SPOTLIGHT - SOFTWARE
C-17 Globemaster III to use BAE Systems RTOS
The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft's Modernized Flight Control Computer and Spoiler Control Electronic Flap Computer are running the CsLEOS open-architecture real-time operating system (RTOS) from BAE Systems Platform Solutions in Johnson City, N.Y. as part of a major upgrade to the Globemaster's flight control system. Boeing Integrated Defense Systems in St. Louis recently issued the two programs to BAE Systems Platform Solutions under separate awards.
The U.S. Air Force and the U.K. Royal Air Force operate the C-17. The RTOS, along with the artifacts in the available certification package, will enable the aircraft's flight control suite to be DO-178B Level A-qualified in support of Global Air Traffic Management (GATM) system requirements. GATM, established by the Federal Aviation Administration in cooperation with the International Civil Aviation Organization, aims to enhance safety in increasingly crowded worldwide air space, BAE Systems officials say.
The embedded, open-architecture operating system, which uses brick-wall time and memory partitioning in compliance with the ARINC 653 specification, also reduces life-cycle costs by permitting upgrades to be made without recertification of the entire application, company officials say. The partitioning enables multiple applications to run on the same system without interfering with each other, ensuring that safety-critical functions are protected from other processes running on the same hardware, BAE Systems officials claim.
A DO-178B, Level A-certifiable version of the CsLEOS RTOS, complete with documentation artifacts to support system certification, is available now. (D0-178B, developed by RTCA Inc., a nonprofit company in Washington, D.C., is the international standard for certifying software used in safety-critical airborne systems.)
For more information on CsLEOS contact Larry Stone by phone at 607-770-3944, by email at [email protected], or on the World Wide Web at http://www.na.baesystems.com.
DISPLAYS
Airbus chooses Barco displays for A380 program
Passenger jetliner designers at Airbus in Toulouse, France, needed graphic displays for use in the Airbus A380 passenger jet test flight program. They found their answer with Barco n.v. in Kortrijk, Belgium.
Airbus officials are awarding a contract to Barco to deliver 18-inch MRFD246 modular rugged flat-panel displays with SAW touch-screen technology, as well as 20.1-inch RFD251/II rugged flat panel displays for testing consoles that will visualize all vital test data aboard the A380, which Airbus officials claim is the largest commercial airliner in the world.
The Barco MRFD 246 is a 1,280-by-1,024-pixel modular rugged flat-panel display that combines a display and display control module that connect over one cable called the Barco Intermodule Link.
The RFD251/II also is a 1,280-by-1,024-pixel flat-panel display with front bonding, automatic phase adjust to avoid image artifacts, and shop-replaceable backlight tray. Users can control this display remotely via a serial link.
Airbus will start taking deliveries of the Barco displays this summer. For more information contact Barco by phone at 011-32-56-26-26-11, by fax at 011-32-56-26-22-62, by post at Barco N.V., Pres. Kennedypark 35, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.barco.com/.
SENSORS
Lockheed Martin to use anti-spoof GPS receivers from Interstate Electronics
Designers of smart munitions at Lockheed Martin Corp. Missiles and Fire Control group in Orlando, Fla., needed a rugged global positioning system (GPS) receiver for the Air Force Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser program.
They found their solution in the TruTrak Selected Availability Anti Spoofing Module (SAASM) GPS receivers from Interstate Electronics Corp, an L3 Communications company in Anaheim, Calif.
The TruTrak receiver is a compact SAASM-based GPS unit for advanced weapons. It consists of SAASM module, radio frequency down converter, and I/O logic. The Xfactor SAASM module is a secure tamper-resistant multichip module that decodes the U.S. Department of Defense GPS precise positioning service signal.
The Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser is a relatively inexpensive tail-kit that turns existing CPU-87, -89, and -97 cluster bombs into all-weather precision-guided weapons.
It works by correcting for launch transients, ballistic errors, and winds aloft.
For more information contact Interstate Electronics by phone at 714-758-0500, by fax at 714-758-4148, by post at 602 East Vermont Ave., P.O. Box 3117, Anaheim, Calif. 92803-3117, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.iechome.com/.
TEST AND MEASUREMENT EQUIPMENT
Navy to use Geotest pulse generators
U.S. Navy leaders needed a programmable pulse generator for test equipment for the Boeing F/A-18 Hornet jet fighter-bomber. They found their solution from Geotest Marvin Test Systems Inc. in Irvine, Calif.
Geotest officials are providing their GP1552WR programmable pulse generators in the Navy AN/USM 484 testers, which are deployed worldwide in support of the F/A-18 aircraft.
Navy officials say they needed new programmable pulse generators to offset the effects of escalating maintenance and repair costs, along with long waits for their outdated test equipment.
The GP1552WR is a stand-alone rack-mountable general-purpose interface bus pulse generator that is form and fit compatible with the Wavetek 859 generators that Navy officials say are becoming obsolete for their needs.
For more information contact Geotest by phone at 949-263-2222, by e-mail at [email protected], or on the World Wide Web at http://www.geotestinc.com/.
BOARD PRODUCTS
Barco chooses VersaLogic computer boards for graphics display systems
Display designers at BarcoView in Kortrijk, Belgium, needed a single-board computer for their high-performance graphics display systems. They found their solution from VersaLogic Corp. in Eugene, Ore.
VersaLogic is providing the company's VSBC-8 EBX board as the onboard embedded computer in the BarcoView DS-251 display station for naval, airborne, and ground-based command-and-control applications.
"The standard PC interface and rugged EBX format of VersaLogic's BSBC-8 is perfect for our DS-251 display station," says Tom Vickers, lead engineer for BarcoView. "It integrated easily into our system while maintaining the compact reliability required by our primary market."
The Barco DS-251 display station blends a rugged liquid crystal display with the Pentium II-based VSBC-8 single-board computer, as well as with a custom Barco daughtercard into one stand-alone unit.
For more information contact VersaLogic Corp. by phone at 541-485-8575, by fax at 541-485-5712, by e-mail at [email protected], by post at 3888 Stewart Road, Eugene, Ore. 97402, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.versalogic.com/.
