German engineers choose SYSGO real-time embedded software for A400M aircraft cargo 

Engineers at Rheinmetall Defence AG in Dusseldorf, Germany, needed real-time embedded software for the loadmaster control system they are designing for the Airbus A400M four-engine turboprop military transport and tanker aircraft. They found their solution, the PikeOS operating system, at SYSGO AG in Klein-Winternheim, Germany.

The A400M is designed to replace relatively old military transport aircraft, such as the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules and the Transall C-160. Rheinmetall engineers are designing a loadmaster control system as the electronic brain of the aircraft’s cargo hold.

SYSGO personnel are supplying the PikeOS DO-178B-certifiable operating system software and porting legacy software code written for a former real-time operating system. SYSGO engineers infused PikeOS with a multi-partitioning design for safety and security.

PikeOS enables numerous virtual machines to run simultaneously in a secure environment. The secure virtualization technology allows several operating system APIs to run concurrently on one machine, such as an ARINC-653 application together with Linux.

The loadmaster control system has four primary components: the loadmaster workstation (loadmaster control system), loadmaster control panel, eight sidewall lock panels, a remote-control unit for the cargo winches and crane, and entrance area light panel.

For more information, contact SYSGO AG online at www.sysgo.com.