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FORCE2C Mission Computer certifications significantly reduce risks to aircraft designers by cutting development costs and time to market
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — February 12, 2024 The FORCE2C mission computer from
AMETEK Abaco Systems has passed its final hardware and software SOI reviews and
has been officially approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Along with
the mission computer, all artifacts for certification are now available and comply with the
airborne certification guidelines of DO-254 and DO-178C for fixed and rotary wing
aircraft (crewed and uncrewed) and are also approved for ground-based applications.
The independent audits confirm compliance with applicable airworthiness regulations for
the electronic hardware and safety-critical software. Additionally, the FORCE2C
conduction-cooled, electronics hardware is suitable up to Design Assurance Level
(DAL) A. This is the highest level of design assurance applied to airborne software and
hardware and is required when a failure or malfunction could contribute to a
catastrophic failure of the aircraft.
Mike Underwood, division vice president and business unit manager for AMETEK Abaco
Systems, says the certifications significantly reduce electronic system risks to aircraft
designers looking for high performing, small form factor mission computers.
“The DO-254 and DO-178C certifications give our customers new competitive
advantages by reducing the time it takes to get their aircraft certified and, ultimately, to
market,” he says. “This COTS mission computer will help them potentially save years
and millions of dollars developing and integrating systems in new aircraft.”
At the heart of the FORCE2C is the QorIQ-based SBC314C single board computer
(SBC). Based on the Power Architecture T2081, with manufacturer’s availability out to
2035, the SBC features four processing cores within the power envelope of previous
dual core boards and 8 GB DDR3 SDRAM memory.
Extensive I/O make the rugged line replaceable unit (LRU) FORCE2C ideal for a wide
range of high performance, low power avionics applications where DO-254 certification
compliance is required. The comprehensive I/O capability in the FORCE2C Mission
Computer includes a RAR15XC 3U VPX avionics communications I/O card (MIL-STD-
1553 and ARINC 429), serial I/O and Ethernet modules.
The FORCE2C Mission Computer is also suitable for applications developed according
to the principles of the FACE™ (Future Airborne Capability Environment) Consortium.
The FACE Consortium is leading the development of open standards for avionics
systems.
About Abaco Systems:
Abaco Systems is a global leader in commercial open architecture computing and rugged
embedded electronics. With more than 30 years of experience in aerospace & defense,
industrial, energy, medical, communications and other critical sectors, Abaco’s innovative
solutions align with open standards to accelerate customer success.
Abaco Systems is a business unit of AMETEK, Inc. is a leading global provider of industrial
technology solutions serving a diverse set of attractive niche markets with annual sales over
$7.0 billion.
For more information, contact:
Carson Horn, APR
The Communications Group
Cell: 501-515-0849
Email: chorn@comgroup.com