Modified COTS Solution Extends Platform Lifespan and Mission Capabilities

Modified COTS Solution Extends Platform Lifespan and Mission Capabilities
Modified COTS Solution Extends Platform Lifespan and Mission Capabilities
Case Study
June 30, 2020

Modified COTS Solution Extends Platform Lifespan and Mission Capabilities

Aerospace integrators are often called upon to upgrade aging airframes with new electronic payloads to extend their lifespan and mission capabilities. One such integrator turned to Curtiss-Wright when upgrading a fleet of maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft for a Western European customer. As part of the upgrade, the customer needed new mission and avionics computers. The integrator sought a partner with a flexible commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solution that could meet the required avionics, network, and sensor requirements with the minimal non-recurring expense (NRE).

The new electronics would need to interface with legacy MILSTD-1553 and ARINC 429 avionics data buses on-board. MIL-STD-1553 is common on military platforms and even Modified COTS Solution Extends Platform Lifespan and Mission Capabilities commercial applications (such as automotive, oil, subway, space) for control, as well as monitoring of critical systems. ARINC 429 is the predominant commercial avionics data bus standard used for receiving or transmitting data between avionics equipment.

The system integrator also required the mission computer to have a rugged chassis with MIL-DTL-38999 connectors that could be passively cooled without forced airflow or cold plates. The unit also had to run a Windows® operating system and integrate numerous I/O interfaces beyond MILSTD-1553, ARINC 429, including Ethernet, USB, serial, and digital I/O. Finally, the processor had to be compliant with demanding environmental, power, and EMI specs, including MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461, and MIL-STD-704.

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Save money, reduce risk, and accelerate your time to market

Modern embedded computing applications demand that the latest advanced and size, weight and power (SWaP)-optimized processor, networking and I/O technologies be delivered within ever shorter development schedules at minimal NRE cost. Curtiss-Wright’s Modified COTS (MCOTS) program will help address all your development requirements.

Embedded computing systems made with MOSA in mind

Whether you're looking for a modular, small form-factor (SFF) line replaceable unit (LRU) or a scalable VPX system designed to meet your specific requirements, our computing systems are built rugged to perform optimally in the harshest deployed environments on land, in the air, or at sea.