SAN DIEGO — Industry leaders will detail the commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) content of such major defense platforms as the Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle and the E-2C Hawkeye carrier-based surveillance aircraft at the COTScon West 2000 conference and exposition Dec. 12 and 13 in San Diego.

Technical experts from the prime contractors of these three major system platforms — Northrop Grumman Ryan Aeronautical Systems, Northrop Grumman Corp., and Lockheed Martin Corp. — will explain the level of COTS components that goes into these platforms, will detail the design tradeoffs of using COTS, and will address long-term supportability issues.

Also highlighting COTScon West 2000 will be the European perspective on COTS issues in military, space, and aviation systems. Giving their view on the COTS landscape in Europe will be Peter Cavill of Radstone Technology in the U.K., Jens Wiese of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co, (EADS) in Germany, John Shave of Primagraphics Ltd. in the U.K., and Duncan Young of DY 4 Systems in Canada.

A panel of industry and government experts also will debate how COTS hardware and software are influencing technological and policy trends in defensive and offensive information warfare.

Other important presentations at COTScon West 2000 will involve the latest developments on COTS Standards at the U.S. Defense Standardization Office; COTS evaluation tools; approaches to COTS testing; COTS life cycle support; the role of FPGAs in dealing with COTS obsolescence issues; applying industrial-grade components to military systems; and COTS research resources.

The two-day COTScon West 2000 conference will be at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center in San Diego, Calif. The event is for engineers, engineering managers, and government leaders who are involved in the specification, design, and procurement of military and aerospace electronics systems.

An integral part of the event is the COTS Exhibit Hall, featuring demonstrations and presentations from 100 of the most influential COTS suppliers in the industry. Lunch and a networking reception will be on the exhibit floor.

The full attendance fee for COTScon West 2000 is $675 — or $625 before Oct. 30. The conference proceedings alone cost $195. An exhibits-only pass is available for $50 — or $25 before Oct. 30.

For information on registering for COTScon West 2000 contact the COTScon staff by phone at 603-891-9267, by fax at 603-891-9490, by post at 98 Spit Brook Road, Nashua, N.H. 03062, by e-mail at atdregistration@pennwell.com, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.cotscon.com/.

For information on exhibiting at COTScon West contact Maureen Kane by phone at 603-891-9423, by fax at 603-891-9490, or by e-mail at maureenk@pennwell.com/.