A large aerospace integrator developing a new intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) system required a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) storage device to fit into a space-constrained, propeller-driven aircraft. The ISR system needed an Ethernet-based solution to allow seamless communication among the mission computer, sensors, and data concentrator using Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) through an intermediate switch. The plan included sharing data between network clients via a network attached storage (NAS) device. The NAS needed to include removable storage capability because maps and mission plans would be transferred from a ground planning station to the aircraft.
Due to the sensitive nature of the data being transported, strong encryption was essential.
The data collected by sensors and other devices during missions also had to be securely transported back to the ground station for post-mission analysis. The NAS device had to be a durable, ruggedized solution to withstand high levels of shock and vibration characteristic of propeller-driven aircraft. Loitering in the air for extended periods, the aircraft would collect vast amounts of mission data. Therefore, the integrator sought a solution with at least 4 TB of storage capacity. A preference was given to AES-256-bit encryption to protect sensitive data. Additionally, a ground station device was needed to connect to, decrypt, and download the removable memory onto a computer via USB.
