Mil Aero Insider (December 2011)
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VOLUME 6, ISSUE 4 |
DECEMBER 2011 | ARCHIVES |
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RUBIN DHILLON, INDUSTRY MANAGER,
MILITARY & AEROSPACE EMBEDDED COMPUTING
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For many years, armed forces around the world have invested billions in developing technologies that enable their forces to communicate. Historical development centered on secure radio communications that reliably carry voice over large distances and in harsh environments. The |
focus was on reliability, high availability, survivability. Today, we see growing investment in military communications technologies, but with a new focus on high-speed networking for data/video and a renewed emphasis on security.
Network-centric warfare formed the basis for Future Combat Systems (FCS), and although FCS is now perhaps |
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a program that many Army generals would like to forget, the core concept of network-enabled operations has not only survived, but thrived. Army generals say that they see an advanced mobile tactical network as a force multiplier, and information dominance is now core military doctrine. One such general commented that "developing a superior communications network is priority number one" in Army modernization plans.
Tactical networks are undergoing unprecedented growth as network nodes push further and further to the edge of the battlefield. Unmanned aerial vehicles are flown by pilots half a world away and these air assets transmit high definition video feeds to forward operating bases in real time. Soldiers capture targeting images with small hand-held computers and transmit them via high-speed wireless links to remote commanders. Even the humble armored vehicle is now loaded with advanced communications equipment, making it a sophisticated node on the tactical network.
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SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
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The DoD has always been acutely conscious of ensuring that it gets value for money from its procurement - but that focus on affordability has redoubled. Here, Scot Wesolaski, Industry Manager, ISR, looks at what the DoD is saying about 'managing to cost' and how recently-announced solutions from GE respond to the need to achieve maximum 'bang for the buck'.
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PREDICTIONS
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It was Danish physicist Niels Bohr who famously said: "Prediction is very difficult - especially about the future." Here, Jay Swenson, Director of Business Development, shares his thoughts on developments he expects to see in military/aerospace embedded computing in the forthcoming 12 months - taking in GPGPU, manycore/multicore, network security, antitamper and high speed interconnect.
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SENSOR PROCESSING
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It is a common requirement to create a demonstration of system capabilities in order to secure funding to take the system to the next level of develop-
ment. When such a demonstration requires the integration of sensor acquisition, the time taken can be substantial. Peter Thompson, Director of Applications, looks at how GE’s AXIS Multiprocessing Software Suite can help.
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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
RTR8GE Battle-Ready, Security-Focused Network Router
The RTR8GE is a rugged, security-focused, deployment-ready network router featuring the comprehensive field-tested JUNOS operating system |
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from Juniper Networks. Its firewall, intrusion prevention and detection, and extensive quality of service capabilities enables secure IPv4/IPv6 connectivity for military vehicles, aircraft and forward operating bases supporting net-centric operations. |
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