COTS Journal

January 2017, Volume 19 – Number 1 • cotsjournalonline.com

The Journal of Military Electronics & Computing JOURNAL

5

Leading Processor Architectures for Defense

JEFF'S PICKS JEFF'S TOP RUGGED LAPTOPS AND TABLETS DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION ENABLES CONNECTED NAVY DATA SHEET: RUGGED ETHERNET SWITCH BOARDS

An RTC Group Publication

Innovation

That Protects.

When data protection is mission critical, you can trust mercury’s secure solid state drives (ssds). our ssds provide exceptional data-at-rest protection against intruders, even in the harshest environments. these rugged drives are engineered and manufactured in our

dmea

trusted facility and our commitment to long-

term product support guard against obsolescence risk.

Key Features: • Densities from 32GB to 1TB • Multiple form-factors from onboard BGA’s to 2.5” removable platforms • AES 256 XTS encryption • Multiple key management modes • High-speed purge, clear and sanitization validation • Meets all DoD military purge protocols • Customizable security features and packaging options

Visit mrcy.com/SSD to learn more.

Copyright © 2016 Mercury Systems and Innovation That Matters are trademarks of Mercury Systems, Inc. - 3193

The Journal of Military Electronics & Computing JOURNAL

CONTENTS

COTS (kots), n. 1. Commercial off-the-shelf.

Terminology popularized in 1994 within U.S. DoD by SECDEF Wm. Perry’s “Perry Memo” that changed military industry purchasing and design guidelines, making Mil-Specs acceptable only by waiver. COTS is generally defined for technology, goods and services as: a) using commercial business practices and specifications, b) not developed under government funding, c) offered for sale to the general market, d) still must meet the program ORD. 2. Commercial business practices include the accepted practice of customer-paid minor modification to standard COTS products to meet the customer’s unique requirements.

—Ant. When applied to the procurement of electronics for he U.S. Military, COTS is a procurement philosophy and does not imply commercial, office environment or any other durability grade. E.g., rad-hard components designed and offered for sale to the general market are COTS if they were developed by the company and not under government funding.

January 2017 Volume 19 Number 1

FEATURED p.10 Multiple Factors Push Five Processor Architectures to the Lead SPECIAL FEATURE Five Leading Processor Architectures for Defense 10

16

Multiple Factors Push Five Processor Architectures to the Lead

DEPARTMENTS 6 Editorial

The Long Game

Jeff Child

ARINC 818 Continues Success as Avionics Display Protocol Paul Grunwald, Great River Technology

8

The Inside Track

33

COTS Products

46

Marching to the Numbers

TECH RECON Jeff Child’s Top Rugged Laptops & Tablets 20

Atom-Based Rugged Tablet Blends Thin Design and Security Features Jeff Child

SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT Connected Solutions for the Navy 21

Digitization Trend Benefits U.S. Navy on Multiple Levels Joe Beel, Cisco Systems

DATA SHEET Ethernet Switch Boards Roundup 28

29

Coming in February See Page 44 On The Cover: The modernized version of the G-5Galaxy boasts a glass cockpit incorporating incorporates multifunctional display units, multimode communications, navigation radios, a flight management system and a digital autopilot. Shown here an MRAP vehicle rolls off a C-5 Galaxy at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Tech. Sgt. Eric Petosky).

VPX Dominates Current Crop of Board-Level Ethernet Switches Jeff Child

Ethernet Switch Boards Roundup

Digital subscriptions available: cotsjournalonline.com

COTS Journal | January 2017

3

JOURNAL

The Journal of Military Electronics & Computing

Editorial

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jeff Child, jeffc@rtc-media.com EXECUTIVE EDITOR Johnny Keggler, johnnyk@rtc-media.com SENIOR EDITOR John Koon, johnk@rtc-media.com

WESTERN REGIONAL SALES MANAGER John Reardon, johnr@rtc-media.com (949) 226-2000 EASTERN REGIONAL SALES MANAGER Ruby Brower, rubyb@rtc-media.com (949) 226-2004

Finance

COTS Journal HOME OFFICE The RTC Group 905 Calle Amanecer, Suite 150 San Clemente, CA 92673 Phone: (949) 226-2000 Fax: (949) 226-2050 www.rtcgroup.com

MANAGING EDITOR James Pirie, jamesp@rtc-media.com

CONTROLLER Cindy Muir, cindym@rtc-media.com (949) 226-2000

EDITORIAL OFFICE Jeff Child, Editor-in-Chief Phone: (603) 429-8301

Art/Production

Publisher

PUBLISHED BY THE RTC GROUP Copyright 2017, The RTC Group. Printed in the United States. All rights reserved. All related graphics are trademarks of The RTC Group. All other brand and product names are the property of their holders.

ART DIRECTOR Jim Bell, jimb@rtc-media.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Hugo Ricardo, hugor@rtc-media.com

4

Advertising

COTS Journal | January 2017

PRESIDENT John Reardon, johnr@rtc-media.com VICE PRESIDENT Aaron Foellmi, aaronf@rtc-media.com

Ultra-High Bandwidth Recording Solutions

Get There in Record Time!

Turnkey Recording Solutions Record at up to 10 GB/s Up to 96 TB SSD Storage

StoreRack Low Cost Turnkey Prototype Platform

StoreBox Compact, Rugged, Deployable

StorePak & StoreEngine VPX Blades for Customized Recording Platforms

www.criticalio.com

EDITORIAL Jeff Child, Editor-in-Chief

The Long Game

I

have now officially lost count of how many U.S. Secretaries of Defense have come and gone since I first joined the COTS Journal staff back in 2002. But if it seems like I’ve given more attention to outgoing SecDef Ashton Carter than any other, you’re not imagining it. I must admit I’m a fan. The main reason I suppose is that his interest and emphasis on technology fits with my own point of view as a technologist. As this issue goes to print, it’s looking certain that Retired Marine General James Mattis will be approved as the Defense Secretary for the next Administration. But here I will devote this column to Ash Carter one last time.

Aston Carter was recently a guest on the Charlie Rose show and he said something that seems obvious but is perhaps an overlooked part of the SecDef role. Carter said that among his important responsibility was to make sure the Department of Defense is prepared for the 30 years just as his predecessors handed over to him a DoD time that was likewise prepared for today. My interest of course is the technology portion of that preparedness.

Secretary Carter devoted a good portion on that subject in his Exit Memo to President Barack Obama published early this month.

The memo outlines Carter’s many accomplishments of the Department of Defense over the last eight years, my vision for the country’s future, and the work that remains in order to achieve that vision.

That the memo’s section “Acquisition Reform: Driving Smart and Essential Technological Innovation” was toward the end of the 10,000word piece makes it no less important. The section Carter said that today other countries trying to catch up with the advances the United States has enjoyed for decades in areas like precision-guided munitions, stealth, cyber, and space. That makes it all the more vital that “America pioneers and dominates the technological frontiers related to military superiority.” Under Carter’s leadership the DoD has pursued new technology development to maintain our military’s technological superiority.

Gone now are the days of the Cold War arms race characterized mostly by strength, with the leader simply having more, bigger, or better weapons. Today’s era of technological competition is uniquely characterized by an additional variable of speed, such that leading the race now depends on who can out-innovate faster than everyone else.

“It’s no longer just a matter of what we buy; what also matters is how we buy things, how quickly we buy them, whom we buy them from, and how quickly and creatively we’re able to upgrade them and repurpose them to be used in different and innovative ways to stay ahead of future threats,” said Carter.

Carter cited one of the Obama Administrations first legislative accomplishments: the passing of the Weapons System Acquisition 6

COTS Journal | January 2017

Reform Act of 2009. It put greater rigor on cost estimates and lead to cancelling or truncating troubled and unaffordable weapons platforms, including the Future Combat System, combat search and rescue helicopter, and the VH-71 Presidential helicopter. Hard choices to end programs that were no longer affordable including production of the C-17 aircraft and the alternate engine program for the Joint Strike Fighter.

According to Carter these decisions to cut underperforming acquisition programs left the defense program in better health. That allowed the Department to pursue a realistic modernization program despite a constrained defense budget — investing in and operationalizing our security by leveraging advances in cyber, space, electronic warfare, neuroscience, biotechnology, robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous learning systems, human-machine collaboration, advanced materials, data analytics, and other areas.

Another important effort under Ash Carters watch was the creation of the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx), which identifies and does business with companies outside the traditional defense orbit; encouraging the adoption of Other Transactions Authority to partner with commercial firms. Also established was the Defense Digital Service, which brings in talent from America’s vibrant, innovative technology community for a time to help solve some of our most complex problems, from speeding development of next-generation GPS to modernizing the Defense Travel System.

In his memo Carter also cited the establishing of six Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MIIs) over the past four years, focused on emerging technologies that hold strategic promise for both DoD and commercial industry, including digital manufacturing, photonics, and flexible hybrid electronics. Moving forward, DoD has plans to open two additional institutes focused on advanced tissue bio-fabrication and robotics in manufacturing environments, committing nearly $500 million in DoD funding for the MII program and achieving over $1 billion in matching funding from non-federal sources.

DoD has also invested in its own DoD Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) enterprise It is a network of laboratories and engineering centers that help make the U.S. military the most innovative in the world. In FY 2017 alone, DoD is proposing to spend nearly $72 billion on research and development. To put that in perspective, that’s more than double what Intel, Apple and Google spent on R&D last year combined.

All those efforts to prepare the U.S. for the next 30 or more years remind me that a prepared U.S. DoD requires a long-term view. Even if judged only on those merits, Secretary Ashton Carter has done his job superbly and with honor.

The

INSIDE TRACK Helicopter EW System to Protect Against Anti-Ship Missile Threats Lockheed Martin has been awarded U.S. Navy development contract to provide MH-60 helicopters with enhanced electronic warfare surveillance and countermeasure capabilities against anti-ship missile (ASM) threats.

The company’s Advanced Off-Board Electronic Warfare (AOEW) Active Mission Payload (AMP) AN/ALQ248 system, is a self-contained EW pod hosted by an MH-60R (Figure 1) or MH-60S, which provides the Navy advanced ASM detection and response capabilities.

The AOEW program builds on Lockheed Martin’s legacy of proven

electronic warfare solutions. The AOEW AMP AN/ALQ-248 can work independently or with the ship’s onboard electronic surveillance sensor, SEWIP Block 2 AN/SLQ-32(V)6, to detect an incoming missile and then evaluate where it is going.

AOEW then uses radio frequency countermeasure techniques to deter the missile. Under this contract, if all options are exercised, Lockheed Martin will deliver up to 18 AOEW AMP AN/ALQ-248 pods to the U.S. Navy. Manufacturing of the AOEW AN/ALQ-248 systems in Syracuse, N.Y., is slated to begin in early 2019 to meet the program’s 2021 initial

operational capability goal.

Figure 1

Lockheed Martin Bethesda, MD (301) 897-6000 www.lockheedmartin.com

Lockheed Martin’s AOEW AMP AN/ ALQ-248 system is a self-contained EW pod hosted by MH-60R (shown) or MH-60S helicopters.

Crystal Group Rugged Server Selected for RealTime SIGINT System

ERAPSCO Awarded $30.3 Million Navy Sonobuoy Contract

Leidos has selected Crystal Group’s RS378 3U rugged server for the Leidos eXpeditionary RT (XRT) system, a real-time signal intelligence system used by the U.S. Army. Leidos’ XRT system is a scalable, high-performance computing platform that extracts real-time, context sensitive situational awareness conditions from enormous quantities and disparate sources of data. The system conducts data analysis on-site and in real-time for in-theater mission planning, intelligence and tactical operations that lead to identifying and locating the enemy.

Crystal Group’s RS378 Rugged 3U server is a high-end computing performer that features Intel’s Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge, Haswell or Broadwell CPU options (Figure 2).

Sparton and Ultra Electronics have announced the award of subcontracts valued at $30.3 million to their ERAPSCO joint venture, for the manufacture of sonobuoys for the United States Navy. The award is a GFY17 ERAPSCO Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract release for sonobuoy requirements under ERAPSCO’s five year contract. ERAPSCO will provide production subcontracts in the amount of $18.5 million and $11.8 million to Ultra Electronics USSI and Sparton De Leon Springs, LLC respectively.

Production will take place at Ultra Electronics USSI’s Columbia City, IN facility and Sparton’s De Leon Springs, FL facility and is expected to be completed by November 2018. Last May the ERAPSCO

8

Figure 2 The RS378 Rugged 3U server is configurable with eight removable 3.5 inch HDD or 2.5 inch SATA or SAS bays and can support up to 16 hot-swappable 2.5 inch HDDs in drive packs.

The server is configurable with eight removable 3.5 inch HDD or 2.5 inch SATA or SAS bays and can be configured for up to 16 hot-swappable 2.5 inch HDDs in drive packs. The system is expandable with up to seven full-height slots, and can be rack mounted on Delrin glides, Jonathan

COTS Journal | January 2017

rails or fixed mounted. The system is 20 inches in depth and weighs between 40-46 lbs.

Crystal Group Hiawatha, IA (319) 378-1636 www.crystalrugged.com

The

INSIDE TRACK joint venture was subcontracts valued at $101.1 million to the Navy sonobuoys for the United States Navy in subcontracts in the amount of $46.8 million and $54.3 million to Ultra Electronics USSI and Sparton De Leon Springs, LLC respectively.

Ultra Electronics Greenford, Middlesex, U.K. +44 (0) 20 8813 4321 www.ultra-electronics.com

Raytheon Selects Triumph to Support Navy Next Gen Jammer Raytheon recently contracted Triumph Group to provide 31 Servo Control Systems in support of the U.S. Navy’s Next Generation Jammer Increment 1 (NGJ Inc 1) program Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase. The Servo Control System consists of four electromechanical actuators and a servo electronics unit, for use in the inlet and exhaust door actuators on the pod. In 2015, Raytheon selected Triumph to provide heat exchangers for NGJ Inc 1. The new three-year NGJ Inc 1 contract expands the services provided by Triumph to include complex systems and system components.

Figure 3 The Next Generation Jammer Increment 1, an external jamming pod, will replace the AN/ALQ-99 tactical jamming system.

According to NAVAIR, Next Generation Jammer Increment 1, an external jamming pod, will replace the AN/ALQ-99 tactical jamming system currently integrated on the EA-18G GROWLER aircraft (Figure 3). It will address advanced and emerging threats alike, as well as the growing numbers of threats. NGJ Inc 1 uses the latest digital, software-based and Active Electronically Scanned Array technologies and will provide enhanced airborne electronic attack capabilities to disrupt and degrade enemy air defense and ground communication systems.

Raytheon Waltham, MA (781) 522-3000 www.raytheoncom

UltiSat Tapped Provide Satellite Bandwidth for GEOINT Missions UltiSat announced that the Defense Information Systems Agency Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization (DISA-DITCO) recently awarded a COMSATCOM Transponded Capacity (CTC) task order to UltiSat to provide Ku-band bandwidth capacity to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) Deployable Communications Systems (NDCS). Services provided will support Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) missions around the world.

UltiSat has extensive experience and a proven track record for supporting U.S. Government and federal agencies as a trusted partner of secure, reliable managed network solutions. UltiSat will provide Ku-band bandwidth and backhaul in the continental United States (CONUS), and Ku-band bandwidth and backhaul outside the continental United States (OCONUS) in order to support

Figure 4 The Shadow v2 UAV is an all-digital, modern system, optimized for new multimission, single-sortie profiles and manned-unmanned teaming.

NDCS GEOINT operations. This task order falls under the Future COMSATCOM Services Acquisition (FCSA) Schedule 70 contract vehicle.

UltiSat Gaithersburg, MD (240) 243 5100 www.ultisat.com

Textron Gets $206 Million Contract for Shadow UAV Sustainment Textron Systems Support Solutions announced that it has been awarded a $206 million contract from the U.S. Army for Shadow Tactical Aircraft System (TUAS) Contractor Logistics Support (CLS). CLS efforts include Systems Sustainment Management, Engineering Support, Contractor Logistics Support Management, Field Service Operations, Depot Material Repair and Management and Post Productions Software Support. This contract will continue Textron Systems Support Solutions’ long-standing support for the 117 Shadow systems that

have been fielded and deployed by the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, Army National Guard, U.S. Special Operations Command and the Australian Defense Forces.

The Shadow v2 is an all-digital, modern system, optimized for new multi-mission, single-sortie profiles and manned-unmanned teaming (Figure 4). The Shadow v2 also includes a high-bandwidth, encrypted data link that enables the aircraft to carry payloads ranging from high-definition video to secure control for prosecution missions. The Army is currently teaming the Shadow v2 system with its Apache helicopter fleet for scouting missions within its combat aviation brigades.

Textron Systems Hunt Valley, MD (410) 666-1400 www.textronsystems.com

COTS Journal | January 2017

9

SPECIAL FEATURE Five Leading Processor Architectures for Defense

10

COTS Journal | January 2017

SPECIAL FEATURE

Multiple Factors Push Five Processor Architectures to the Lead As military system developers balance a thirst for performance versus issues like legacy, life cycles and market acceptance, five processor architectures top their list.

Jeff Child, Editor-in-Chief

W

e are now deep into the era where large amounts of system functionality of military systems are implemented as software running on single board computers or in box-level subsystems. That trend will only ramp up making embedded processors ever more critical in defense systems. The days of hardwired electronic assemblies are long gone. To get an understanding of which processor architectures lead the pack these days we researched a selection of both advanced military programs and tech upgrade ones.

Based on that we did an informal survey of suppliers and users to find out which five processor architectures stand out as the most important enablers for today’s military needs.

And to calibrate this we also looked at all the major new product announcements of processor-based boards and systems marketed toward defense over the past 12 to 18 months.

Because COTS Journal covers those products each month we have pretty good insight on which processors embedded computing suppliers are designing on to their boards and boxes marketed toward their military customers.

COTS Journal | January 2017

11

SPECIAL FEATURE

Nuances of Defense Market Looking at military embedded computing overall, it’s important to kind in mind that defense systems use multiple types of technologies for processing. A lot of signal processing for instance is done using GPUs or FPGAs rather than general purpose processors. But for the scope of this article the focus is on general purpose processors only, not GPUs or FPGAs. Even within the parameters of general purpose processors, simple technical comparisons never tell the complete story in this market. Factors such as legacy, component life cycles and market acceptance all come into play in defense applications.

Moreover, in compute-intensive military applications there are many aspects to computing complexity. There are some cases where pure “number crunching” processing is the main goal, while in others it’s a matter of distributing control nodes throughout a military platform to meet its requirements.

And in still others tight integration or low power is the priority. With all that in mind, the list of five leading processing architectures was culled down to these five: • Intel Core i7 • Intel Xeon-D • Intel Atom • NXP QorIQ • ARM

Intel Core i7 Everywhere If you look back a couple decades, Intel processors had to surmount some tough barriers to penetration in the defense market. Largest of these was the sheer legacy of the competing ( formally Motorola) 68000 processor architecture in military systems. Many of those systems upgraded to the PowerPC processor simply due to the convenience of not rewriting the massive amounts of Power PC embedded software.

The as software deployment became more flexible, that became less of a factor. The problem for Intel processors was that for many years their power dissipation was significantly higher than competitors like the 12

COTS Journal | January 2017

Figure 1 The CIO5-2040 SBC is built using a mirrored architecture implementing two Intel Core i7 Gen5 processors.

The processors are fed with data through four 10Gb Ethernet links and three PCIe Gen3 x8 links routed in the backplane.

PowerPC. That power dissipation required managing a lot of unwanted heat. That’s has long been a major problem in defense where many applications don’t permit fans and instead relying on conduction cooling.

Intel’s line of processors developed for laptop and other portable devices evolved, the power dissipation dropped over the past several years. Fast forward to today and Intel processors like its Core i7 family are now leading edge in terms of mixing cutting-edge performance within a reasonable realm of power dissipation. In that last year or so, more board and box-level products based on the Core i7 have emerged than any other, the latest of which sport the 5th and 6th generation Core i7 processors. Because the military embedded computing market runs a generation behind the consumer and desktop computing market, most of the SBCs and systems releases last year were 5th gen Broadwell Core i7, but some 6th gen Skylake products were in the mix too.

AVX 2.0 extensions and AES-NI instructions as well as hardware-assisted security features. Hyper-Threading Technology allows two threads per core.

An example product with the 5th Gen Core i7 is Mercury Systems’ ( formerly Creative Electronic Systems (CES)), CIO5-2040: a SWaP optimized dual processors SBC combining 1.5 TeraFLOPS and 210K DMIPS of processing power, 40Gb of Ethernet throughput and a composite frame enabling the board to provide its entire capacity all the way up to 85 degrees C. The board was announced at the AUSA show last fall. The CIO5-2040 is built using a mirrored architecture implementing two Intel Core i7 Gen5 processors (Figure 1). The processors are fed with data through four 10Gb Ethernet links and three PCIe Gen3 x8 links routed in the backplane. Thanks to a built-in PCIe switch with three Gen3 x8 links, multiple CIO52040 can be connected to form a computing network.

Sever-Class Xeon-D In March of 2015 Intel accounted its Xeon processor D product family, the company’s first Intel Xeon processor-based system-on-chip (SoC). The product brought server class processing even closer to the demanding HPEC needs of military embedded systems. Built on Intel’s industryleading 14nm process technology, the Intel Xeon processor D product family combines the performance and advanced intelligence

5th Gen Core i7 “Broadwell” Based on the Intel microarchitecture, codenamed “Broadwell” the 5th Generation Core i7 offers integrated graphics and memory controller plus quad core processing up to 2.7 GHz. Combined with the Mobile Intel QM87 Express Chipset, the i7 provides number of key features. It provides Graphics support for DX11.1, OpenCL 1.2, OpenGL 3.2 and a 5 to 15 percent CPU performance boost over 4th generation Core i7. The processor offers Intel TurboBoost Technology,

Figure 2 The XPedite7674 Intel Xeon D-1500 family processor- based 3U VPX embedded single board computer can support up to 16 core-count SKUs with native extended temperature support on up to 12 core-count SKUs

SPECIAL FEATURE

of Intel Xeon processors with the size and power savings of an SoC. The Intel Xeon processor D product family is Intel’s third generation of 64-bit SoC. Xeon-D delivers up to 3.4x faster performance per node1 and up to 1.7x better performance per watt when compared to the Intel Atom processor C2750, part of Intel’s second-generation 64bit SoC product family.

Several board vendors rolled out XeonD based products over the past 18 months.

An example is Extreme Engineering Solutions’ (X-ES) XPedite7674 Intel Xeon D-1500 family processor- based 3U VPX embedded single board computer. The board can support up to 16 core-count SKUs with native extended temperature support on up to 12 core-count SKUs (Figure 2).

An integrated, user-configurable, Xilinx Kintex UltraScale FPGA module delivers enhanced performance and security for a wide range of embedded computing applications.

Featuring up to 8 Gbytes of DDR4-2133 ECC SDRAM memory, more than 1 million logic cells with enhanced system logic cell packing to reduce dynamic power, and support for a DeepCover Security Manager secure supervisor, the Xilinx Kintex UltraScale FPGA provides a dependable host for custom security functions. The XPedite7674 supports a variety of I/O to the VPX connectors, including dual 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GBASE-KR), SATA port capable of 6 Gb/s, USB 2.0, and RS-232/422/485 serial ports.

Intel Atom for Low Power Because low Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) is so important in a range of military applications, Intel’s Atom architecture holds a key niche. It is particularly popular on small form factors like COM Express and Processor XMC. An example along those lines, is the XMC-120 a low-power quadcore Intel Atom (Bay Trail) E3845-based XMC Processor Mezzanine SBC from Curtiss Wright Defense Solutions. With a typical power consumption of only 15W, the rugged XMC-120 Atom SBC Processor Mezzanine Card speeds and eases the integration of exceptional x86 processing performance into Size, Weight, Power and Cost (SWaP-C) constrained environments. The XMC-120 is also available pre-integrated with the Cisco Systems 5921 Embedded Services Router

Figure 3 The rugged 3U VPX-based C912 combines NXP’s latest generation T4 series of QorIQ SoC multicore e6500 processors with AltiVec along with extensive on-board I/O features.

(ESR) Software, enabling system designers to deploy a single-slot solution that combines both Cisco network routing and Intel multi-core processing.

QorIQ in Path of PowerPC’s Legacy Because of the long development and deployment cycles in the military, PowerPCbased embedded computers continue to play a strong role in defense applications.

The majority of these are mundane tech upgrades on VME, simply replacing faster processor boards in the same slot. NXP Semiconductor’s acquisition of Freescale makes NXP now the custodian of the latest and greatest processors in its QorIQ family.

The QorIQ architecture offers some unique features particularly for throughput and communications-centric applications.

And importantly the QorIQ maintains software compatibility with older PowerPC products such as the PowerQUICC platform. The P2 series within the QorIQ line is designed for a wide variety of applications in the military and industrial markets. It is available in special high-quality parts, with junction tolerances from -40° to 125°C, especially suited for harsh environments. NXP’s latest generation T4 series of QorIQ SoC multicore e6500 offers cutting edge performance and support for the all-important Altivec technology.

An example board based on the T4 series of QorIQ is Aitech Defense Systems’ rugged 3U VPX-based C912. The board combines NXP’s latest generation T4 series of

Weld-free Equipment Cabinets Elma’s MB Series stands up to extended periods of high shock and vibration. Scalable construction and custom mount options for your application.

Ready for the long haul.

Find out why Elma is the authority in embedded computing platforms, systems & components. www.elma.com | 510.656.3400

COTS Journal | January 2017

13

SPECIAL FEATURE

QorIQ SoC multicore e6500 processors with AltiVec along with extensive on-board I/O features (Figure 3). Available with four or eight PowerPC cores, the C912 gives system designers flexibility to implement the optimum high-performance SBC for specific application needs. Each e6500 core supports two hardware threads that appear to the application software as virtual CPUs and features a dedicated AltiVec vector execution accelerator allowing up to 16 complex math operations per clock cycle per core.

For improved security and data assurance, the C912 also includes the latest QorIQ Secure Boot and Trust Architecture 2.0 with one-time programmable crypto key storage protection and external tamper detection.

Fast Growing Interest for ARM The ARM processor while hugely successful in the consumer electronics realm is the newest kid on the bloc, in terms of processors used for military systems. Helping to drive that demand are the challenges for

military system design with regard to cooling. Demand for extreme low power is on the rise as system designers look for higher performing processors, smaller system footprints and the evolution of extremely rugged environments. As a result, for some the SWaP-C acronym has transitioned into SWaP-C (Size, Weight, Power and Cooling) as a priority focus for packaging engineers solving thermal challenges of these nextgeneration designs. ARM processors excel in this area.

Recent ARM embedded module products are Diamond Systems’ ARM-based Eagle and Eaglet SBC product lines with add-on modules from Toradex. The computer-onmodule (COM) Eagle/Eaglet family is a scalable platform in which users can customize a solution based on space, performance, I/O and power requirements. There are two different modules in the family; the full-size, full-featured Eagle and the smaller-size Eaglet. The Eagle and Eaglet measure 4- x 5.75-inches and 4-x 4-inches accordingly. To add ARM and NVIDIA computing power to the Eagle/Eaglet platform, Diamond teamed with Switzerland-based Toradex to provide 3 different plug-in modules (Apalis TK1, T30 and iMX). Toradex manufacturers the Apalis family COM modules based on the ARM Cortex and the NVIDIA Tegra or NXP/ Freescale iMX multicore processors.

Star Communications, Inc.

Abaco Systems Huntsville, AL (866) 652-2226 www.abaco.com

signal processing receivers computing accelerators x 6.6� >65 Teraop/s 4.4 Small.

Powerful.

Affordable.

Easy-to-use.

4.4 x 6.6 x 0.8 inches >65 Teraops/sec scalable 1-4 FPGAs installs in any PC or server made in the U.S.A.

www.starcommva.com 14

COTS Journal | January 2017

Aitech Defense Systems Chatsworth, CA. (888) 248-3248. www.rugged.com Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions Ashburn, VA (703) 779-7800 www.cwcdefense.com Diamond Systems Mountain View, CA. (650) 810-2500. www.diamondsystems.com

Extreme Engineering Solutions Middleton, WI. (608) 833-1155 www.xes-inc.com General Micro Systems Rancho Cucamonga, CA (909) 980-4863 www.gms4sbc.com Intel Santa Clara, CA (408) 765-8080 www.intel.com Mercury Systems Chelmsford, MA (978) 967-1401 www.mrcy.com

Military-Grade 1.5 kW

3-Phase EMI Filter & 3-Phase PFC Rectifier Small Size

light Weight high efficiency

3-PhaSe emi filteR

3-PhaSe Pfc RectifieR 270VDc OutPut

3-PhaSe ac inPut 115 VRmS l-n

High efficiency: 94% at full load 3-Phase AC input 45–800 Hz, 115 Vrms L-N 1.5 kW power available at 100 °C Baseplate Fixed frequency switching for predictable EMI Semi-Regulated output: 270 Vdc Drawing nearly perfect sinusoidal current from each of a 3-Phase AC input (1.5% THD)  MIL-STD Compliant  1500 W 3-Phase Filter/PFC System S-Grade Evaluation Kit      

Made in the USA

1-978-849-0600 www.SynQor.com/C2

SPECIAL FEATURE Five Leading Processor Architectures for Defense

ARINC 818 Continues Success as Avionics Display Protocol A decade since its launch, the robust ARINC 818 standard enjoys a rich ecosystems of tools and technologies have emerged and matured helping to feed the needs of aircraft system developers worldwide.

Paul Grunwald, Chief Systems Architect Great River Technology

A

RINC 818, titled Avionics Digital Video Bus (ADVB), was released as a standard ten years ago and was introduced to the world through the article “ARINC 818 Becomes New Protocol Standard for High-Performance Video Systems” published in the December 2006 issue of COTS Journal. Since then, the protocol has proliferated as the mission critical video bus in most of the new, large commercial and military aircraft programs, including the B787, KC-46A, 737MAX, A350XWB, COMAC C-919, and a dozen others around the world. In addition to being the bus connecting mission and video processors to a variety of displays (HDD, HUDs, HMDs), it has expanded into high-resolution radars and IR and optical sensors. ARINC 818-2 was released in 2013, which added features specifically to accommodate these new classes of high-speed, high-resolution sensors. In short, it has not just kept pace with rapidly developing demands and technologies, but kept ahead of them.

ARINC 818 Features Here we examine he main technical features of the ARINC 818 protocol that have led to ever expanding adoption by the mil/ aero community and discuss the broad array of development tools, test equipment, and embedded hardware now available. In 2005, Airbus and Boeing, in an effort to sim16

COTS Journal | January 2017

Figure 1 Higher bandwidth applications can use “channel bonding” where multiple channels are used to carry a video stream.

plify systems design and reduce cost, initiated a new standardization effort through the Digital Video Subcommittee of ARINC, which went on to release ARINC 818. The desire was for a high-speed, low latency, mission critical video bus that was flexible enough to accommodate many different video formats and throughput requirements. The primary driver was to eliminate the proprietary video standards that existed in the avionics supply chain. For example, display manufacturers such as Honeywell, Rockwell Collins, and Thales each had their own video protocols, which were not com-

patible with one another.

ARINC 818 was built on the Fiber Channel Audio Video (FC-AV defined in ANSI INCITS 356-2002) protocol, but simplified the protocol by removing the need for handshaking. Since each packet includes a CRC, the integrity of each packet can be assured without the need for handshaking. FC-AV was used extensively as the video backbone in the F-18 and other programs. FC-AV is also used in MIL-STD-1760 Aircraft/Store Electrical Interconnection System for audio and video.

SPECIAL FEATURE

Technical Overview The major aim of the ARINC 818 specification was to provide a robust protocol to handle the high bandwidth of modern avionics video systems. Fibre Channel remains the physical layer for the bus (FC0 and FC1) and also offers the advantages of routing and protocol capabilities found in modern networking protocols. ARINC 818 includes error detection through both ADVB packet and image CRC checks. ARINC 818 is a pointto-point, 8b/10b encoded serial protocol for transmission of video, audio, and data.

The protocol is packetized but is videocentric and very flexible, supporting an array of complex video functions including the multiplexing of multiple video streams on a single link or the transmission of a single stream over a dual link. Four different classes of video are defined, from simple asynchronous to stringent pixel synchronous systems, where most display applications us the line-synchronous class.

High Bandwidth At the time ARINC 818 was ratified, the Fiber-Channel protocol supported link rates of 1.0625, 2.125, 4.25, and 8.5 Gbits/s. Since then, link rates of 14.025 and 28.05 Gbits/s have been released with even higher speeds planned as the market needs it. For example, a display at WQXGA resolution (2560 x 1600 pixels at 24-bit color) at 60 Hz would need throughput of 7,372 Mbits/s, which would fit on an ADVB 8X rate. ARINC 818-2 added 5.0, 6.375 (FC 6x), 12.75 (FC 12x), 14.025 (FC 16x), 21.0375 (FC 24x), and 28.05 (FC 32x) Gbit/s rates.

The 6x, 12x, and 24x speeds were added

Figure 2 This is basic structure of an ADVB frame. Each ADVB frame has a header comprised of six 32-bit words.

to accommodate the use of high-speed, bidirectional coax with power as a physical medium. The 5 Gbit/s rate was added to accommodate speeds supported by certain FPGAs. Also added to the specification was a provision to specify non-standard link rates for bi-directional return paths for applications such as camera control, where high-speed video links are not required.

Most cockpit display applications to date utilize rates of 1.0625 to 5.0 Gbits/s, it has been high-speed sensors that have pushed ARINC 818 rates. For example, a new infrared sensor required a channel-bonded 12.75 Gbit/s interface, which provides an effective throughput of over 25 Gbits/s. With ARINC 818 rates defined to 28 Gbits/s, there is really no practical limit to how much data can be transported in a single application when channel bonding (see below) is applied, so ARINC 818 will meet the throughput demands for displays and sensors for years come.

latency is important in real-time cockpit displays and especially in head-up displays (HUD) where differences in the HUD display images and real-world background can cause vertigo or motion sickness in the pilot.

The latency is generally determined by the implementation. In some cases, the image is streamed through FIFOs and can be almost real-time, that is, a latency of several video lines or less. Other implementations use two image buffers and display one while the other is filling (“ping pong�) giving a latency of a single frame. Because most cockpit displays use line-synchronous timing and only a line FIFO receiver, this imposes strict timing characteristics on the transmitter, which will then require frame buffering of the transmitter to clock out precise line-sync timing. At 60 Hz the latency of a frame buffered transmitter is 16.6 milliseconds, which is typically sufficient, even for time-critical applications.

Low Latency

For higher bandwidth applications, it is possible to using multiple channels to carry a video stream. This is called channel bonding and is similar to Link or Port Aggregation using Ethernet. In most implementa-

One of the most important features of ARINC 818 is the ability to deliver uncompressed video with very low latency, in many implementations, less than one frame. Low

Channel Bonding and More

Figure 3 Shown here is a detailed structure of an RGB XGA (1024 x 768) video frame within an ADVB container.

COTS Journal | January 2017

17

SPECIAL FEATURE

tions, the input is split at the transmitter device into two or more ARINC 818 frames and the reassembled at the receiver for display or recording (Figure 1).

Because ARINC 818 uses Fibre Channel as the physical layer and the protocol has support for source and destination ID in the headers, simple networking is straightforward. Repeaters, routing, and fanout topologies are all possible. This allows a great deal of flexibility in the design of an overall avionics display system. However, ARINC 818 will not work on many Fibre Channel devices due to the bi-directional requirements of the base protocols, but dedicated ARINC 818 switches are available on the market.

ARINC 818 allows for flexibility in the implementation of the video interface. This flexibility is desirable, because of the diverse resolutions, grayscales, pixel formats, and frame rates of avionics display systems.

The system architecture must anticipate this flexibility and be interoperable with all video sources at a particular link rate.

The ARINC 818 specification intends that an interface control document (ICD) accompany particular ADVB implementations. The ICD will specify parameters such as link speed, image resolution, synchronization scheme, and frame rate. Avionics programs will always have an associated ICD. An ICD template is available from www.arinc818.com, which includes all pertinent parameters to assure compatibility between ARINC 818 systems. A particular piece of equipment that is compliant with ARINC 818 is not necessarily interoperable with another piece of equipment compliant with ARINC 818, unless they are both made to the same ICD.

ARINC 818 Packets ARINC 818 has precise rules for constructing a packet. The ARINC 818 standard refers to the basic transport mechanism (packet) as an ADVB frame. It is important to refer to these packets as “ADVB frames” rather than simply “frames” to eliminate potential confusion with video frames. Figure 2 shows the basic structure of an ADVB frame.

The start of an ADVB frame is signaled by an SOFx ordered set and terminated with an EOFx ordered set. Every ADVB frame has a header comprised of six 3218

COTS Journal | January 2017

bit words. These header words pertain to such things as the ADVB frame origin and intended destination and the ADVB frame’s position within the sequence. The payload can be video or associated data. The payload in one ADVB frame can vary in size but cannot be greater than 2112 bytes. Finally, all ADVB frames have a 32-bit CRC calculated for all data between the SOFx and the CRC word for built-in error checking. The CRC is the same 32-bit polynomial calculation defined for Fibre Channel.

Figure 3 shows a detailed structure of an RGB XGA (1024 x 768) video frame within an ADVB container. An example of how ARINC 818 transmits color XGA provides a good overview and can be found in the article: “ARINC 818 Becomes New Protocol Standard for High-Performance Video Systems” in the December 2006 issue of COTS Journal.

The majority of ARINC 818 implementations use optical fiber. Important additions to the ARINC 818-2 standard (over ARINC 818-1) paved the way for improved copper physical layers. Specifically envisioned was the use of newer active equalizer chips to greatly improve bandwidth and distance on coaxial cable. Included in ARINC 818-2 are methods to implement a return communication path ( from video receiver to video source) on the same coaxial cable. Therefore, a complete camera or sensor interface can be achieved with a single high-bandwidth coaxial cable running at 3.1875 Gb/s or 6.375 Gb/s.

Programs and Applications ARINC 818 has been adopted for use on both civilian and military programs: the B787, A400M, KC-46A, A350-XWB, B737 Max, B-777X, C 919, Korean LAH, and numerous other platforms. Aircraft adoptions are due in large part to the success of commercial cockpit suites such as the Rockwell Collins ProLine Fusion system (Figure 4) and the Thales TopDeck, which both use ARINC 818. ARINC 818 is also migrating into high-resolution sensor systems, where copper protocols like HOTLink no longer have sufficient bandwidth. In particular, high-speed IR sensors, radars, HUDs, HDDs, HMDs, high-resolution cameras, enhanced vision systems.

Implementing, testing, and validat-

ing ARINC 818 systems has become easier as the worldwide tool and embedded ecosystem has expanded. The following is a list of the types of commercially available tools and hardware from Great River Technology, Avionics Interface Technologies, AIM GmbH and others: Frame Grabbers – Capture and record ARINC 818, either in a production environment or on an aircraft.

Graphics Generators – Create ARINC 818 video streams from existing video or graphics files.

Format Converters – Convert from DVI, VGA, RS-170 to/from ARINC 818.

Protocol and Timing Analyzers – Capture and analyze line and frame timing as well as all the details of the protocol.

Universal ARINC 818 Generators – Quickly implement an ARINC 818 transmitter for any ICD through a simple GUI. DO-254 Certifiable IP Cores – ARINC 818 IP that will drop into Xilinx or Altera FPGAs for flyable applications.

Switches – Four-channel or 10-channel switches for lab or flight-test use.

Video Concentrators – Time multiplex multiple video streams onto a single ARINC 818 link.

Embedded Hardware – XMC frame grabbers, XMC converters, VPX GP-GPUs, small-embedded converters.

Widespread Adoption Continues ARINC 818 continues to be adopted throughout the military and aerospace world due to its flexibility, low latency, error checking, determinism, and high bandwidth characteristics. It is being used for all manner of cockpit displays, high-resolution cameras, and high-speed sensors.

ARINC 818 has wide industry support from aircraft manufacturers and suppliers. With the addition of higher speeds, support for compression, and encryption, networking, and sophisticated display schemes, ARINC

SPECIAL FEATURE

Figure 4 Aircraft adoptions are due in large part to the success of commercial cockpit suites such as the Rockwell Collins ProLine Fusion system, shown here in an B787 cockpit.

818 adoption will continue to grow and expand the mission profiles within and beyond avionics.

The author Paul Grunwald was a member of the ARINC 818-2 standards committee.

Great River Technology Albuquerque, NM (505) 881-6262 www.greatrivertech.com

COTS Journal | January 2017

19

JEFF’S PICKS Jeff Child, Editor-in-Chief

Atom-Based Rugged Tablet Blends Thin Design and Security Features

F

or decades now rugged laptops have provided portable solutions enabling warfighters to interface with many military and aerospace systems. In more recent years rugged tablet computers have emerged filling those same needs while not replacing rugged laptops. Both devices deliver features and apps that a variety of powerful tools for both military users and military system developers.

Driving the demand is the fact that defense platforms today often require sophisticated graphical user interfaces. Whether in the form of rugged laptops or rugged tablets, these interfaces are how the warfighter gets the complex situational awareness data— maps, video, images and text—it requires and how they interface directly to military weapons platforms on networks. These have evolved in the past couple years to powerful systems such as complete laptop-based cloud severs, cockpit apps for tablets, and tablet based avionics test interfaces.

This month’s Jeff ’s Pick section looks at rugged laptop and tablet products. For this month’s Editor’s Pick section COTS Journal evaluated several such products on three aspects: technology leadership, design innovation and market relevance. This month’s Jeff ’s Pick is the T800 from Getac—a fully rugged tablet that the company designed to meet the needs of military technicians working in tight spaces and extreme environments (Figure 1).

20

COTS Journal | January 2017

Figure 1 Jeff’s Pick is the T800 from Getac—a fully rugged tablet with a thin, ergonomic design and optimally sized touchscreen.

Its battery life is enhanced thanks to an optional hot-swappable SnapBack battery for potentially limitless life.

The T800 features a thin, ergonomic design, an optimally sized touchscreen for greater productivity. Its battery life is best-in-class but that’s is enhanced thanks to an optional hotswappable SnapBack battery for potentially limitless life.

Tablet for One Hand Use The T800’s thin, ergonomic design makes it comfortable to hold in one hand, and its 8.1-inch touchscreen provides ample real estate for document viewing and data entry with minimal scrolling. The sunlight-readable LumiBond 2.0 display delivers a responsive 10-point touch experience along with a

170-degree viewing angle and 16:10 aspect ratio for ideal reading from virtually any angle.

Rain, glove and pen (hard-tip stylus + optional digitizer) touch modes provide just the right sensitivity for writing and signing on the tablet, while its rubber-armor exterior creates a non-slip, easy-grip surface that also protects it from drops and shocks.

Based on an efficient Intel Atom Processor, the T800 provides battery runtimes up to 10 hours using its standard battery and an additional 10 hours using a hot-swappable SnapBack battery option. Additional SnapBack options include a 2-in-1 SmartCard and RFID/ NFC reader, or 2-in-1 SmartCard and magnetic stripe reader. For security the system takes full advantage of advanced Windows 10 security.

TPM 2.0 monitors and protects system startups to ensure the device is tamper-free before releasing control to the operating system, while BitLocker protects data at rest, in use and in transit. Durability is synonymous with the Getac brand, and the T800 proudly continues that tradition. The T800 is MIL-STD810G and IP65-certified to survive drops up to 6 feet, rain, dust, vibrations, shock and extreme temperatures from -5.8 to 122 degrees F (operating temperature) and -40 to 160 degrees F (storage temperature).

Getac USA Irvine, CA (949) 681-2900 www.us.getac.com

...and the Runners Up Rugged Notebook Features Quad Core Processing and 600 Gbyte SSD The RW11 rugged notebook computer from MilDef incorporates a highcapacity Intel Core i7 Quad Core processor (Figure 2). It is designed for easy and reliable operation in the field, the highly ruggedized RW11 features a 15.6inch sunlight readable display and a multi-touch capacitive touch pad. This SWaP-optimized unit houses a powerful Intel i7-3610QE CPU with an Intel HD graphics 4000 and multiple I/O ports are available to meet user specific requirements. Ideal for use as a mobile server in protected vehicles, vessels and aircrafts, the RW111 includes up to four removable SATAII/III SSDs with RAID and up to 600 Gbytes per drive as well as up to 32 Gbytes of DDR3L RAM operating at 1,600 MHz. The RW11 design builds on the foundation of the Dual Core MilDef RS11 and RV11 systems. It is a slim yet fully rugged mobile server enhancing the core design of the RV11, without sacrificing any of its rugged performance for military applications. According to MilDef, it is the only mobile notebook on the market with a NVIDIA GeForce GTX950M option, which helps balance processing across the CPU and GPU for enhanced system performance. Despite its low weight and size, the MilDef RW11 is designed for extreme environments and is made to be used in the field. MIL-STD-810G and IP65 certification is standard. The system is also compliant with CE, FCC, WEEE, REACH, WHQL, RoHS, and MIL-STD-461F.

Figure 2 The RW11 rugged notebook incorporates an Intel Core i7 Quad Core processor, 15.6-inch sunlight readable display, multitouch capacitive touch pad and 600 Gbyte SSD.

MilDef, Alexandria, VA (703) 224-8835. www.mildef.com

Rugged 2-in-1 Tablet Serves up Enterprise-Grade Features Panasonic this month announced the FZ-Q2 2-in-1 Toughpad tablet with a standard full-sized keyboard and built-in protection. The unit provides reliable 4G connectivity and includes a field-serviceable solid-state drive (SSD) and battery to ensure the device has a long and stable life cycle. Equipped with the latest 6th Generation Intel Core m5 vPro processor, the FZ-Q2 2-in-1 provides features like dual band 4G LTE wireless that are ideal for field service and transportation applications (Figure 3). The tablet comes standard with a full sized backlit keyboard to enable easy completion of heavy data entry tasks and can be easily detached to provide users with a lightweight, portable tablet. The spill-resistant keyboard uses a direct (non-wireless) interface with the tablet to ensure reliable connectivity in a variety of environments.

Powered by the latest Microsoft Windows 10 Pro operating system, the FZ-Q2 offers a flexible form factor and is purpose built to withstand the daily wear and tear of any job, both in the office and out in the field. Unlike the delicate design of consumer tablets, the FZ-Q2 can withstand dust, drops and vibration—the most common sources of damage or failure. Like all Panasonic Toughbook computers and tablets, the FZ-Q2 includes a field serviceable battery. Offering a full HD display and anti-reflective touchscreen, the FZ-Q2 provides superior visibility under bright lighting conditions for workers that spend much of their time outdoors. An optional solid-state hard drive (SSD) heater suits the system for use in extremely cold environments.

Figure 3 Equipped with the latest 6th Ge Intel Core m5 vPro processor, the FZ-Q2 2-in-1 provides features like dual band 4G LTE wireless that are ideal for field applications.

Panasonic North America, Newark, NJ (877) 803-8492. business.panasonic.com

COTS Journal | January 2017

21

Check Out These Rugged Display Products Too‌ Eurocom has added support for the 250

MobileDemand offers its xTablet T8650,

Gbyte Samsung 960 Evo M.2 NVMe Solid State Drive on its high performance, professional grade laptops and mobile workstations. The 960 Evo M.2 SSD is equipped with AES 256-bit hardware-based encryption for maximum security.

an 8-inch rugged Windows tablet with an optional 3D camera. The Intel RealSense 3D rear facing camera, integrated seamlessly in to the tablet, captures 3D scenery and objects, overlaying virtual information into a live image feed.

Designed for military use, the XC6 M2 Ultra Rugged Sunlight Readable Tablet PC from Xplore Technologies has the ruggedized feature set to handle extreme environments.

An integrated CAC reader adds an additional level of security against unauthorized data access.

Eurocom Nepean, Ontario, Canada (613) 224-6122 www.eurocom.com

MobileDemand Hiawatha, IA (319) 363-4121 www.mobiledemand.com

Xplore Technologies Austin, TX (512) 637-1100 www.xploretech.com

22

COTS Journal | January 2017

SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT Connected Solutions for the Navy

Digitization Trend Benefits U.S. Navy on Multiple Levels The network-centric revolution has extended digitization and connectivity to previously analog-based systems. Digital transformation has enabled faster, data-driven decisions with analytics from people, processes, data and things.

Joe Beel, Strategic Programs Manager Cisco Systems

T

he Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of uniquely identifiable physical objects or “things” embedded with electronics, software, sensors and connectivity. The opportunities for increased connectivity are greatly accelerating as the number of devices is projected to triple from 2014 to 2020. The IoT will allow interconnection of devices across a wide spectrum of systems which will, in turn, enable significant increases in automation and optimization.

The IoT is a critical component in the digital transformation trend. Digital transformation—or digitization—is the networked connection of people, process, data and the Internet of Things (IoT). Interconnectivity of previously unconnected devices, people, processes and data provides tremendous opportunity to help the Navy reduce cost, become more efficient and increase operational effectiveness. The digital transformation will provide the Navy with enhanced operational and support capabilities that provide differentiating combat advantages which will allow the Navy to fight and win.

Four Categories Navy operations and support functions logically fall into four main categories: Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR); Operations; Logistics; and Base and 24

COTS Journal | January 2017

Shipboard. The capabilities delivered by naval platforms’ networks and communication suites have evolved significantly in the past few years and Internet Protocol connectivity in the maritime environment has grown dramatically.

Ships’ Internet Protocol networks can now provide the foundational fabric nec-

essary to enable the digital transformation on Navy ships and their associated systems such as Aircraft, Unmanned Vehicles (Air, Surface and Subsurface), weapons and so on. The digital transformation coupled with a strong IP based Mission Fabric now allows the Navy to use technology to increase automation, improve multi-tasking, reduce

Digital Transformation for Defense Connected Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance

Connected Operations

Connected Logistics

Connected Base and Shipboard

Mission Outcome

Intelligence Production Effectiveness

Operational Availability and Mission Effectiveness

Reduced Operational Downtime and Cost Efficiencies

Cost and Operational Efficiencies; Enhanced Security

Key Capabilities

• Shared Situational Awareness • More Encompassing Collaboration • Rapid Indications and Warnings • Real-time Intelligence Support

• JALN • Tactical Cloud • Maritime Operations • Connected Battlespace • Simu & Training • Exec Comms • Operations Centers • Connected Soldier

• Asset Management • Lean Logistics • Remote Expert Access • Energy Management • Time in Motion • Access Control • Fleet Management

• Energy Management • Physical Security • Parking Management • SMART Buildings • Advanced Utility Metering • Wireless Access • Morale and Welfare

Technologies

• Route/Switch • Cloud and InterCloud • Security • Collaboration • Data Virtualization

• Route/Switch • Cloud and InterCloud • Security • Collaboration • Fog Compute

• Route/Switch • EnergyWise • Wireless • Security • Collaboration • Data Virtualization

• Route/Switch • Video • Energywise • Security • Wireless • Collaboration

Figure 1 Table shows the four key areas and the foundational technologies that, coupled with digital transformation solutions, enable key capabilities that drive enhanced Navy mission outcomes.

A34_COTS_2_25x9_875_A34.qxd 12/6/16 11:03 AM P

SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT workload and greatly enhance the effectiveness of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance systems; Operations; Logistics and basic infrastructure functions. Figure 1 displays these four areas and the foundational technologies that, coupled with digital transformation solutions, enable key capabilities that drive enhanced Navy mission outcomes.

Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Robust ISR capabilities allow the Navy to operate effectively in a vast ocean or in the littorals far from home ports. Shared situational awareness and a common operational picture built from accurate location of both hostile and friendly forces are key capabilities that enable the Navy to deliver air, surface, subsurface and information dominance. The digital transformation brings the ability to extend the shipboard IP network by securely connecting manned aircraft and boats or unmanned platforms (air, surface and undersea) via IP networks, and by greatly enhancing tasking, collection, processing and exploitation capabilities to effectively gather, examine and share ISR information.

As the Navy improves the ISR capabilities of manned systems and expands its use of unmanned systems (UxVs), they will face bandwidth constraints due to the massive amount of ISR data that can be created.

UxVs and other systems can quickly overwhelm communications networks with the massive amounts of data they collect and forward to other platforms or shore stations for processing. Onboard and embedded computing capabilities bring the possibility of data processing in devices onboard platforms at the tactical edge.

Fog Computing The concept of concentrating data, processing and applications at the tactical edge, known as Fog Computing, will allow the Navy to use the massive amount of data captured at the tactical edge while reducing the bandwidth burden on communication networks.

Imagery, signals and communications analysis at the tactical edge will enable faster dissemination of critical, actionable information gleaned from massive data captures. Edge or Fog computing can be provided in numerous ways, spanning from dedicated compute

platforms to computing embedded on a card in a component such as a router.

Embedded and virtual solutions allow ISR and other systems to join the IP network without compromising Space, Weight, Power and Cost (SWaP-C) aboard highly constrained platforms. Small form factor embedded network solutions can deliver connectivity and computing power while minimizing SWaP-C. Virtualized solutions can use onboard computing power and deliver capability as a software only solution.

Virtualized solutions decouple the software from the hardware and greatly enhance the ability to upgrade capability without requiring new hardware which will help minimize total ownership cost across platforms’ lifetimes.

Connected Operations Deployed systems generate vast amounts of data. In fact, the ISR systems discussed above are excellent examples of systems that create large amounts of data in the mission environment. Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs), unmanned surface vessels (USVs) and Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) all capture massive amounts of data at the tactical edge. UAVs can stay airborne collecting data for more than a day (Figure 2). USVs and UUVs may operate for months.

The Navy envisions this data being shared through a Tactical Cloud and is developing its cloud capabilities for use at the tactical edge.

Initial Tactical Cloud efforts are focused on planning and conduct of expeditionary missions and Anti-Submarine Warfare and Integrated Air/Missile Defense, but efforts will expand to other mission areas in time.

The Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services (CANES) program, which will provide the backbone network for the majority of ships and submarines, will serve as the key hardware component of the Navy’s tactical cloud. The Office of Naval Research has developed the Naval Tactical Cloud Reference Implementation model which supports the Navy’s tactical big data efforts and focuses on data science, analytics and cloud security. The digital transformation will greatly expand the number of connected people, processes and things in the maritime environment. Each of these connections will become a source of data that can be exploited to provide warfighting advantage. The digital transformation and

ON I S S I M CAL I T I R C ES C I V E D DC-DC Converters AC-DC Power Supplies • Expanded Operating

Temperatures -55 to +85C • Vibration, Method 204, Cond. D • Shock, Method 213, Cond. I • Altitude, Method 105, Cond. D • Environmental Screening • Specification Review • Custom Models Available • 400 Hz and Now 800 Hz AC-DC Models

ard s of Stand Thousand DC to 10,000 V Models 2V 00 Watts 0.75 to 2,0 ts u tp u O

PICO

Electronics,Inc.

143 Sparks Ave, Pelham, NY 10803-1837

E-Mail: info@picoelectronics.com

www.picoelectronics.com VISIT OUR EXCITING NEW WEBSITE

www.picoelectronics.com

COTS Journal | January 2017

25

SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT

Architecture can reduce system cost and complexity by providing an alternative to Type-1 cryptography devices. The CSfC program was established to protect National Security Systems (NSS) data using commercial “Suite B” cryptography products in layered solutions. “Suite B” cryptography implemented in accordance with a CSfC Capability Package enables the use of commercial standards to protect classified data.

CSfC Solutions

Figure 2 Deployed ISR systems capture massive amounts of data at the tactical edge. UAVs can stay airborne collecting data for more than a day.

Big Data Solutions can help the Navy ensure better access to data across the mission and create tactical, operational and strategic warfighting advantages by bringing compute and analytics from the data center to the edge to deliver faster insights, better situational awareness, and more effective actions.

Software Defined Networking As the Navy matures its cloud capabilities, Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) solutions will make sure that network traffic policies prioritize data packets to optimally support the most time critical functions. SDN and ACI solutions can allow application policy to automatically redeploy compute and storage as workloads change, thereby optimizing network and application efficiency, preserving growth/surge capacity and minimizing total ownership cost. SDN offers isolation of users and data so that data access restrictions can be preserved throughout the network, even when data is 26

COTS Journal | January 2017

in motion.

Cyber Security is critical to mission assurance, particularly in the maritime environment where there may be no backup solution or any ability to reset. An extensive security architecture will address challenges as the digital transformation permeates the Navy’s operational environment. The warfighter will rely on cyber protection capabilities that offer continuous analysis and retrospective security capabilities.

Security solutions will bring increased automation to reduce operator workload and speed response to threats. As the Navy’s Tactical Cloud efforts mature, hybrid cloud capabilities and InterCloud Fabric will support portability of workloads without compromising availability, security and performance, which will provide the ability to greatly enhance cloud based operations across a wide spectrum of scenarios and provide enhanced mission agility.

Cisco certified products deployed in a National Security Agency (NSA) – approved Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC)

Many Cisco products qualify for use with the CSfC program Capability Packages.

Cisco’s Next Generation Encryption (NGE) provides compliance with CSfC program requirements. Solutions such as these can reduce the cost to procure and install systems by eliminating or reducing costs for 1) Type-1 crypto, 2) Protected Distribution System (PDS) devices and 3) cleared personnel to perform installation tasks. Additionally, the user burden for handling, storing and using Communications Security (COMSEC) equipment may be greatly reduced or eliminated. CSfC products are part of a holistic approach to security that includes next- generation network security, intrusion prevention, advanced malware protection, secure access, and mobility to protect data and networks before, during, and after an attack. These capabilities allow the Navy to deploy threat intelligence that detects, analyzes and protects against both known and emerging threats.

Satellite Links The numerous ships, aircraft, submarines and Marine units that comprise naval strike groups bring substantial war fighting capability and processing power to their area of responsibility. However, naval strike group operations traditionally rely heavily on satellite connectivity to enable global reach and endurance. Satellite communications links used by naval strike groups can be augmented by IP networking capability provided by aerial platforms, particularly unmanned aerial platforms that provide long endurance.

The Joint Airborne Layer Network– Maritime (JALN-M) is an example of the Navy’s plans to deliver mission persistent connectivity without satellites required for naval operations in a variety of scenarios

SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT

including Anti-Access Area Denial (A2AD).

Additionally, the Navy will continue to develop alternative Line-of-Sight and BeyondLine-of-Sight network systems, such as Battle Force Tactical Network (BFTN), to support connected operations. Today’s use of commercial networking solutions in airborne systems indicates that developmental systems such as JALN-M and BFTN will also likely rely on commercial products for networking capabilities.

Logistics and Shipboard Ops The two other major areas to examine are Connected Logistics and Shipboard/ Base Operations. Logistics functions include procurement, transportation, distribution, maintenance, removal/ replacement and disposal, all made more challenging by the maritime environment and limited shipboard space which punctuate the importance of Self-Help. Shipboard deployments frequently require operations in hazardous conditions; even routine operations require personnel exposure to hazardous conditions for engine room operators, deck lookouts and so on (Figure 3). The digital transformation will enable remote monitoring to greatly reduce or eliminate Sailors’ exposure to hazardous conditions prevalent in machinery spaces and other shipboard environments. See the online version of this article for two Web-Exclusive sidebars: “Connected Logistics” and “Connected Base and Shipboard”.

The digital transformation is no longer a vision—it’s here now. Connecting people, processes, data and things is important and absolutely critical to achieving value from the digital transformation , but the real value that the digital transformation creates is the resultant ability to optimize operations. The digital transformation will enable predictable system performance, enhanced situational awareness, better information management, and faster decision making. The Navy can build on its existing infrastructure and incrementally connect critical systems, devices, data, processes, applications and people.

Figure 3 Even routine shipboard operations require personnel exposure to hazardous conditions for engine room operators for example. The digital transformation will enable remote monitoring to greatly reduce or eliminate that exposure.

erations and support spectrum. The digital transformation will provide enhanced warfighting effectiveness and make sure that the Navy can cost-effectively maintain operational advantage over future adversaries. IP connectivity and the intelligent network form the foundational infrastructure platform to deliver to the Navy enhanced operational effectiveness driven by the digital transformation.

Cisco Systems San Jose, CA 1-800-553-6387 www.cisco.com

A Net-Centric Navy The digital transformation presents the Navy with an opportunity to more fully deliver Net-Centric Warfare across the opCOTS Journal | January 2017

27

DATA SHEET Ethernet Switch Boards Roundup

VPX Dominates Current Crop of Board-Level Ethernet Switches Used for both military networking and as an interconnect fabric in compute-intensive applications, rugged Ethernet switch boards enable have become entrenched as solutions

Jeff Child, Editor-in-Chief

F

or military embedded applications, Ethernet has secured its status as the preferred fabric interconnect choice in compute-intensive military applications like sonar, radar—or any application that networks sensor arrays together.

A 10 Gbit Ethernet system handles real-time bandwidth in excess of GHz on a continuous and sustained basis. Ethernet offers nearly limitless synchronized scalability by simply adding fibers for additional 10 Gbit Ethernet links. And Ethernet allows simplified acquisition devices to be placed near the antenna that pipes the data to processing platforms in a sheltered location.

Ethernet is also attractive because it provides a standards-based server solution that takes advantage of processing power gain and market pressures for driving down processing costs. A 10 Gbit Ethernet network simplifies system architecture and provides easy partitioning of data acquisition and data processing, by separating the sensitive analog mixed signal front end from the digital back end.

On top of all that, Ethernet meanwhile is also the standard in the defense realm for connecting the IP-based components of autonomous vehicles, robots, and other military and harsh mobile applications. Ethernet switch boards are the linchpin needed to connect those systems. The large bandwidth 28

COTS Journal | January 2017

Figure 1 TORC Robotics integrates the SFF Parvus DuraNET 20-10 Ethernet switch into its UGV platforms.

and exceptional scalability of the 10 Gbit Ethernet network enables systems developers to seamlessly scale up with increasing channel count and bandwidth.

As the round up on the next four pages show, VPX remains the most common form factor for board-level rugged Ethernet switches among recent products (recent meaning in the last 12 to 18 months). A couple of CompactPCI Serial boards along with COM Express and PCIe/104 offerings round out the mix. These solutions serve as communications backbones for moving massive amounts of data around tightly coupled pro-

cessing or I/O data concentrators, typically found in military, aerospace and spacecraft applications. Many operating at full wire speed, these non-blocking switches provide high-speed connectivity and traffic management for streaming video, audio and data.

Note that this roundup is specifically on board-level Ethernet switch products. The topic of new products in the box-level Ethernet switches is rich category but falls outside the scope of this roundup.

As an example of rugged Ethernet switching technology in action, CurtissWright’s Defense Solutions division announced last Spring that it was selected by TORC Robotics to provide its small form factor (SFF) rugged Gbit Ethernet switch subsystem for use in autonomous tele-operated unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs).

Curtiss-Wright provided TORC with its rugged, SFF Parvus DuraNET 20-10 Ethernet switch, a fully managed 20-port network switch. The unit provides a solution for connecting a large number of IP-enabled embedded devices at the network edge, including computers, cameras, sensors, and command-and-control equipment onboard aircraft and vehicles deployed with digital networked architectures. Units ordered by TORC were delivered in 2015 and successfully integrated into TORC UGV platforms (Figure 1).

DATA SHEET

Ethernet Switch Boards Roundup

Fully Managed 3U VPX Rugged Switch Boots in 15 Seconds

3U VPX Board Provides Managed GbE and PCI Express Switching

Xeon-based 10 Gbit Ethernet Switch Server is Optimized for SWaP

Abaco Systems offers the rugged GBX411 which supports 24 Gigabit Ethernet and four 10Gigabit Ethernet ports with multiple configuration options. It’s been upgraded with technology enabling it to boot in 15 seconds. Built to be Abaco Systems Rugged and qualified to a number of MIL standards, the GBX411 is capable of delivering robust reliability in the most challenging harsh environments.

Aitech’s C690 is a high-performance 3U VPX integrated managed Gigabit Ethernet and PCI Express Switch for embedded and harsh environment applications. For managed GbE switching, the C690 uses the Marvell Prestera 98DX4122 running Marvell routing and management OS. It comes in three standard port configurations: eight 1000Base-BX/KX; six 1000Base-BX/KX with two 1000Base-T; or five 1000Base-T.

FR 351/m06 from Concurrent Technologies is a 10 Gbit Ethernet switch designed to provide high bandwidth communication between VPX modules for server, storage and processing applications.

It includes an on-board management processor for easy configuration and supports the latest VITA 46.11 management specification. Two 10 Gigabit ports SFP+ ports are additionally provided on the front panel for high throughput uplink connections.

• 3U VPX form factor.

• Fully managed 3U VPX Layer 2/3 Ethernet switch.

• Compliant with US Army’s VICTORY integration framework.

• 12 or 24 ports with 1000BaseT, Gbit Ethernet; 10GBase-SR/LR/ER, 10GBaseKX4, 10GBaseKX. • Switch management environment provides integrated managed services including configuration, monitoring, switching control, addressing, routing and a wide range of networking protocols.

Abaco Systems Huntsville, AL (866) 652-2226 www.abaco.com

• Rugged 3U VPX Single-Slot Integrated Managed GbE and PCIe Gen2 Switch.

• Three standard port configurations: eight 1000Base-BX/KX; six 1000BaseBX/KX with two 1000Base-T; or five 1000Base-T. • PCIe Gen2 switch with 6 PCIe x4 ports (default); User configurable as up to 20 Ports.

• 80 Gbps non-blocking switch supporting 10 Gbit Ethernet data plane connection to each payload slot.

• Gbit Ethernet control plane connection to each payload slot.

• Switch management via Gbit Ethernet ports ( front and rear).

• Full wire-speed non-blocking forwarding.

• Data plane and control plane separation.

• Conduction and air-cooled versions.

• 2LM Option per VITA 48.2.

• Vibration and shock resistant.

• Air-cooled versions include two 10 Gbit Ethernet uplinks.

Aitech Defense Systems Chatsworth, CA (888) 248-3248 www.rugged.com

• Extended temperature and rugged conduction-cooled versions available.

Concurrent Technologies Woburn, MA (781) 933-5900 www.gocct.com

FIND the products featured in this section and more at

intelligentsystemssource.com

COTS Journal | January 2017

29

DATA SHEET

Ethernet Switch Boards Roundup

3U VPX Rugged 10/40 Gbit Ethernet Switch Provides 320 Gbps Throughput The VPX3-687 from Curtiss Wright Defense Solutions is a versatile and highperformance Ethernet switch designed to connect the next generation of 3U systems. Offering performance without compromises, the VPX3-687 provides switching throughput of up to 320 Gbps and full line-rate forwarding of up to 32 x 10 GbE or 8 x 40 GbE interfaces. Its non-blocking architecture is suitable for both low-latency control plane and highthroughput data plane applications.

• Up to 32 x 10 GbE interfaces in a single VPX 3U slot.

• Support for Gigabit, 10 Gbps and 40 Gbps backplane Ethernet standards.

• Configurable for multiple OpenVPX switch module profiles, including 2F24U, 8F, 6F6U. • Fully-managed multi-layer switching services including multicast, QoS, and security features.

• IEEE 1588 PTP transparent clock for high-precision system-level time synchronization.

Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions Ashburn, VA (703) 779-7800 www.cwcdefense.com

FIND the products featured in this section and more at

intelligentsystemssource.com

30

COTS Journal | January 2017

26-Port Gigabit Ethernet Switch Targets Rugged Networked Applications The Epsilon-24000 from Diamond Systems is a managed Layer 2+ Ethernet switch module offering up to 24 10/100/1000Mbps copper twisted pair ports and 2 small form factor pluggable (SFP) sockets in the compact PC/104 form factor. Epsilon-24000 is designed for rugged applications including industrial, onvehicle and military.

• 16 or 24 Gigabit Ethernet ports with non-blocking wire-speed performance.

• 1 1G SFP socket; 1 2.5G SFP socket.

• 8K MAC addresses and 4K VLANs (IEEE 802.1Q), as well as 8K IPv4 and IPv6 multicast group support.

• Flexible link aggregation support based on Layer-2 through Layer-4 information (IEEE 802.3ad).

• Multicast and broadcast storm control, as well as flooding control.

• Multiple protocol support: IEEE 802.1d, IEEE 802.1w, IEEE 802.1s, and IEEE 802.1X. • Extremely rugged -40 to +85 degrees C operating temperature.

Diamond Systems Mountain View, CA. (650) 810-2500 www.diamondsystems.com

9-Port Gbit Ethernet Switch Rides CompactPCI Serial EKF Elektronik’s SL2-BRASS is a 9-port Gbit Ethernet switch built on a peripheral slot card for CompactPCI Serial systems. While four GbE ports are wired to associated M12 X-coded front panel receptacles, another four GbE ports are available for backplane communication via the CompactPCI Serial connector P6.

• PICMG CompactPCI Serial standard (CPCI-S.0) peripheral slot card or system slot card.

• Marvell 88E6390 based Gbit Ethernet switch (in use 8 x GbE MAC/PHY 1000BASE-T, 1 x GbE MAC/SerDes).

• High performance, non-blocking, Gbit Ethernet.

• Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) Standards, IEEE 1588v2 one-step PTP. • Quality of Service (QoS) support with 8 traffic classes.

• Supports 4096 802.1Q VLANs, three levels of 802.1Q security.

• Unmanaged or managed solution.

EKF Elektronik Hamm, Germany +49 (0)2381/6890-0 www.ekf.de

DATA SHEET

ETHERNET SWITCH BOARDS ROUNDUP

Links to the full data sheets for each of these products are posted on the online version of this section.

3U VPX Switch Blends 10 Gbit Ethernet and PCI Express Gen3 The XChange3021 from Extreme Engineering Solutions is a conduction- or air-cooled, 3U OpenVPX integrated switch module supporting both PCI Express and Ethernet protocols. The integrated PCI Express and Ethernet switch functionality allow XChange3021 to serve as the heart of inter-board communications inside a highend OpenVPX system.

• Up to six x4 PCI Express Gen3 interfaces; One x8 PCI Express Gen3 interface to XMC. • Up to eight 10GBASE-KR or 1000BASEBX/KX Ethernet ports; Up to two 10GBASE-T Ethernet ports; Up to three 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet ports to XMC site.

• Layer 2 switching and Layer 3 routing management.

• VICTORY Infrastructure Switch and Router support (optional).

6U OpenVPX Card Combines 10/40 Gbit L3+ Ethernet Switch and IP Router Interface Concept’s ComEth4510a is a combined Control and Data plane 10/40 Gbit switch compliant with the OpenVPX profile MOD6-SWH-16U16F-12.4.5-4. It is a combined Control and Data Plane switch for demanding 6U OpenVPX Ethernet architectures. The Ethernet packet processor is used for the Control Plane. The Data Plane is implemented thanks to the 2nd-Gen Marvell Prestera CX platform.

• GigE / 10GigE Control Plane:

- 16 1000Base-KX (rear).

- 4 10/100/1000Base-T ( front).

- 4 SFP+ ( front).

MEN Micro’s G101 is a managed 3U flexible multiport Gigabit Ethernet switch, with a 29 Gbit/s switch matrix, implemented as a CompactPCI Serial board. Specifically designed for rugged mobile communication in harsh environments, the new Ethernet switch conforms to the EN 50155 railway standard.

The switch is fault tolerant and restores itself on its own. If a link is temporarily unavailable, frames are sent via backup/ redundant links avoiding any data loss.

• Managed rugged Ethernet switch.

• Up to 25 Gbit Ethernet ports on rear I/O.

• 10Gb/40Gb Ethernet Data Plane:

• Or 3 ports on front and up to 22 ports on rear.

- up to 48 10GBase-KR (rear).

• 29 Gbit/s carrier grade switch matrix.

- 4 10GBase-T ( front).

• Special switch protocols.

- 4 SFP+ ( front).

• -40 to +85 degrees C with qualified components.

• Supports the XPedite5205 Cisco IOS Embedded Services Router.

• Configuration in 40GBase-KR4 or 10GBase-KX4.

• Compatible with multiple VITA 65 OpenVPX switch slot profiles.

• Full managed L2; L3 Unicast/Multicast Engine.

Extreme Engineering Solutions Middleton, WI (608) 833-1155 www.xes-inc.com

3U cPCI Serial Ethernet Switch Leverages Features Fault Tolerance

• Standard, Extended, Rugged and Conduction-Cooled grades.

Interface Concept Quimper, France. +33 (0)2 98 57 30 30. www.interfaceconcept.com

• EN 50155 class TX compliant (railways).

• PICMG CPCI-S.0 CompactPCI Serial system slot and peripheral card.

MEN Micro Ambler, PA (215) 542-9575 www.menmicro.com

FIND the products featured in this section and more at

intelligentsystemssource.com

COTS Journal | January 2017

31

DATA SHEET

Ethernet Switch Boards Roundup

PCI/e104 Rugged 8-Port Ethernet Switch Boasts Scalable Design

24 GbE Port + 4 10 GbE Port Ethernet Switch Boasts Dynamic Routing

Rugged 1 Gbit/s Deterministic Ethernet 6U VPX Switch Has 16 Ports

The LAN35H08 from RTD Embedded Technologies provides a host module with eight switched ports and an Ethernet connection through the PCIe/104 bus to an optional host CPU. The switch expands in groups of eight simply by stacking expansion boards on the host.

The MILTECH 9128 from Techaya is an advanced Ethernet Switch with Layer 3 dynamic routing capabilities and offers four 10 GbE and 24 triple-speed (10/100/1000) ports in a compact 3.55″ by 3.55 inch card.

The TTE-Switch A664 6U VPX Rugged from TTTech is a high-performance Deterministic Ethernet switch capable of full-duplex speeds of 10/100/1000 Mbit/s targeted for flight critical applications. The switch is engineered to maintain operation in the harshest environments and weighs less than today's ultra-light laptops. The solution is suitable for efficient SWaP reduction management at the network system level.

• Stacking expandable 1 Gbps Ethernet switch with 10-pin headers or RJ-45 jacks.

• Eight ports per board, and expandable in groups of eight.

• Compatible with the Cisco 5915 Embedded Services Router.

• 40 to +85 degrees C standard operating temperature.

• Stack switch connection does not use any of the eight ports.

• Intel WG82574IT PCI Express Ethernet controller for interface to a host CPU. RTD Embedded Technologies State College, PA (814) 234-8087 www.rtd.com

FIND the products featured in this section and more at

intelligentsystemssource.com

32

COTS Journal | January 2017

• Ideal for aggregating traffic from dozens of IP-based devices.

• Advanced network routing features: VLANS, traffic prioritization (QoS), bandwidth aggregation, dynamic routing (RIPV1,V2, OSPF V2/V3, Multicast Routing, VRRP, ECMP Routing) and full IPv6.

• Conformally coated. Withstands working temperatures of -40 to +85 degrees C. MIL-STD-810 and MILSTD461 in a suitable enclosure.

• 16 x full-duplex Ethernet ports via rear I/O; 6 x 10/100/1000 Mbit/s; 10 x 10/100 Mbit/s.

• Parallel support of copper & optical links.

• Up to 32 Mbytes of memory (scalable).

• Board-to-board connectors make it easy to integrate as a module-based network building block.

• 256 Mbit flash memory for storing switch configurations.

• Rapid evaluation carrier boards are available for even faster integration and system testing.

• SNMP support, ARINC 615A/TFTP, health monitoring and BITs.

Techaya Pardes Hana Israel +972 (4) 6377741 www.techaya.com

• Fully ARINC 664 p7-compliant.

• Filtering, policing, traffic prioritization and bandwidth control.

TTTech North America (978) 933-7979 Andover, MA www.tttech.com

COTS

FIND the products featured in this section and more at

PRODUCTS

intelligentsystemssource.com

Intel Apollo Lake Processor-Based COM Boards Feature Credit Card Size Congatec has announced the conga-MA5 a credit card sized COM Express Mini Type 10 Computer-on-Module (COM). Based on the Intel Atom, Celeron and Pentium processors (code name Apollo Lake), the modules can be configured with the Intel Atom processors E3930, E3940 and E3950 for power saving consideration or are fitted with the more powerful low-power dual-core Intel Celeron N3350 and quad-core Intel Pentium N4200 processors with higher performance. Up to 8 GB dual channel DDR3L RAM and 128 Gbytes of on board flash memory with fast eMMC 5.1 can be selected. 2x 6 Gbps SATA are available as an option.

The Intel Gen9 graphics provides up to 18 execution units which can support 2 independent displays via single channel LVDS/eDP and the digital display interface for DP 1.2 or HDMI 1.4b. Connection includes 1x Gigabit Ethernet interface, 4x PCIe

Atom E3800-Based SBC Suits Odd Shaped Configurations ADL Embedded Solutions has announced the rugged, compact (75mm x 75mm) ADLE3800SEC SBC for embedded applications including unmanned drone/robotics, security, industrial and healthcare.

The designed is based on the E3800 series Intel Atom SoC and the edge-connect architecture enables connection of odd shaped configurations ( flat, vertical, odd-shapes) in the SWaP environment. For memory, its quad-core processor supports up to 2 Mbytes of onboard cache, 4 Gbytes of soldered DRAM (DDR3-1333 MHz), one M.2 Storage Socket (Key B, 2242) and one SATA 2.0 (6 Gbytes/s).

With input voltage from 20-30 VDC, its thermal junction temperature (Tj) can operate from -40 to +85 degrees C. I/O includes DisplayPort, USB2.0, USB3.0, two GLAN ports with support for DirectX 11, Open GL 4.0, and full HD video playback.

User can select either the HDMI (1920x1200) or Display Port (2560x1600) for graphic interface. The device is compatible with Windows 7, 8, 10 and Linux. With expansion card, two additional PCIe devices can be added. As an option, the device can further add low-Profile Heat Spreader and Conformal Coating of CPU board and Underfill of BGA components.

ADL Embedded Solutions San Diego, CA (858) 490-0597 www.adl-usa.com

2.0 lanes and 8 USB ports (two USB 3.0). Other I/O interfaces include are1x SPI, 1x LPC, 4x GPIO, 2x serial UART and Audio via HDA. Operating systems supported include Microsoft Windows 10, Microsoft Windows 10 IoT versions and Linux. The Board Support Package (BSP) is available for Wind River IDP 3.1. All SOM operate from -40 to +85 degrees C. Congatec San Diego, CA 858-457-2600 www.congatec.us

6W DC-DC Converter Accepts Wide DC Input From 12 to 160V Gaia Converter has announced the MGDDI-06 Series of DC/DC Converters for applications in airborne and military.

Using proprietary design, the product covers input voltage range from 12 to 160V compatible with typical battery/bus voltages (24V, 28V, 36V, 48V, 72V, 96V, 110V, 125V) including transients with close to 90 percent efficiency. There are two isolated outputs ( for parallel, serial or symmetrical operation) of 5V, 12V, 15V and 24V available for application such as single 5 to 48V output, +/- 15V or 2 x 24V outputs (3W each).

The units have protection with zero to full load regulation, trim and on/off capability, adjustable UVLO, soft start, embedded EMI filter, over-current and over-temperature. Measured in 0.33H x 1L x 0.75W inches, the unit is rated at 6W and can perform in rugged condition from -40 to +100 degrees C. It is also compliant with Mil-Std-704, 1275, DO-160, EN50155/55022 and does not require optocouplers in the feedback loop.

Gaia Converter Morristown, NJ (973) 539.0568 www.gaia-converter.com

COTS PRODUCTS

3-Axis Magnetic Sensor Provides Integrated Solution for Drone Design Memsic has announced the MMC5883MA 3-Axis Magnetic Sensor for broad application including industrial, drone, wearable, medical and mobile. Such applications require detection of motion, acceleration and directional sensing. Design of such devices needs mixed-signal processing, low power and compact in size. Because of the strength of the signal from the sensor is usually small, it demands strong signal-to-noise ratio.

Meeting all these requirements can be challenging. Based on its long history of proprietary technology, Memsic delivers the anisotropic magneto resistive (AMR) based Magnetic Sensor comes in a low profile LGA package of 3.0 x 3.0 x 1.0 mm. Each of its 3-axis is a16-bit operation over a ± 8 Gauss operating range (FSR) with linearity of ± 0.2 percent FSR, hysteresis of 0.2 percent FSR and repeatability of 0.2 percent FSR. At seven samples per second data rate the current consumption is 20 uA with noise level of 0.4 mGauss total RMS. Input voltage ranges from 2.16 to 3.6 volts and temperature

Multi-Mode Oscillators Combine Wide Frequency Range, Low Jitter NDK has announced the NP5032S and NP7050S oscillators for applications in SONET, SDH, Synchronous Ethernet, and other networking devices. The device frequency ranges from 15 MHz to 2.1 GHz. Jitter is typically 130fs RMS (at 622.08MHz) with total stability + 20 ppm total for life. Users can configure up to four different outputs from a single device. Five different output types (CMOS (less than 200MHz), LVPECL, LVDS, CML and HCSL (less than 700MHz) are available. Supply voltage can be specified from 3.3V to 1.8V. The NP5032S measures 5.0L x 3.2W x 1.2H mm and the NP7050S 7.0L x 50W x 1.6H mm. Both operate from -40 to +85 degrees C with prices start at $9.90.

NDK America Schaumburg, IL (847) 852-4165 www.ndk.com

range is from -40 to + 85 degrees C. The MC5883MA incorporates an on-chip signal processing and an integrated I2C 400 kHz FAST mode operation digital interface enables direct connection to the system microprocessor. A Universal Evaluation Board with the devices pre-mounted is available for product development and data logging. Products are available in volume.

MEMSIC Andover, MA (978) 738-0900 www.memsic.com

Embedded Motherboard Sports Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 Processor Kontron has announced the embedded FlexATX-SKL-S-C236 motherboard with Intel Core i3, i5, i7 or 6th Generation Intel Xeon E3 14 nm Quad Core CPUs. The unit has built-in Intel HD Graphics with three independent graphic ports, DirectX 12, OpenGL 4.4 support, LVDS 24Bit dual channel and Display Port 1.2 with additional PCIe slots for 6 SATA ports and 4 GBE ports. Currently supported operating systems include Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Linux and Windows Embedded Standard 7 (WES7).

The unit targets the real-time control market with its Intel Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) 2.0, ECC memory and DSP class I/O processing.

The board’s security features include TPM2.0, hardware security device, M.2 (2280, Socket 3, M-Key). Multiple I/O ports are available to support SATA (6x SATA Gen 3.0), MCCIE/MSATA ( full size miniPCIe with USB2.0), Serial, LAN (4x 10/100/1000Mbit Ethernet on rear), USB (2x 3.0 and 5x 2.0) and audio. The unit measures 170 x 170 mm (thin mini-ITX) and complies with IEC 60950-1: 2005, 2nd Edition UL 60950-1, CSA C22.2 No. 60950-1 for safety and EN55022 for emission.

Kontron, Poway, CA (888) 294-4558. www.kontron.com

34

COTS Journal | January 2017

COTS PRODUCTS

Ultra-Broadband Diode Absorptive Switch Operates from 100 MHz to 67 GHz

Rugged Cabinets with Bolted Construction Prevent High Shock Failure

Fairview Microwave has announced the rugged FMSW2026, an ultra-broadband single-pole doublethrow (SPDT) PIN diode absorptive switch in MIL grade coaxial package. It operates from 100 MHz to 67 GHz across the RF, Microwave, and Millimeter-Wave bands.

Applications include military radar, satellite, multi-gigabit communications, surveillance systems, point to point, point to multi-point wireless transmission links and test and measurement.

Input power is 0.5 watts (CW) maximum with insertion loss of 6 dB typical and Isolation of 65 dB typical. Switching speed is 100 nsec maximum. The unit operates from -30 to +60 degrees C and uses dual voltage controls of +5 VDC and -5 VDC.

Elma has announced the MB series weld-free, rugged cabinets based on a modular, common COTS platform. Using the bolted construction, the cabinets are designed without welding to prevent failure in the high shock and vibration or humidity environment and good weight-to-strength ratio. Construction of the cabinet includes using vertical and horizontal aluminum extrusions with grooves to accommodate EMI gaskets. The steel corner-key inserts utilize the hydraulically crimped/ mechanically fastened corner construction technique.

Custom design allows users to configure doors, side, top and bottom panels, cooling, I/O cabling and floor mounting or casters.

Designs require compliance of MIL-STD-167-1 and MIL-S-901D are available.

Fairview Microwave Allen, TX (972) 649-6678 www.fairviewmicrowave.com

250 Gbyte NVMe SSD Provides 256-bit Hardware-Based Encryption

Elma Electronic Fremont, CA (510) 656-3400 www.elma.com

Converter Enables Legacy Analog Devices to Connect to Ethernet/Wireless

Eurocom has announced the 250 Gbyte Samsung 960 Evo M.2 form factor Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) SSD for Laptops and Mobile Workstations. The V-NAND based SSD measures 80.15 x 22.15 x 2.38 (mm) and supports multiple processors including NVIDIA Quadro/Geforce graphics and Intel Xeon. Designed for mission critical applications, the unit has built-in AES 256-bit hardware-based encryption along with optional smart card readers, finger print readers, Kensington lock ports and TPM 2 modules. It is configurable with up to two M.2 drives in RAID 0 or RAID 1. Sequential read/write speeds are 3200 and 1900 Mbytes/s (maximum) accordingly.

MultiTech has announced the MultiConnect AEW analog-toEthernet/Wireless converter. The unit has built-in integrated cellular radio, an RJ-11 port and RJ-45 Ethernet 10/100. The MultiConnect AEW has a Web interface which can be configured as a gateway between analog to cellular and analog to Ethernet with failover capabilities. Packet data and PPP pass-through modes are available. The unit is capable of analog modem speed from 300 baud to 33.6K bps with error correction and data compression. Legacy equipment can now connect to traditional dial-up PSTN network over Ethernet or cellular in a variety of applications.

Eurocom, Nepean Ontario, Canada (613) 224-6122 www.eurocom.com

Multi-Tech Systems Mounds View, MN (763) 785-3500 www.multitech.com

COTS Journal | January 2017

35

COTS PRODUCTS

Embedded PXIe Module Marries Zynq Z7045 SoC and FMC I/O Innovative Integration has announced the COPious-PXIe—an 8HP PXIe -compatible plug-in card that employs the Xilinx Z7045 (Zynq) system- on-chip processor. The SoC provides dual, floating-point, ARM A9 CPUs and a large user-programmable FPGA fabric. COPious-PXIe incorporates a high pin-count VITA 57.1 -compliant FMC module site. FMC peripherals are directly controlled by the on- board FPGA fabric, enabling deep integration of sophisticated, user-customized digital signal processing algorithms.

Real-time, DSP and mixed-signal applications such as software-defined radio, RADAR, LIDAR, optical control and other demanding applications may be efficiently addressed, even in conjunction with conventional PXIe system controllers running non-real-time operating systems such as Windows or Linux.

COPious-PXIe runs bare-metal C/C++ applications in core 1 and the PetaLinux core/applications core 0 and, providing zerooverheat interrupt processing and real-time code execution in conjunction with high-level Ethernet, USB and disk connectivity.

PetaLinux boots rapidly from an on-board eMMC flash drive, providing bullet-proof autonomous operation and fast local storage. It’s rugged, flexible and ready for immediate deployment into your next Test & Measurement or embedded application. The product can be readily tailored to a variety of markets including embedded instrumentation, remote, autonomous IO, mobile instrumentation, and distributed data acquisition.

Innovative Integration Simi Valley, CA (805) 578-4260 www.innovative-dsp.com

Conduction-Cooled SFF Embedded Computer Boasts Xeon Processor The EC500 from DFI Tech features a 22nm Intel Xeon processor E3-1200 v3 family and 6th/4th generation Intel Core i7/i5/ i3 processor. The conduction-cooled system supports dual 16 Gbyte DDR3 memory, a 2.5 inch SATA drive bay with SATA III capability, and 1 mSATA module via the Mini PCIe socket. The EC500 meets IEC68-2-64 for operating vibration and can withstand 3G of operating shock at half sine wave 11ms in 3 axis. The SWaP optimized unit is only 235mm x 63.2mm x 222mm and has a range of processor options from 35W to 45W. Other features of the EC500 include a GbE port, Mini PCIe expansion, and a wealth of I/O ports.

DFI Tech Sacramento, CA (916) 558-1234 www.dfitech.com

36

COTS Journal | January 2017

Skylake-S Series-Based Net Appliance Supports Both Fiber and Copper WIN Enterprises has announced the PL-80990, a 1U Rackmount networking appliance. Based on the Intel 14nm micro-architecture, Skylake-S series 6th Gen Core i7/i5/i3 processor and the Intel H110 PCH. It supports two DDR4 2133 MHz un-buffered / Non-ECC / ECC DIMM (maximum 32 Gbytes). Storage interfaces include the 2.5 inch SATA 3.0 HDD/SSD and 1 m-SATA. Standard PCIe X8 card or an expansion module can be selected. Available expansion modules include 4 or 8 GbE Copper, 4 or 8 GbE Fiber, 2 or 4 10 GbE Fiber, 2 40 GbE Fiber and a maximum of 14 GbE Copper port supported with 4 pairs BYPASS function.

WIN Enterprises North Andover, MA (978) 688-2000 www.win-ent.com

COTS PRODUCTS

Panel PC Series Provides Single Touch HMI Industrial Solutions American Portwell Technology has announced the fanless, industrial JAVI Panel PC series. Available displays include 10.4, 12.1, 15, 17 and 19-inch versions. Users can specify 5-wire resistive touch or with projective capacitive multi-touch. Based on the quad-core Intel Atom processor E3845 (10W Max TDP, 2M Cache, 1.91 GHz) integrating Intel Gen 7 3D graphics engine, the JAVI series come with aluminum front bezel, metal housing with IP65 rating for the front and IP20 for the back side. (IEC 60529 Edition 2.1 Standard). Maximum DDR3L SO-DIMM is 8 Gbytes.

Multiple IO include HDMI port, VGA port, Gbit Ethernet (two), USB 3.0, USB 2.0 (three), RS-232/422/485 ports (two) and RS-232 ports (two). Additionally, a 2.5 inch SATA HDD or SSD and a half-size mSATA device are included. Two SMA antenna holes enable optional Wi-Fi and 3G/GPS or 4G LTE function via the Mini-PCIe add-on card and SIM card slot. Additionally, the unit is modularbased to allow a mixture of desired IO to be added. Six options are available to add RS232, EtherCat, Mic, Profinet, USB or CAN. The JAVI operates from -25 to 70 degrees C with DC input from 12 to 24V. Panel or standard 100mm x 100mm VESA mounting can be selected. Supported operating systems include Microsoft Windows 8, Windows 7 and Linux.

American Portwell Technology Fremont, CA (510) 403-3399 www.portwell.com

Critical Mission Supply Runs Off 3-Phase Aircraft Power Behlman Electronics has introduced its DCR2U2000D-6-28,71-12,33.3 Critical Mission COTS Power Supply, to meet the need for reliable DC output from a wide frequency of 3-phase AC aircraft power. Behlman first announced in May, 2016, its plan to create the DCR2U Series of COTS Power Supplies to accept inputs of 200 to 375 VDC; or 115/200 VAC, 3-phase at 360 to 440 Hz (IAW MIL-STD-704 and DO-160). To make this a truly versatile power supply series, custom inputs are also available upon request.

Output power of 2,000/3,000/4,000 Watts are available from the DCR2U series, with voltages from 3.3 VDC to 48 VDC. The new 2,400 watt DCR2U-2000D Power Supply is specially designed to provide +28 VDC at 71 A (2000 W), and +12 VDC at 33.3 A (400 W).

Like other DCR2U power supplies, this unit also has protective circuits, controls, and indicators, and wide-ranging operating and storage temperatures. It is also designed to meet MIL-STD-810F for Shock and Vibration, and MIL-STD-461E for EMI/EMC (RE102 inside external enclosure.

3.5-inch Embedded Board Serves Up 7th Ge Core Processor Axiomtek has launched the CAPA500, its new 3.5-inch embedded board featuring the LGA1151 socket 7th generation Intel Core processor family (codename: Kaby Lake) with 35W TDP (thermal design power), as well as the Intel H110 chipset (Q170 optional). The CAPA500 supports one 260-pin DDR4-1867 SO-DIMM with a memory capacity up to 16GB for extensive storage. The compact 3.5-inch embedded motherboard also offers display outputs through HDMI, VGA and LVDS for triple independent display applications. The board runs on +12 VDC power, supporting auto power-on. It can operate at a wide range of temperatures from -20 to 70 degrees C under active thermal control.

Axiomtek City of Industry, CA (626) 581-3232 www.axiomtek.com/us

Behlman Electronics Hauppauge, NY (631) 435-0410 www.behlman.com

COTS Journal | January 2017

37

COTS PRODUCTS

3U Power Supply Integrates VITA 46.9 XMC and PCIe Gen 2 Switch Curtiss-Wright has announced the rugged PSU3-THOR power supply which integrates the dual XMC (VITA 46.9) mezzanine slot expansion and a 6-port PCI Express (PCIe) Gen2 switch in a single 3U VPX unit. The built-in 24-lane, 6-port PCIe switch backplane supports dual XMC sites using separate XMC carrier or switch card. Four extra x4 PCIe ports are available for I/O expansion. The conduction-cooled unit has system output power of 285 or 485 watts with 50 ms hold up time (to 280 W) while output voltages are 5V, 3.3V, and +/- 12V. Input power is 28VDC and complies with MIL-STD-704, MIL-STD-1275, DEF-STAN or DO-160. Up to 15 watts are supported by each XMC (VITA 46.9) mezzanine slot. Temperature is operational from -40 to +85 degrees C with humidity from 0 to100 percent condensing. Safety designs include transient protection, current limiting, and polarity protection. Voltage and temperature sensors are built-in with an elapsed time indicator.

In today’s demanding size, weight, power and cost (SWaP-C) environment, the PSU3-THOR power supply is the first in the industry to reduce the overall system size in many rugged applications. The unit measures approximately 1.49 (H) x 3.93 (W) x 7.10 (L) inches and weighs 1.4 lbs. In the past five years, Curtiss-Wright has reduced the overall system size by 40% with increased functionalities and continued to support the legacy 3U VPX. Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions Ashburn, VA (703) 779-7800 www.cwcdefense.com.

VME SBC Marries Xeon D-15xx Processor and Kintex-7 FPGA Interface Concept has introduced its Intel Xeon processor D-15xx-based board. This product is enlarging the overall Interface Concept VME SBC range being Intel or PowerPC. With as many as 8 processor cores, combined with 2 banks of 8 Gbyte DDR4, 4 x Gbit Ethernet ports and 4 SATA interfaces among others, the IC-INT-VMEb is capable of meeting compute-intensive needs, in industrial and harsh environments (available in standard and rugged variants). This VME processing board integrates a Kintex-7 FPGA that is dedicated to customers’ application requirements, and comes with an optional HDMI/DVI video link. To end with, the IC-INT-VMEb supports IC’s FPGAbased VME bridge, preventing obsolescence risks.

Interface Concept Quimper, France +33 (0)2 98 57 30 30 www.interfaceconcept.com

38

COTS Journal | January 2017

Body Worn Camera Capable of 130-degree Panoramic 1080p Video Getac has announced the Veretos Body Worn Camera (BWC) for law enforcement. The unit is capable of delivering 130-degree panoramic 480p to 1080p video in low light conditions with 12 hours of battery life. By swiping the ID card, RFID will use the built-in software to automatically assign the unit to the officer. With in-field tagging, officers can file the video into one of the four predefined incident categories.

Officers can stream live video directly to the Veretos Cloud using the unit’s Wi-Fi capability. the unit is rugged, waterproof and complies with IP67 and MIL-STD 810G-tested.

Getac Irvine, CA (949) 681-2900 www.us.getac.com

COTS PRODUCTS

FPGA-based XMC Family Comes with Navigator Design Suite Software Tools Pentek has announced the Jade family of XMC products based on the Xilinx flagship Kintex UltraScale FPGA. Compare with the previous generation of Pentek Cobalt and Onyx architectures, the Jade architecture improves the digital signal processing (DSP) performance by over 50 percent and reduce power by 18 percent. The FPGA can be populated to match the specific requirements of the processing task from the KU035 to KU115. The high-end KU115 which supports 5520 DSP48E2 slices can perform tasks of modulation/ demodulation, encoding/decoding, encryption/decryption, and channelization of the signals between transmission and reception. The KU035 provides a low-cost approach when large DSP resource or logic is not required. The FPGA has access to all data and control paths and be optimized for factory-installed functions (data multiplexing, channel selection, data packing, gating, triggering and memory control). The board supports a Gen. 3 x 8 PCIe interface, eight additional gigabit serial lanes and LVDS general purpose I/O for custom solutions. Optionally, a 5 Gbyte bank of DDR4 SDRAM memory can be installed for custom applications.

The Navigator Design Suite is a designer toolkit with a built-in API for software development and a graphical interface for IP design.

The suite has two components. The Navigator FDK (FPGA Design Kit) is for integrating custom IP into Pentek sourced designs and the Navigator BSP (Board Support Package) for creating host applications. Based on the Xilinx Kintex UltraScale FPGA, the first Jade architecture family is the Model 71861, an air-cooled, XMC module with four 200 MHz A/D channels and programmable multiband DDCs (digital downconverters). It also supports PCIe, 3U & 6U VPX, AMC, and 3U & 6U cPCI form factors for both commercial and rugged environments.

Pentek Upper Saddle River, NJ (201) 818-5900 www.pentek.com

Desktop Simulator Provides Hardwarein-the-Loop (HIL) Function Tests dSPACE has announced the SCALEXIO LabBox for bench testing. The unit has two components. The SCALEXIO Processing Unit and the LabBox are connected via the dSPACE-proprietary IOCNET network technology optimized for real-time applications. The LabBox supports up to 18 I/O boards accessible from the front of the unit. Available I/O boards include simple digital or analog I/O as well as complex I/O functions for engine simulation and automotive bus systems. Additional units ( for I/O or computing) can be connected to the existing bus. Finally, a software tool dSPACE ConfigurationDesk is made available for system configuration. dSPACE Wixom, MI (248) 295-4704 www.dspaceinc.com

Scalable 100G Adapter Provides Network and Security Monitoring Accolade Technology has announced the third generation dual 100G packet capture adapter ANIC-200Ku. Based on the Xilinx UltraScale FPGA, the adapter’s hardware-based flow classification is capable of 32 million unique IP and the 100G full line rate capture with zero packet loss and Inline Operation for IDS/ IPS. The blacklist Tables for security Flows can be forwarded, dropped, or redirected. When maximum performance is required, two ANIC-200Ku adapters can be interconnected to deliver full 200 Gbps transfer across the PCIe bus. Market segments served include service provider, telco, network monitoring and security.

Accolade Technology Franklin, MA (844) 399-9903 www.accoladetechnology.com

COTS Journal | January 2017

39

COTS

ADVERTISERS INDEX GET CONNECTED WITH INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS SOURCE AND PURCHASABLE SOLUTIONS NOW Intelligent Systems Source is a new resource that gives you the power to compare, review and even purchase embedded computing products intelligently. To help you research SBCs, SOMs, COMs, Systems, or I/O boards, the Intelligent Systems Source website provides products, articles, and whitepapers from industry leading manufacturers---and it's even connected to the top 5 distributors. Go to Intelligent Systems Source now so you can start to locate, compare, and purchase the correct product for your needs.

Index

intelligentsystemssource.com

Company Page# Website

Company Page# Website

Critical I/O...........................................5............................ www.criticalio.com

One Stop Systems, Inc. ......................4, 7....................... onestopsystems.com

Elma Electronics.................................13................................. www.elma.com

Pentek.................................................48.............................. www.pentek.com

Embedded World.................................23..................www.embedded-world.eu

Pico Electronics, Inc............................25................. www.picoelectronics.com

GAIA Converter Inc..............................47.................. www.gaia-converter.com

Pixus Technologies..............................39.............www.pixustechnologies.com

Great River Technology...........................19......................www.greatrivertech.com

Star Communications Inc....................14......................www.starcommva.com

Intelligent Systems Source.....................22...... www.intelligentsystemssource.com

SynQor.................................................15...............................www.synqor.com

Mercury Systems, Inc. .........................2.................................. www.mrcy.com

COTS Gallery Ad..................................45.........................................................

NovaSom Industries............................13........... www.novasomindustries.com COTS Journal (ISSN#1526-4653) is published monthly at 905 Calle Amanecer, Suite 150, San Clemente, CA 92673. Periodicals Class postage paid at San Clemente and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to COTS Journal, 905 Calle Amanecer, Ste. 150, San Clemente, CA 92673.

COMING NEXT MONTH Defense Embraces Cloud Computing, IoT and Big Data

The combination of dense storage systems and high-speed networking has led to easily virtualized data sharing systems—also known as “cloud computing”. The defense world wants to leverage everything it can from that trend as well as the technologies and capabilities of the Internet-ofThings (IoT) and access to Big Data analytics. This section looks at the cloud computing, network gateway and sensor interface solutions from the IoT that can be applied to defense needs.

Tech Recon: Jeff’s Picks: Jeff Child’s Top Backplane Solutions

In our popular Tech Recon feature “Jeff’s Pick” section we directly leverage Jeff’s decades of experience covering the embedded computing and defense market. He will choose the top products in a different category each month and share his insights on why they’re significant in terms of design innovation, market relevance and technology leadership. February’s section looks at backplane solutions suited for defense applications.

40

COTS Journal | January 2017

System Development: VME, CompactPCI and COM Express Serve Tech Update Programs

Tech upgrade strategies vary depending on whether it’s just the processing technology that needs a refresh or whether the interconnect speeds and other capabilities are the issue. With both VME and CompactPCI a new board with the latest and greatest processor, memory and I/O can easily be dropped into a slot that could be decades old. And COM Express lets you upgrade just the compute core of a system leaving the application-specific I/O unchanged. This section looks at technology and product choices involved in these decisions.

Data Sheet: Small Rugged Box-Level Systems Roundup

Small form factor rugged boxes have become a staple in today’s military embedded computing market. These complete system boxes often support standard form factor modules inside them. The result is a complete, tested and enclosed computing solution that eliminates complex integration chores for customers. This section focus on the segment of rugged boxes in the “small” category and outlines the problems they solve. A product album rounds up the latest representative products in this area.

COTS

PRODUCT GALLERY A176 Cyclone Aitech Defense Systems’ fanless, rugged GPGPU supercomputer measures only 20 cubic inches, while providing 1 TFLOP of parallel processing.

The self-contained, military grade A176 Cyclone redefines SFF power density by delivering 60 GFLOPs/W in a compact, low power HPEC. Using the revolutionary NVIDIA Maxwell architecture for the GPU subsystem, the A176 integrates 256 CUDA cores with 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM. The Quad-core ARM Cortex A57 CPU provides an operating frequency to 1.9 GHz per core, with an overall maximum power consumption of only 17 W (8-10 W typical).

A176 Cyclone Technical Features • Measures only 20 cubic inches using 17 W max (8-10 typ) • Fanless, rugged GPGPU with 256 CUDA cores (NVIDIA 1 TFLOPs Maxwell) • High performance, low power SFF supercomputer (ARM Cortex Quad-core A57) • Memory: 4 GB LPDDR4 RAM • Video: encode 4K 60 Hz; decode 4K 30 Hz • Storage: 16 GB of eMMC and SATA SSD with quick erase/secure erase

Aitech Defense Systems, Inc. Phone: (888) 248-3248 Web: www.rugged.com

XU-TX: An XMC module with two, 5.1 GSPS, 16-bit DAC’s, PLL, 8 GB DDR4 and Xilinx UltraScale FPGA Up to 7800 MB/s streaming via PCIe or Aurora, Internal or external clocking & triggering High Speed Arbitrary Waveform Generation, Wireless MIMO transmitter, RADAR Waveforms, or Electronic surveillance & communications

• Reconfigurable Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA with 200k logic cells • Two 16-bit, > 5.1 GSPS DAC channels: • Single ended AC coupled outputs with programmable DC bias • Differential DC model option • >2 GHz analog bandwidth (1X) • Digital inverse sinc filter • Enhanced 2nd and 3rd Nyquist modes • “Frequency doubling” 2X mode • Interpolation filters: 1X(bypassed)-64x • 48 bit NCO and 31 32bit fast hop NCOs • Up to 7800 MB/s streaming via PCIe or Aurora • Fixed latency, multi-board synchronization Innovative Integration

Star Communications, Inc.

Phone: (805) 383-8994 Email: sales@innovative-dsp.com Web: www.innovative-dsp.com

PVP7 Signal Processing Receivers The PVP-7xx family combines a multichannel digital receiver with up to four FPGAs, on a standard PCI Express® card.

When installed in a customer’s desktop, server, or other PCIe® host, these cards provide a complete IF-to-DMA path for processing wireless signals.

• Scalable - 1,2,3,or 4 high-end Virtex®-7 FPGA (XC7VX485T) • Scalable - 0 to 4 receive channels • Compact - half-length card, only 4.4 x 6.6 x 0.8 inches • Low SWaP - less than 11 ounces, as low as 50 Watts • Powerful - processing > 6 TeraMAC/sec, memory > 270 Terabit/sec • Encryption protection available for code and data • Easy-to-Use - two-way direct memory access (DMA), simple intuitive API • Installs in any host or server in minutes, example app. already installed • Extensive signal processing libraries available • Programmable intermediate frequency (IF) • Programmable sample rate (100 to 250 mega-sample/sec) • Free software development kit • Free lifetime technical support Star Communications, Inc. Phone: (703) 254-5860 Email: sales@starcommva.com Web: www.starcommva.com

COTS Journal | January 2017

41

COTS Journal’s

MARCHING TO THE NUMBERS

$4.2 MILLION

Total combined value of two firm fixed price contracts from two customers awarded to Palomar Display Products to deliver military display systems for the M1A Abrams tank. The optically coupled display systems have been designed, tested and qualified for the M1A Abrams tank and will be installed on tanks delivered to the US Military. All deliveries under this contract will take place through 2017. Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, Palomar Display Products develops and manufactures high-resolution tactical targeting displays that are installed on tens of thousands of armored vehicles worldwide.

1,000 Range in statute miles at which the Tomahawk missile can defeat heavily defended targets virtually anywhere on Earth. The U.S. Navy and Raytheon completed two flight tests of the Tomahawk Block IV cruise missile, demonstrating how missions can now be planned in real time to strike time-sensitive targets. Two Tomahawk missiles containing inert warheads were launched from the Vertical Launch System of USS Pinckney (DDG 91) off the Southern California coast. The first test was planned in real time by the crew of the USS Pinckney, who used the Launch Platform Mission Planning (LPMP) capability of the Tactical Tomahawk Weapons Control System.

1 BILLION

$

Combined value in Canadian dollars of two longterm training services contracts CAE has signed with the United States Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). The contract with the U.S. Army is for rotary-wing flight training classroom, simulator, and live flying instructor support services for one year with eight one-year options until 2026. The training is delivered at the U.S. Army’s Aviation Center of Excellence (USAACE) at Fort Rucker, Alabama. CAE will also add new capabilities and perform a range of upgrades and updates to the overall NFTC training system and aircraft over the next several years.

42

COTS Journal | January 2017

2000

Number on-water operational hours that variations of the Textron Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle (CUSV) have amassed so far. Textron Systems Unmanned Systems announced that it began on-water testing for the fourth-generation CUSV supporting the U.S. Navy’s Unmanned Influence Sweep System (UISS) program. The fourth-gen CUSV is a multi-mission unmanned surface vehicle with a large, configurable payload bay. The craft is capable of carrying multiple payloads, including side-scan sonar, mine neutralization, nonlethal weapons, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sensors.

98 ACRES Size that that largest military solar energy project in northeast will be once completed. Miranda A.A. Ballentine, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment and energy, and Brig. Gen. Michael Cunniff, the adjutant general of New Jersey, helped break ground on the solar farm at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Dec. 21. The 16.5-megawatt solar energy project will be the largest military solar installation in the Northeast and will include more than 50,000 solar panels when it’s completed in 2017. Once completed, the solar array will produce more than 21,000 megawatthours of renewable energy every year.

AIA

CONVERTER

Next-Gen Platform of DC-DC Converters F O R M I L I TA RY & H I G H R E L I A B I L I T Y A P P L I C AT I O N S • -40 to +105°C Operation (optional -55°C) • Compliant with Military Transient Standards • Integrated Soft Start and LC Filter • Synchronization Circuitry

• High Power Density / Compact Size • No optocouplers for high reliability • MIL-STD-461 Compliant with Filter • Encapsulated with Metallic Enclosure

27.5mm / 1.083” 27.5mm / 1.083”

8 Watts: MGDD-08 Series

• Ultra Wide input ranges - 4.5-33VIN Range (45V ≤ 100ms transient) - 9-60VIN Range (80V ≤ 1sec transient) • Dual isolated / unbalanced outputs for 3.3 ~ 50VOUT • DO-160 & MIL-STD-704 compliant • MTBF >1.2M Hrs @ 40°C per MIL-HDBK-217F

19.3mm 19.3mm 0.76” 0.76” 19.3mm 0.76”

Height: 8.0mm / 0.315” Tall 32.7mm / 1.287” 32.7mm / 1.287”

20 Watts: MGDD-21 Series

• Ultra Wide input ranges - 4.5-33VIN Range (45V ≤ 100ms transient) - 9-60VIN Range (80V ≤ 1sec transient) • Dual isolated & unbalanced outputs for 3.3 ~ 50VOUT • DO-160 & MIL-STD-704 compliant • MTBF >1,060kHrs @ 40°C per MIL-HDBK-217F

27.5mm / 1.083” V Trim V Trim Sync -VOUT 1 Sync -VOUT V1 Trim UVLO Set +VOUT 1 UVLO Set 1 +VOUT -V -VIN Sync -VOUT 2OUT 1 -VIN 2 1 InputUVLO FilterSet -V +V 2OUT +VOUTOUT Input Filter 2 2 +VOUT -V +VIN-VIN OUT +VIN Input Filter +VOUT 2 +VIN

26.1mm 26.1mm 1.03” 1.03” 26.1mm 1.03”

32.7mm / 1.287” Sync Sync UVLO Set UVLOSync Set -VIN -VIN UVLO Set V Trim Input Filter V Trim Input-V Filter -VOUT 1 +VIN IN -VOUT V1 Trim +VIN Input Filter +VOUT 1 1 +VOUT -V +VIN -VOUT 2OUT 1 2 1 -VOUT+V +VOUT 2OUT 2 2 +VOUT -V OUT

Height: 8.0mm / 0.315” Tall +VOUT 2

150 Watts: MGDS-155 Series

• Ultra Wide input ranges - 9-45VIN Range (50V ≤ 100ms transient) - 16-80VIN Range (100V ≤ 100ms transient) - 150-480VIN Range • MIL-STD-1275, MIL-STD-704 & DO-160 Compliant • Single outputs from 3.3 ~ 28VOUT • MTBF >490kHrs @ 40°C per MIL-HDBK-217F

57.9mm / 2.28” 57.9mm / 2.28”

57.9mm / 2.28” 36.8mm 36.8mm 1.45” 1.45” 36.8mm 1.45”

-VIN -VIN Sync Sync-V IN Sync On/Off On/Off +VIN +VIN On/Off

-VOUT -VOUT Sense (-) Sense (-) -VOUT V Trim V Trim Sense (-) Sens (+) Sens (+)V Trim +VOUT +VSens OUT (+)

+VIN

Height: 12.7mm / 0.50” Tall

Visit our website for detailed product specifications & application notes

w w w . g a i a - c o n v e r t e r. c o m

+VOUT

Capture. Record. Real-Time. Every Time.

Intelligently record wideband signals continuously...for hours Capturing critical SIGINT, radar and communications signals requires hardware highly-optimized for precision and performance.

Our COTS Talon® recording systems deliver the industry’s highest levels of performance, even in the harshest environments. You’ll get extended operation, high dynamic range and exceptional recording speed every time!

•

High-speed, real-time recording: Sustained data capture rates to 8 GB/sec

•

Extended capture periods: Record real-time for hours or days with storage up to 100+ TB

•

Exceptional signal quality: Maintain highest dynamic range for critical signals

•

Flexible I/O: Capture both analog and digital signals

•

Operational in any environment: Lab, rugged, flight-certified, portable and SFF systems designed for SWaP

•

Out-of-the-box operation: SystemFlow® GUI, signal analyzer and API provide simple instrument interfaces

•

Intelligent recording: Sentinel™ Intelligent Scan and Capture software automatically detects and records signals of interest

Eight SSD QuickPac™ canister, removable in seconds!

Download the FREE High-Speed Recording Systems Handbook at: www.pentek.com/go/cotstalon or call 201-818-5900 for additional information.

Pentek, Inc., One Park Way, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Phone: 201-818-5900 • Fax: 201-818-5904 • email: info@pentek.com • www.pentek.com Worldwide Distribution & Support, Copyright © 2016 Pentek, Inc. Pentek, Talon, SystemFlow, Sentinel and QuickPac are trademarks of Pentek, Inc. Other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.