CHARLESTON, S.C., 27 Jan. 2013. U.S. Navy designers needed single-board computers and embedded computing Ethernet networking cards for a signals intelligence (SIGINT) system for Special Operations Forces called the Joint Threat Warning System (JTWS). They found their solution from Kontron America Inc. in Poway, Calif.

Officials of the Space and Naval Warfare Center Atlantic in Charleston, S.C., on Friday announced their intention to award a sole-source contract to Kontron to provide 24 Kontron CP308 3U CompactPCI single-board computers, and 16 Kontron CP932 Gigabit Ethernet switch network interface cards. The value of the contract has yet to be negotiated.

The Joint Threat Warning System provides force protection integrated threat warning, and situational awareness equipment for Special Operations Forces (SOF). The system supports worldwide ground, maritime, and airborne missions, providing information to operators through the Integrated Broadcast System. The system will replace current, non-standard, sometimes unsupportable equipment serving air, maritime, and ground operations.

The Kontron CP308 is a 3U CompactPCI single-board computer based on the 2.26 GHz Intel Core2 Duo CPU, extended temperature microprocessor with 1.2 GHz ULV processor. The computer board operates in temperatures from -40 to 85 degrees Celsius, supports DDR3 memory technology, and offers memory throughput as fast as 17 gigabytes per second.

The Kontron CP932 Gigabit Ethernet switch network interface card us a six-port Gigabit Ethernet switch for use with CompactPCI, VME, Standard PC, or custom system designs.

The Navy is awarding a sole-source contract to Kontron because the company is the only responsible source of the JTWS embedded computing and Ethernet networking components. Kontron is the sole manufacturer and holds proprietary rights to the computer and networking boards, Navy officials say.

The Joint Threat Warning System has ground, air, and maritime variants to detect sophisticated forms of communications that are present worldwide. The JTWS provides enhanced situational awareness, force protection, and time sensitive intelligence for Special Operations targeting.

The system enables Special Operations Forces to define the conditions of the battlefield, keeps aircrews, sailors and soldiers alive, and enables precise target engagement.

For more information contact Kontron America online at http://us.kontron.com, or SPAWAR Systems Center Atlantic at www.public.navy.mil/spawar/Atlantic.