Flight-control computer for avionics in helicopters and UAVs introduced by Curtiss-Wright

SANTA CLARITA, Calif., 15 Sept. 2011. Curtiss-Wright Controls Electronic Systems (CWCES) in Santa Clarita, Calif., is introducing the Versatile Flight Control Computer (VFCC) for high-performance and low-power conduction-cooled embedded computing in size-, weight-, power-, and cost (SWaP-C)-critical applications aboard military and commercial aircraft such as helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).The VFCC is designed form demanding avionics applications such flight controls, vibration management, engine controls, mission computing, and actuator control, Curtiss-Wright officials say.The VFCC provides dual 600 MHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor clusters, dual TMS320C64x+ digital signal processors (DSPs), and three Xilinx Spartan 6 field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) with one gigabyte of data to non-volatile memory.

The enclosed unit offers I/O support such as ARINC 825, RS-422/485, USB 2.0, ARINC 429 receive, ARINC 429 transmit, analog inputs with excitation outputs, synchronization discretes, discrete inputs/outputs, dedicated solenoid drivers and 10-milliamp servo valve drivers. The system also includes system level built-in-test (BIT), Curtiss-Wright officials say.

For more information contact Curtiss-Wright Controls Electronic Systems online at www.cwcelectronicsystems.com.

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