ANDOVER, Mass. – Missile-defense experts at Raytheon Technologies Corp. needed high-density I/O, communications, Ethernet switching, and embedded computing capability for the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS). They found their solution from North Atlantic Industries Inc. in Bohemia, N.Y.
Officials of the Raytheon Missiles & Defense segment in Andover, Mass., are choosing the North Atlantic SIU35 3U CompactPCI sensor interface unit for the LTAMDS, which is to replace the U.S. Army Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target (PATRIOT) missile system.
LTAMDS is the next generation, 360-degree missile-defense radar that ultimately will replace the current U.S. Army's PATRIOT missile radars. The radar has gallium nitride components,and was scheduled to reach initial operational capability with the Army in 2022.
The North Atlantic SIU35 is a configurable rugged subsystem with five 3U CompactPCI slots, and accommodates as man as 15 I/O and communications modules. the SIU35 supports stand-alone operation via Ethernet connection to mission computers.
For LTAMDS, Raytheon is taking advantage of the flexibility and modularity of North Atlantic's Configurable Open System Architecture (COSA) to consolidate several interface functions into two off-the-shelf chassis.
To meet platform requirements, Raytheon configured the pair of North Atlantic SIU35 rugged boxes to serve as a programmable logic controller and a cooling system controller aboard the next generation GhostEye radar system.
Raytheon designers sought to improve efficiencies in LTAMDS size, weight, and power consumption (SWaP) by combining many channels and dissimilar functions into dense multi-purpose solutions. LTAMDS relies on Ethernet-based communications to monitor, manage, and control several I/O and communications interfaces without the need for custom electronics, says Lino Massafra, vice president of sales and marketing at North Atlantic.
The SIU35 uses the NXP PowerPC QorIQ P2041, Intel Core i7, and ARM Cortex-A9 microprocessors; meets MIL-STD-461F, MIL-STD-810G, MIL-STD-1275, and MIL-STD-704A standards for high reliability; has a 28-volt DC input, and measures 7.13 by 4.78 by 8.71 inches.
LTAMDS consists of a primary antenna array on the front of the radar, and two secondary arrays on the rear. The radar antennas work together to enable operators to detect and engage several threats simultaneously from any direction, ensuring there are no blind spots on the battlefield.
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The LTAMDS primary array is roughly the same size as the PATRIOT radar array, but provides more than twice PATRIOT's performance. While it is designed for the U.S. Army's Integrated Air and Missile Defense system, LTAMDS will also be able to preserve previous PATRIOT investments.
Raytheon is working with hundreds of suppliers across 42 states. In addition to North Atlantic, Raytheon LTAMDS suppliers include Orolia USA in Rochester, N.Y., which is providing the company's rugged SecureSync time and frequency system to supply positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) capability; and Crane Aerospace and Electronics in Lynnwood, Wash., which is providing defense power systems for power control and conditioning for LTAMDS. Mercury Systems Inc. in Andover, Mass., is providing high-performance digital signal processing and RF solutions for LTAMDS.
For more information contact North Atlantic Industries online at www.naii.com/model/SIU35, or Raytheon Missiles & Defense at www.raytheonmissilesanddefense.com.
