle time to develop new technology will be faster and could be leveraged for use in in defense architectures. is tr in man di erent architectures more than ou could e er dream o in commercial and military avionics,” Song says. “What that means: You’re going to have a lot of fragmented solutions in the meantime. But they are going to converge into two or maybe three architectures that will be the evolution of next-generation avionics architecture to implement in military unmanned avionics and sensor load.” MES

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MIL TECH TRENDS

Simplifying the integration of Assured PNT with CMOSS/SOSAaligned solutions

By Jason DeChiaro

From a design and engineering perspective, there are many moving parts to consider and combine in order to arrive at a position, navigation, and timing (PNT) truth. In addition, solutions must be easy to integrate into the available space on existing platforms, whether they are unmanned aerial systems (UASs) or other aircraft, ground-based operations, or systems at sea. They must provide reliable positioning information in GPS-degraded environments, where tall buildings, heavy foliage, and underground positions can affect signal quality, as well as in GPSdenied environments where adversaries have intervened to jam or compromise GPS signals.

30 April/May 2021

SOSA and SFF designs for unmanned platforms

Partially autonomous or unmanned trucks shown during a U.S. Army experiment on a Michigan highway. U.S. Army photo.

Designing and developing an open standards-based deployable solution for assured position, navigation, and timing (A-PNT) that relies on information from multiple complementary sources, is not an easy task. In order to leverage today’s leading modular open systems approach standards, a desirable solution ill e ali ned ith the . . rm ’s ommand ontrol omputers ommunications er ntelli ence ur eillance and econnaissance Modular Open Suite of Standards (CMOSS), The Open Group Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA) Technical Standard, and the OpenVPX timing module. These solutions must be attained using the space-constrained 3U OpenVPX form factor preferred by CMOSS and SOSA. Holistic A-PNT practices in action A holistic approach to A-PNT is based on multiple complementary PNT technologies that leverage proven and trusted techniques to arrive at A-PNT truth and provide a trusted solution that will protect personnel and equipment in the field. hether on tactical and com at ehicles unmanned aerial s stems s unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), or aircraft, proven hardware products with PNT capabilities can be upgraded to deliver higher performance and more sophisticated capa ilities as technolo e ol es ensurin arfi hters al a s have access to the latest innovations to keep them safe and steps ahead of adversaries. Modules and systems designed in alignment with open standards such as the SOSA Technical Standard will simplify and reduce the cost of interation. he ollo in is an o er ie o just a e o the technical challen es involved in developing effective and reliable A-PNT solutions.

Data processing Data from all available PNT sources must be processed in a way that enables accurate positionin in ormation to e pro ided to arfi hters and s stems when needed. Computing solutions must be able to process data that is received

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from a wide variety of sources, at different times, and in different formats.

Complex data-processing algorithms are required to amalgamate and process all of this information in a way that accounts for varying and disparate temporal and spatial data. All of this processing must be completed extremely quickly so that people and systems always have access to accurate PNT information.

Data distribution Once the data is processed, it must be made available to a variety of other systems and clients on the platform. The data may also need to be made available to systems on associated platforms in the field and at command centers. he main challenge here is that deployed platforms combine a variety of legacy and modern systems and clients with differing levels of sophistication, communications interfaces, and data processing requirements. Each system to which PNT information will be distributed – and more importantly, A-PNT information – must be considered.

Interoperability A-PNT solutions must also be able to interoperate with existing legacy and modern systems on the deployed platform and must also anticipate future interoperability requirements. Hardware interoperability is challenging because it means A-PNT solutions must support the right combination of physical interfaces and pinouts to connect to legacy, modern, and future systems. Software interoperability is challenging because it means software must be easily updatable to support new capabilities and technologies as they emerge. In short, the entire A-PNT solution must be designed to interoperate with past, present, and future hardware and software.

Ease of use and flexibility A-PNT solutions must provide PNT information to arfi hters in a a that is ast and easy for them to access and understand, even while they are on the move or in dangerous situations. This is challen in ecause arfi hters are alread very familiar with GPS systems and how GPS information is provided. The transition to A-PNT information must be in isi le so arfi hters can continue to focus on mission tasks rather than struggle with unfamiliar controls and www.militaryembedded.com

information formats. Developing A-PNT solutions that deliver an imperceptible level o chan e across all o the di erent s stems in ol ed is e tremel di ficult rom e er perspective – physical design, installation, integration, and usability.

Benefiting users and integrators It’s a lot to ask of holistic A-PNT systems, addressing all of these challenges and requirements. With an A-PNT solution based on multiple complementary PNT information sources arfi hters ha e a ar etter a ilit to understand and respond to threats on the attlefield. he can uickl rasp the e act state o si nals and then use this insight in a strategic way to conduct navigation warfare (NAVWAR), thereby enabling them to take defensive and offensive actions based on PNT information they trust to be accurate and uncompromised.

Knowing that GPS information is always at risk and that the information received may not e accurate adds considera le stress to alread di ficult situations. hen arfi hters are orkin ith trusted in ormation rom complementar sources the no longer have to worry about the risks associated with a single point of failure. With

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MIL TECH TRENDS in ormation arfi hters ha e a higher level of trust in the information based on the knowledge that a range of defenses have been applied to protect against the possibility that inaccurate information will be provided.

A-PNT that is seamlessly integrated into the available space on the platform makes it eas or arfi hters to transition from GPS to A-PNT information.

Instead of having to think about the technology transition or learn new ways of operating, all actions related to location information are natural and intuitive or the arfi hter.

Figure 1 | The 3U OpenVPX board is aligned with CMOSS, the SOSA Technical Standard, and the OpenVPX timing module standard.

SOSA and SFF designs for unmanned platforms Open standards-based A-PNT and radial clock module An example of an open standards-based solution for A-PNT is the Curtiss-Wright’s VPX3-673 module. The 3U OpenVPX board is aligned with CMOSS, the SOSA Technical Standard, and the OpenVPX timing module standard. The variant module contains a GPS/GNSS receiver (M-CODE or SAASM), chip scale atomic clock (CSAC), and an onboard inertial measurement unit (IMU), all within a single slot. The module is intended for radial clock distribution applications and can provide a server for various low-power timing services. (Figure 1.)

The 10 degree of freedom IMU enables precise motion tracking in a denied or untrusted GPS environment. Support for an onboard GB-GRAM type II GPS with or - D support is pro ided includin dedicated eroi e and ke fill unctionality. An RS-232 port and RF 1 PPS input are provided for interfacing with an external RS-232 GPS sources.

MES Jason DeChiaro is a system architect at Curtiss-Wright.

He received his electrical engineering degree, with distinction, from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. His responsibilities include supporting customers in architecting deployable VPX systems including CMOSS-/SOSA-compliant designs. Jason has over 15 years of engineering experience in the defense industry supporting the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, and U.S. Navy as well as the IC community. In addition to architecting VPX systems, Jason also supports customers’ assured position, navigation, and timing (A-PNT) requirements.

Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions • https://www.curtisswrightds.com/

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INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

Moore’s Law – or the law of more?

By Todd Prouty

The insatiable demand for instantaneous information extends to the tactical edge and into the realm of unmanned aerial vehicles.

But can underpinning technologies match that reach?

The Global War on Terror – postSeptember 11, 2001 – highlighted battlefields riddled ith unprecedented threats and blind spots, including concealed hideouts into which violent enemies could quickly disappear after attacks. The U.S. military had drone capabilities, but using them to track enemy movement was, as frequently described, like looking through a soda straw. A decade ago, the U.S. military rolled out sweeping unmanned video capture technology via Gorgon Stare, a wide-area persistent surveillance sensor system attached to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of capturing entire cities’ worth of motion imagery.

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caption

Ten years ago, the technology was revolutionary in augmenting surveillance and reconnaissance, but for actionable intelligence, troops still lacked the necessary highspeed connectivity to move the imagery and full-motion video (FMV) quickly enough to inform decision-making. Over time, forces eventually could leverage faster, more high-speed processing for rapidly collecting and disseminating visual data.

The continued evolution of high-speed technology in theater, mounted sensors, and data exploitation has unleashed a new era in the tactical deployment of UAVs. This transformation has given rise to UAVs equipped to track enemy forces with live FMV eeds the emer ence o open-source ideo streamin and other hi h-fidelit tools for real-time situational awareness and reliable decision-making.

This transformation has also created an urgent demand for increasingly high-capacity and -speed data processing, intelligence mining, and information sharing, placing extraordinary pressure on deployed IT networks. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and industry are partnering to expand high-speed data transmission to meet the ro in demand or artificial intelli ence and inte ration at the tactical edge. Likewise, the Army is currently two years into its integrated tactical networkmodernization effort aimed at boosting resilience and advancing functionality. Are these efforts enough to keep up with near-peer adversaries?

Much of this work is coming together under the Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) approach. JADC2 – the DoD’s concept to connect sensors from all of the military services into a single network – aims to interconnect troops and technologies across platforms, and multidomain operations. By bringing the cutting ed e to the tactical ed e joint orces can colla orati el and e ecti el con ront amorphous and increasingly sophisticated adversaries. (Figure 1.)

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Figure 1 | Tech. Sgt. John Rodiguez provides security with a Ghost Robotics Vision 60 prototype at a simulated austere base during the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, during September 2020. The ABMS is an interconnected battle network – the digital architecture or foundation – that collects, processes, and shares data relevant to warfighters in order to make better decisions faster. The Air Force is developing the ABMS to implement the Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) approach. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Cory D. Payne.

Ongoing platform integration and proliferation of the “Internet of Battlefield Things” will require machine-speed processing and exploitation, adding to the overall complexity.

“We are leading a continuous Army modernization effort to ensure our future warfighters possess the concepts, capabilities, and organizational structures they need to dominate a uture attlefield sa s hie arrant ficer hris est rook senior technical advisor for the Army’s Network-Cross Functional Team (N-CFT).

Westbrook stresses how testing and prototyping will help enhance network capacity, resilience, and convergence to support the compute demand on interconnected systems and platforms. www.militaryembedded.com

“From the numerous white papers down to the few selected prototypes, we are providing a rigorous and agile method for pivotal and innovative technologies to transition into ull fielded capa ilities he sa s. ri . en. o ollins rm pro ram e ecuti e o ficer or ommand ontrol Communications-Tactical, notes his emphasis on the multidomain integration of sensor intelli ence particularl rom air orne plat orms militar and commercial includin s. o him this is part and parcel o the trajector to ard an e ecti e JADC2 implementation. Integrating AI can provide algorithms that, for example, harness computer vision and machine learning to comb through UAV feeds, automatically keying in on and targeting enemy movement.

Deep sensin needs to e a i ocus or multidomain operations le era in oth national and commercial capa ilities specificall in space and manned and unmanned aerial intelli ence sur eillance and reconnaissance and collecti el takin that s nthesi in o data to in orm mission command he sa s.

Is the crucial steppingstone getting overlooked?

The reality is that few of JADC2’s many ambitious and expansive goals can be achieved without the computing power that’s fundamental to delivering real-time data processing, AI algorithms, high-speed data relay, and intelligence fusion from multiple domains.

Even the promise of what’s being tested today for tomorrow’s application won’t be possible without a behind-the-scenes computing evolution – especially when it comes to compute solutions that are both available for and can reliably perform at the tactical edge. Evolving from central processing units (CPUs) to graphics processing units (GPUs) and now to data processing units (DPUs) is driving a commensurate transformation in mission capability.

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INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

Interconnect technologies for unmanned platforms

t used to e just a demand to et the in ormation uickl no e’re seein a mo e toward taking decision-making out to the edge, in the air – instantaneous and actionable intelligence,” says Chris Cargin, technical director at Crystal Group.

That technology must undergo a transformation of its own before it can be deployed into the harsh conditions o the attlefield en ironment. rom indi idual sensors to interconnect mechanisms to GPUs/DPUs, the often-fragile components must be ruggedized to perform regardless of temperatures, precipitation, shock, vibration, exposure, or other potentially damaging conditions – including altitude for UAVs. oda ’s models are ein optimi ed and impro ed so al orithmic capa ilit can fit into a smaller ootprint and mounted onto a not just to collect data like or on Stare or watch video streams and make decisions after the fact,” Cargin notes. “Now, the goal is to execute next-generation, on-UAV decisions in real time using detailed information being detected in-theater.”

Next-generation abilities will harness and apply the processing capabilities of GPUs and DPUs deployed on UAVs to execute cloud-based intelligence operations, realtime decisions, and AI algorithms. They must also achieve a delicate but critical balance between compute capacity and size, weight, and power.

“Our vision is to keep putting heavy processing as high and as forward as possible without compromising compute,” Cargin says. “It’s really about giving commanders options.” hat’s the clear mandate tactical e i ilit deli ered throu h hi h-speed processin and data sharing anytime, anywhere. Ongoing platform integration and proliferation o the nternet o attlefield hin s ill re uire machine-speed processin and exploitation, adding to the overall complexity. Multipurposing UAVs for a range of missions and applications ill urther add to this massi e data in u . i ure .

Industry is partnering with the military to understand the requirements and help develop open-source, modular solutions that provide forward-edge interoperability, network processing, commercial cloud capabilities, and AI tools. It’s a race against an accelerating version of Moore’s Law, which states that the number of transistors on a computer chip doubles every two years. Today, according to AI research group OpenAI, AI capabilities are doubling every 3.5 months, which renders today’s

Figure 2 | Members of the 6th Special Operations Squadron use a tablet running Tactical Assault Kit (TAK) to upload coordinates during an exercise showcasing the capabilities of the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) in late 2019. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Joshua J. Garcia.

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software-defined systems only 10% as capable after a year and only 1% as capable after two years from the day it was designed.

This is where the evolution in DPUs, modular capabilities, and tactical-edge processing will be crucial. Integrating DPUs – along with open-source, continuously upgraded components developed through agile processes – will catalyze real-time sorting and calculating. This approach will also bring the network forward to the edge and help realize the high-powered goals of a data-driven, dominant military. ike the rest o the attlefield technolo transformation elements, though, it will take time to transition. New network switches, processors, and the emerging wave of CPUs, GPUs, smart network interface cards (SmartNICs), and DPUs will all help execute both AI deep learning and inference at the edge, while also ensuring the modules and their functions are secure, rugged, and optimized for integration and collaboration. ast all in a irtual riefin held the Air Force Association’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, Preston Dunlap, chief data architect for the Air Force, compared those modules to Lego pieces, notin e er thin must fit into place to operate cohesively and effectively.

Dunlap stated during the briefing: “Underpinning all this is digital engineering: Open architecture and open standards that ensure those e o locks just like real Legos – actually snap together and work.” MES Todd Prouty is a business-development manager at Crystal Group. He’s spent more than 15 years directing product development in avionics and communications systems, with particular focus on the military market.

Crystal Group https://www.crystalrugged.com/ www.militaryembedded.com

THE LATEST, MOST INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS AND TECHNOLOGY

THE RESOURCE GUIDE PROVIDES INSIGHT ON EMBEDDED TOOLS AND STRATEGIES FOR MILITARY-SPECIFIC TECHNICAL SUBJECTS The September 2021 Military Embedded Systems Resource Guide will focus on embedded hardware and software used in military applications: Our Special Report will examine the role of increasingly sophisticated shipboard electronics, while additional features will report on the latest test and measurement trends. We’ll aim the Industry Spotlight on the always-relevant issue of obsolescence and counterfeit parts in the supply chain. The ongoing subject of open standards for embedded military systems will undoubtedly make an appearance.

The September 2021 Resource Guide – our biggest of the year – will also highlight such key electronics-buying categories as avionics, communications, cybersecurity, electronic warfare, embedded hardware and software, obsolescence/EOL, radar, RTOS and tools, RF and microwave, and safety certification. Don’t miss this special jam-packed issue.

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INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

sFPDP: optimized data transport, an alternative to Ethernet

By Patrick Mechin and Philippe Marvin Today’s sensors can collect and generate huge amounts of data, all of which must be moved somewhere for processing.

There are several alternatives for communication links between sensors and processing elements. Designers want to benefit from the highest-speed protocols available to design or upgrade their systems. A popular choice is Ethernet, but there are alternatives: One of those choices is serial Front Panel Data Port (sFPDP) – as defined by VITA 17.1 – which presents a low-latency protocol for sensor data interconnection that is widely used by the military embedded industry.

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he ori inal standard called ront anel Data ort D as defined to meet the need of high-speed and optimized communication between two points inside a processing cabinet, usually two VME racks.

The FPDP bus was intended to provide data transfer between two or more VMEbus boards as fast as 160 MB/sec with the lowest possible latency, while not compromising existing VMEbus and other connections on the chassis P1 and P2 connectors. FPDP was connected by means of an 80-conductor ribbon cable connector at the front panel of the VMEbus board. The wiring topology was in the form of a bus and multiple FPDP buses may coexist in a single VMEbus enclosure. FPDP was restricted to short distances (less than 1 m or 3.28 feet), mainly point-to-point and based on a very lightweight protocol focused on e ficienc rather than unctionalit .

Beginning in the early 2000s, communication buses started moving from parallel to serial to offer higher bandwidth and longer distance capabilities. the VITA 17.1 serial FPDP (sFPDP) was created for the embedded industry. The initial instance, released in 2015, supported data rates as fast as 10 Gbaud.

As in the original parallel bus version, sFPDP is simple to implement and use. n ineers can implement it ithin an field-pro ramma le ate arra or application-specific inte rated circuit ith little di ficult .

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... the sFPDP protocol has been widely adopted by the defense engineering community for applications in which high-speed links and real-time are mandatory. For example, it might be used for communication between complex sensors and processing units in harsh environments for applications in radar, sonar, test, and more. between complex sensors and processing units in harsh environments for applications in radar, sonar, test, and more.

The evolution of sFPDP he s D standard as updated in to mo e a a rom the concept o defined link rates and instead allowed any link rate to be used. The ANSI/VITA 17.3-2018 sFPDP Gen 3 standard also supports multilane channel bonding and advanced 64B/67B encoding to greatly increase the bandwidth capabilities of the link. n addition the seriali ation ena led the use o optical links there si nificantl increasing distances of communication, boosting protection against electromagnetic interference, and opening the door for communication rates well above 10 Gb/sec.

sFPDP is a well-known protocol in defense, research, and medical markets. ajor ke pla ers aco stems Curtiss-Wright, Galleon EC, Mercury Systems, Pentek, and others – have designed many products to simplify the implementation of sFPDP that do not require additional FPGA development by the user.

These products are used in embedded applications through rugged XMC modules or in lab equipment (data recorders or test benches). Thanks to widespread deployment, sFPDP is a staple for realtime applications in the field o sensor computer links.

Thanks to these advantages, the sFPDP protocol has been widely adopted by the defense engineering community for applications in which high-speed links and real-time are mandatory. For example, it might be used for communication www.militaryembedded.com

Serial FPDP Gen 3.0 is conceptually based on the control signals and data structure used by Serial FPDP Gen 1.0, and consequentially, is designed to enable a straightforward migration from sFPDP Gen 1.0 to sFPDP Gen 3.0. While not directly compatible with sFPDP Gen 1.0 at the physical level due to the different encoding scheme used the protocol defined in this standard supports the same ramin t pes o control, and link topologies as found in the sFPDP Gen 1.0 standard. The Physical odin u la er used s D en . is defined the industr -standard Interlaken Framing Layer. Serial FPDP Gen 3.0 supports all of the features found in the Serial FPDP Gen 1.0 standard and also utilizes three different frame types (Serial Fiber rames to implement the our data rame t pes ori inall defined in the parallel D standard. he primar o jecti e o the erial D en . standard is to dramaticall increase the bandwidth and scalability of the Gen 1.0 standard while remaining fully backward-compatible at the user interface level to ensure easy system upgrades from Gen 1.0 to Gen 3.0.

Serial FPDP Gen 3.0 offers many enhancements not found in the Gen 1.0 standard, namely multilane channel bonding, full CRC protection over all status and control si nals more than and idth e ficienc ith encodin and scram lin and use o indi idual user data lock identification and error reportin that ena les guaranteed delivery and retransmit mechanism.

The new standard allows a higher-than-10 Gb/sec transfer rate with no limit. In addition to this ke eature ne unctionalities e pand the s D field o applications ANSI/VITA 17.3-2018 enables direct communication between sensors and processing boards but also enables communication with each other over greater distances.

The benefits of sFPDP In opposition to “general-purpose” protocols or networks, the sFPDP protocol is dedicated to point-to-point communication. It reduces the protocol overhead and optimizes latency.

Thanks to sFPDP, the links are: ›

ficient he ratio total o transmitted data e ecti e olume o transmitted data, is close to 1

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› Determinist: sFPDP’s ease of use enables FPGA implementation which free jitters rom and inu › Low-latency: The light and tunable data framing enables data transfers with low latency. This low latency is mandatory when talking about demanding applications like electronics countermeasures or simulation › Reliable: Topologies offered by sFPDP protocol – point-to-point, copy, copy loop pre ent an loss o rames At the same time, the industrial market has seen the emergence and popularization of 10 Gb Ethernet. In a few short years, this trend has spread into embedded applications. Today, system architects compare both protocols as equal. (Figure 1.)

Yet, sFPDP and 10 Gb Ethernet are not real competitors. sFPDP vs 10 Gb Ethernet: Let’s compare Ethernet is ubiquitous, so hardware choices are limitless. An attractive advantage of Ethernet is the abundance of low-cost, high-performance equipment driven by the IT industry.

Ethernet has key advantages for embedded applications and real time: 1. Performance evolutions of Ethernet allow use in high-speed applications thernet 2. Ethernet UPD implementation offers high-bandwidth capabilities for data transfer 3. Popularization and wide deployment of Ethernet leads to low-cost hardware dedicated to IT or consumer market One more thing: Ethernet and its IP, TCP, or UDP protocols do not require special hard are or firm are desi n skills or specific hard are. t first lance s D and thernet appear to e remarka l similar. et i e look deeper, we will see differences in their concepts. These differences will impact the s stem per ormance o an project.

Data rate oth support similar data rates at the ph sical la er. o e er s D is more e ficient with its lighter protocol stack. This reduces software overhead and protocol layers making it a faster solution given equal hardware implementations. Winner: sFPDP. Offload ne o the stren ths o thernet D is that it is specific-hard are- ree. ut it must be managed by the CPU and its operating system, which are not always the best tools to manage the protocol. Therefore, lot of CPU resources will be wasted and removed from application data processing. Alternatively, the user can implement a dedicated

o oad en ine ut that takes it all ack to dedicated hardware. So: sFPDP can easily be implemented in an FPGA, frequently available in sensor applications, thus freeing the CPU from this task. Winner: sFPDP, if an FPGA is available.

Latency: sFPDP sFPDP is a light protocol (no connection or session) which enables minimum latency, especially important in electronic countermeasures where real-time responses are critical. Even when throwing a lot of processing power at Ethernet, it will still come up short compared to sFPDP. Winner: sFPDP. Determinism: sFPDP Determinism is critical for real-time response. For example, time-stamping data frames for higher accuracy is important for recording analysis and accurate playback. This accuracy is impossible in the case where the CPU is used to execute a UDP/IP stack on Ethernet networks.

To obtain equal accuracy, complex protocols must be deployed which are not compliant with embedded applications.

It’s possible to implement the UDP/IP protocol on ut it’s ine ficient choosing to run a heavy protocol with low determinism may not be wise if the platform is FPGA-based and sFPDP could be used.

Using an FPGA for sFPDP makes it possible to obtain a high degree of determinism for the reception and emission of data and to manage the protocol.

Winner: sFPDP. Topology One of the biggest advantages of Ethernet is simplicit and e i ilit . hanks

Figure 1 | Typical serial FPDP process.

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Patrick Mechin, CEO of Techway, founded the company in 2003.

Techway specializes in FPGA technology for real-time systems in defense and avionics applications. Patrick previously served as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of VMETRO (Norway).

Figure 2 | The Raven is a VITA 17.3compliant sFPDP PCIe platform with FPGA processing.

to the use of switches, hubs, or sniffers (for debug), complex, repetitive, and evolving networks can be built. However, the more complex the network, the less deterministic the data flow. Moreover, if the application implements pointto-point connection with Ethernet, most of the feature advantages of Ethernet are wasted.

Philippe Marvin is a field application engineer at Techway; he originally joined Techway as a product manager. During the last 20 years, Philippe has worked for several companies specializing in the embedded defense market, including VMETRO (Norway), Curtiss-Wright (U.S.), and Gaci (France).

Techway • https://www.techway.fr/

sFPDP offers several fundamental topo­logy choices, whether basic system, flow control, bidirectional data flow, copy mode, and copy/loop mode that allow designers to – either temporarily or definitively – add communication nodes into a point-to-point link without modify the performance of the system. All of these modes support the maximum throughput performance. Winner: sFPDP. The choice: Ethernet or sFPDP At first sight, Ethernet appears to be a nice alternative for data transmission, driven by low-cost equipment; once the requirements of real-time applications are considered, though, the Ethernet option appears more challenging and riskier.

If the application requires data transmission with guaranteed high-performance data throughput, secured latency, and easy implementation, sFPDP is the way to go.

Products like the Techway RAVEN PCIe board with four VITA 17.3 sFPDP ports and FPGA processing can be the best way to connect to high-performance sensors. Based on a Xilinx Kintex-7 FPGA, this sFPDP platform supports a data rate as fast as 10 Gb/sec per link. RAVEN includes support for flow control, CRC, framed/unframed, copy/loop modes; it’s also compliant with copper or fiber cabling. (Figure 2.) MES www.militaryembedded.com

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EDITOR’S CHOICE PRODUCTS

Full-spectrum monitoring and data-storage solution uses SDR platform Per Vices, a Canadian company specializing in commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) softwaredefined radio (SDR) solutions, announced the launch of its new spectrum monitoring and recording solution using the company’s high-performance Cyan SDR platform. The new solution is designed to enable as many as 16 independent radio chains, each with 1 GHz of bandwidth for monitoring between near-DC and 18 GHz; it is interfaced with a data storage solution engineered to enable 4 by 40 Gbps of data transfer and storage. The combined radio frequency (RF), storage and playback solution are implemented in a rackmount system and offer as much as 100 TB of total data storage.

With the monitoring/recording solution, engineers and system integrators can monitor 16 GHz of bandwidth at any time; the storage portion is designed to be robust enough to sustain full-rate recording of 4 by 40Gbps data interface. It uses multiple channels for spectrum sweeping while concurrently tuning in to signals of interest. Customers can customize Cyan in order to optimize multiple RF & DSP channels, field-programmable gate array (FPGA) resources and digital logic, RF performance figures, and how much data storage is required. The Cyan SDR solution is aimed at use by governments and regulatory agencies, defense contractors, system integrators, and security companies.

Per Vices Corporation | www.pervices.com

Ethernet XMC card solution aimed at radar and SIGINT applications Designed for high-bandwidth and low-latency interface applications requiring 10/25/40/100Gbs Ethernet, the V1160 XMC from New Wave Design & Verification is an advanced Ethernet XMC card solution that is designed to turn a VPX-based single board computer into a single-slot sensor processor. The V1160 – which features the NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-5 network interface device – is built for use in rugged and harsh environments. The company used the requirements of high-performance embedded computing while conducting component selection, thermal design, and electrical design for the product. This XMC card is designed and tested to VITA 47 environmental standards for air-cooled or VITA 20 conduction cooling.

The V1160 XMC card supports a range of temperatures, so as to be a reliable solution for rugged embedded needs including sensor interface, data distribution, storage, security, and communications. The commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solution is optimized for system size, weight, and power (SWaP)-constrained applications. The design can support electrical or optical Ethernet interfaces and optical options for both backplane and front-panel VPX support. It also features options for 3U VPX, 6U VPX, and PXIe form factor via carrier cards.

New Wave Design & Verification | www.newwavedv.com

PCIe carrier boards with VITA 57.4 site used for optical communications TECHWAY announced new PCIe system-on-chip (SoC) platforms with an FMC+ site, called PFP-ZU+, that are based on Xilinx multiprocessor (MPSoC) devices. The platforms are compliant with the FMC+ standard; PFP-ZU+ fit all VITA 57.1 and VITA 57.4 mezzanine cards and will work with various protocols and interfaces. As a multipurpose board, PFP-ZU+ is engineered to be used for real-time applications. The boards are designed for system integrators who need ready-tointegrate boards that will reduce development time and cost.

The PFP-ZU+’s features include a fully FMC+ site, DDR4 and RLDRAM2 memories, and multiple boot options. Users can access multiple interfaces (Ethernet, display port, USB) from the Arm-based processing system. A new FireFly module, available as an option, can facilitate high-speed optical communication and a direct access line to the data. PFP-ZU+ is designed to be a match for operations between real-time multi-core ARM processors and high-performance UltraScale+ programmable logic. PFP-ZU+ – which can use the Xilinx ZU7CG or ZU11EG devices to optimize the performance/price ratio for high-end applications – can be employed in a standard PC environment with full development kit available for both Windows and Linux or in a preowned enclosure as standalone equipment.

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EDITOR’S CHOICE PRODUCTS

One Stop Systems’ ExpressBox 4400 ruggedized for transportable AI The ExpressBox 4400 from One Stop Systems is engineered to combine a small, rugged form factor with the latest PCIe Gen 4 add-in cards and features to meet the needs of airborne, naval, or ground based transportable artificial intelligence (AI) applications. It can support as many as four NVIDIA A100 PCIe graphics processing units (GPUs), which deliver 2.5 times FP64 performance compared to the NVIDIA V100. The new part has two PCIe Gen 4 x16 HBA/NIC slots for up to 128 Gbyte/sec of sustained data throughput. Alternatively, the 4400 can be configured to provide eight single-width PCIe Gen 4 (x8) slots for FPGA [field-programmable gate array] data ingest or the latest storage add-in cards. Additional features including dynamic fan speed control, IPMI-based system monitoring, replaceable fan filters, and optional SmartNIC host configuration are intended to enable the EB4400 to work as an expansion platform for the entire artificial intelligence (AI) work flow.

Additional features of the EB4400 include PCIe Gen 4 architecture; small, rugged frame design; dynamic fan speed control; configurable slot and host uplinks to optimize throughput; integrated IPMI-based system monitoring; and AC and DC power inlet options. Possible applications include as a GPU compute accelerator, a flash storage array, or an FPGA sensor array.

One Stop Systems | www.onestopsystems.com

Rugged LCD monitor line extended by EIZO EIZO Rugged Solutions has released three rugged LCD monitors to join its current lineup – Talon RGD3202W (32-inch), RGD2802 (28-inch), and RGD2102W (21.5-inch). The Talon series of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) LCD monitors offers a range of sizes, screen resolutions, and feature sets for displaying detailed rugged applications such as those used in naval display systems; target tracking; mission- and ground-control centers; and airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations. Designed to be deployed in extreme environments, the monitors have such rugged features such as sunlight readability, water resistance (conforms to IP65 enclosure standards), built-in heaters, and conformal coating to protect components. They are tested for vibration, shock, altitude, and extreme temperatures to comply with MIL-STD-810 and MIL-STD-461.

The RGD3202W is a 32-inch model with 4K UHD resolution for displaying detailed rugged applications in full across the screen. It is also designed to support simultaneous display from more than one input so multiple applications can be viewed on a single screen, providing operators with a centralized view of important information. The RGD2802 is a 28-inch square model with 2K by 2K resolution, ideal for military and mobile air-traffic control centers. The RGD2102W is a 21.5-inch, full HD model with support for an optional nightvision imaging system using low-light vision equipment.

EIZO | www.eizoglobal.com

New high-power PIN diode limiter modules for EW, radar Teledyne e2v HiRel announced two new additions to its family of high-power limiters: the TDLM052402, a quasi-active, 2 kW, L/S/C-band SMT PIN diode limiter; and the TDLM961122 high-power limiter module, a quasi-active, 1 kW, ARNS/IFF-band SMT PIN diode limiter.

Both devices offer high power CW and peak protection. The new power limiter modules are packaged in a small 8 mm by 5 mm form factor, designed for use in electronic warfare (EW) and radar applications. Built using hybrid assembly technology, the parts are screened and qualified for high-reliability applications. The thermal-management features are built using a proprietary design methodology that minimizes thermal resistance from the PIN diode junction-to-base plate (RTHJ-A). The limiter design employs a two-stage detector circuit which enables ultrafast turn-on of the high-power PIN diodes.

The TDLM052402 is designed for optimal small signal insertion loss, permitting a low receiver noise figure while offering large input signal in the range of 0.5 GHz to 4 GHz. The second device, the TDLM961122, is also designed for optimal small signal insertion loss, enabling a low receiver noise figure while simultaneously offering large input signal in the Aeronautical Radio Navigation Service (ARNS)/ Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) frequency range of 960 MHz to 1215 MHz.

Teledyne | www.teledynedefenseelectronics.com www.militaryembedded.com

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BLOG

Changing at the right time makes all the difference

By Stephen St. Amant, PC104 Consortium President Jay Conrad Levinson (known for the “Guerrilla Marketing” books) offered this advice on advertising: “Don’t change your ads when you’re tired of them. Don’t change them when your employees are tired of them. Don’t even change them when your friends are tired of them. Change them when your accountant is tired of them.”

There’s a parallel here to form factors and embedded systems design: To best serve the needs of customers, you don’t change just to chan e. ou don’t modi specs to orce hard are mi ration, and you don’t introduce new features unless it’s in the best interest of the customer.

This isn’t to say that all things should stay the same. Not at all.

Innovation is critical. Iteration is important, too. But stability – particularly in the embedded marketplace – is what holds the ecosystem together in such a way that there’s viable headroom to innovate.

The PC104 Consortium has long known this and it’s one of the reasons the stackable architecture has stood the test of time.

Where PC104 is thriving The current PC104 specs support a diverse mix of applications and programs. Many of these programs have moved from early development stages to full production and widespread deployment.

As it’s often found supporting large behind-the-scenes defense programs such as unmanned systems, national infrastructure, and high-reliability industrial applications, you won’t frequently hear a out in the headlines. ou’ll hear a out major contract awards and acquisition spending, but mostly, PC104 is one of the many silent contributors to these large-scale operations. Our stackable boards are hidden away in small boxes and subsystems, performing important data collection and number crunching at the edge without garnering a lot of fanfare.

Where you’re more likely to hear PC104 discussed with excitement is in engineering labs. Time and time again, PC104 solves the system integrator’s problem of needing an architecture that is packed with enough performance but is small enough to fit. easona l cooled reasona l priced and read to ship.

“PC104 checks all the boxes on the design brief? We don’t need to design a custom solution from scratch and we aren’t going to break the budget?” Often, the answer is yes; PC104 is what makes it happen.

COVID-19 essentials Much of the United States went into lockdown in March 2020.

During that time, PC104 manufacturers began to receive

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memoranda from federal and state agencies. The basic messa e as this e need ou to remain operational. because of its versatility, reliability, and pound-for-pound, mil-for-mil performance – is currently supporting critical infrastructure around the world. From medical test/diagnostic tools and manufacturing equipment to transportation networks and defense programs, PC104 is essential in keeping things operational.

Where you’re more likely to hear PC104 discussed with excitement is in engineering labs. Time and time again, PC104 solves the system integrator’s problem of needing an architecture that is packed with enough performance but is small enough to fit. Reasonably cooled, reasonably priced, and ready to ship.

It is not an exaggeration to say that much of the world depends on PC104. When you have a stackable embedded architecture powering essential services, you need the engineering and manufacturing teams supporting those products to mask up, to reor ani e or sociall distanced ork o s to keep the li hts on, and to keep the shipping department busy.

Our members are proud to be playing their part in all of it.

Finally, birthdays: a sign of reliability ith kids the first e irthda s are a i deal. ut as time goes on – especially into adulthood – only the big round numbers are celebrated. PC104 is in its late twenties. While that’s no small feat in embedded electronics, we don’t throw a big part e er ear. hat e do is count on our specifications’ a ilit to ser e the industr . o ash in the pan here is a form factor whose reliability in the market is as solid as its relia ilit in the field.

This column originally ran in Military Embedded Systems’ associated publication, PC104 and Small Form Factors.

For more information on PC104, check out https://pc104.org/ or drop a line at info@pc104.org. www.militaryembedded.com

BLOG

How collaboration can lower the barrier of entry to DoD business

By Paul Meyer, Vice President, Raytheon Intelligence & Space In a recent congressional testimony, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks stated that as the United States faces growing security challenges, acquisitions of new technology should “increase warfighting effectiveness, enhance resilience, leverage commercial technology and innovation, and rapidly respond to future threats.” Hicks also called on the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to seek “interorganizational collaboration” to address such challenges, while expressing concern regarding the barriers to entry for technology companies that want to do business with DoD. The reality is that Silicon Valley isn’t the only gateway to innovation within the DoD. While startups and small businesses across the nation can hold the key to technology innovation, they may not have the tools to be successful in sharing their solutions with the government. In a world that requires rapid development and delivery of new solutions with the right domain expertise, small businesses and startup companies may want to consider partnering with an aerospace and defense company.

Deeper understanding of the DoD framework Several barriers of entry exist when conducting business with the DoD, which often cause startups and other small companies to shy away from such business deals. This is where a colla orati e approach is perhaps most eneficial. De ense and aerospace companies know the ins and outs of the government framework. The large companies have the mission domain knowledge to deliver a full solution, integrating the technology that nontraditional companies bring to the table. In this situation, when the technology isn’t exclusive to the more traditional defense company, it nonetheless has the expertise and necessary framework to bring commercial technology to DoD solutions. Collaboration can be considered the gateway for startups and other emerging companies that simply aren’t staffed enough or accustomed to working with the DoD’s comprehensive framework and requirements.

Innovative capabilities from third parties Collaboration opens the door for DoD to receive more technology capabilities from various providers than ever before. n open architecture approach a oids solutions that are locked into one vendor who owns everything – but can have the undesired side effect of stalling innovation, development, and delivery.

An example of taking the best of both worlds and merging them to ether to enefit the DoD is the use o De ec ps de elopment securit and operations and inte rated machine learning (ML) capabilities in TITAN, a new scalable, portable ground station under development to help narrow the sensor-to-shooter timeline. As a tactical ground station – a www.militaryembedded.com

forward-deployed system designed to receive, process and disseminate data – TITAN sifts autonomously through massive amounts o sensor data to find and track potential threats rapidly. TITAN enables users to obtain real-time targeting quality accuracy for every pixel of an image.

The offering is led by Raytheon Intelligence & Space, but it also integrates technology from a wide range of commercial companies, from General Dynamics and Maxar Technologies to Algorithmia, C3.ai, and Esri. Combining commercial tech with Raytheon’s defense innovation provided a rapid solution to a DoD challenge: one of many proof points to demonstrate the capabilities of collaboration.

Accelerated delivery Through collaboration, the speed at which innovation is delivered dramaticall increases creatin a major di erentiator or our government. Technology that will help speed the delivery o inno ati e ser ices is rooted in artificial intelli ence today, numerous startups specialize in AI/ML, meaning they have the keys to power the DoD’s next breakthrough technology. The way in is through what Deputy Secretary Hicks refers to as interorganizational collaboration.

A good example of this approach in action is the Raytheon Intelligence & Space alliance with C3.ai, a leader in ML known for its AI development platform and its work with the U.S. Air Force. The partnership aims to speed AI adoption across the DoD, pairing our expertise in the aerospace and defense sector with C3.ai’s AI development and applications.

Ultimately, it’s not about who is going to deliver the technology; instead, it’s about delivering the right solutions to the customer, regardless of where the technology comes from. The main goal should be to support the DoD and to ensure that the government has the proper tools and technology needed to keep the U.S. and our allies safe. he DoD re uires inno ati e solutions and ser ices not just from the traditional organizations it regularly deals with, but also from nontraditional and commercial companies who are innovating their own way, at their own pace. Through collaboration with an enabler like traditional larger defense and aerospace companies, the barrier to enter DoD business is significantl lo er makin the . . o ernment etter-e uipped to adopt innovation from more than one provider, ultimately making the U.S. stronger, faster, and more secure.

Paul Meyer is Vice President, Raytheon Intelligence & Space Raytheon Intelligence & Space • https://www.rtx.com/

MILITARY EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

April/May 2021

45

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CONNECTING WITH MIL EMBEDDED

By Editorial Staff

GIVING BACK | PODCAST | WHITE PAPER | BLOG | VIDEO | SOCIAL MEDIA | WEBCAST

GIVING BACK

Active Valor

Each issue, the editorial staff of Military Embedded Systems will highlight a different charitable organization that enefits the militar eterans and their amilies. e are honored to co er the technolo that protects those who protect us every day. To back that up, our parent company – OpenSystems Media – will make a donation to every group we showcase on this page. his issue e are hi hli htin cti e alor a nonprofit or ani ation started ormer a err ee that aims to i e ne purpose to veterans transitioning to civilian life. According to Yee, “The different programs that we offer with Active Valor were desi ned to i e these men and omen and m sel the opportunit to ser e their countr a ain just in a di erent a . e ant to sho these eterans the alue o ho the are and hat the ha e accomplished in li e and that just ecause the don’t ear the uniform anymore, their efforts and service is still needed by many.” ne o the or ani ation’s major outreach initiati es is alor d entures in hich eteran mentors are paired up ith children who have lost an active-duty military parent. Under the program, the so-called Gold Star Kids are able to spend some time with someone who has walked in the shoes of their lost loved one. The veteran-kid team are able to participate in mission-based ad entures that promote pro lem sol in communit uildin sel -confidence critical thinkin and hands-on un. he children are able to learn different skill sets from the mentor that they wouldn’t be able to obtain elsewhere, while the mentor veterans are able to create bonds with families who know their situations. cti e alor eterans are also in ol ed in sendin care packa es to acti e-dut ser ice mem ers participatin in roup fitness challenges and fundraisers, and training and placing service dogs with veterans.

For more information, visit the Active Valor website at https://activevalor.com/

WHITE PAPER

WEBCAST

MOSA and Open – What is Real? Fiction?

Sponsored by RTI (Real Time Innovations) The Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) is now a dominant strategy in military procurements. For instance, L3Harris is now using MOSA to win new defense programs that break down traditionally stovepiped system architectures with their dedicated supply chains. The new programs are replacing these systems with standardsbased hardware and software components that can be readily updated in a more open supplier market. But what really is a MOSA system?

Join Chip Downing, senior market development director of Aerospace & Defense at RTI, for a discussion on what is and hat ualifies as open architectures, open standards, and open source. Downing will also compare industry standards like ARINC 653, DDS, Eclipse, FACE, OMS, POSIX, and the emerging SOSA ensor pen stems rchitecture solution.

Increasing density in defense electronic systems

By Robert Stanton, Director of Technology, Omnetics Today’s high-density circuitry is rapidly available and can assist in the race for electronic warfare (EW) readiness and supremacy. Miniature connector and cable s stems are read to fit ithin these ne technolo ies toda .

Rather than connecting multiple systems into a complex printed circuit stack or module, designers can now use advanced chip and sensor devices that offer total circuit functions on one chip. New chip families are built to process complex signals needed in defense electronics. These advanced chips are rapidly increasing signalprocessing speeds within embedded systems by combining multiple functions within each chip.

These new multifunction chips and circuit modules directly support high-mobility circuits for unmounted soldiers, robots, and small satellite constellations operating at the low Earth orbit (LEO) level.

View the webcast: https://bit.ly/32XrJs0

Read this white paper: https://bit.ly/3sUexPi

View more webcasts: https://militaryembedded.com/webcasts

Read more white papers: https://militaryembedded.com/whitepapers

46 April/May 2021

MILITARY EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

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TECHNOLOGY MAKING YOUR HEAD SPIN? WE CAN HELP YOU MAKE SENSE OF IT ALL

Military Embedded Systems focuses on embedded electronics – hardware and software – for military applications through technical coverage of all parts of the design process. The website, Resource Guide, e-mags, newsletters, podcasts, webcasts, and print editions provide insight on embedded tools and strategies including technology insertion, obsolescence management, standards adoption, and many other military-specific technical subjects.

Coverage areas include the latest innovative products, technology, and market trends driving military embedded applications such as radar, electronic warfare, unmanned systems, cybersecurity, AI and machine learning, avionics, and more. Each issue is full of the information readers need to stay connected to the pulse of embedded militaryembedded.com technology in the military and aerospace industries.

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