Military Embedded Systems
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Comms
The 31 flavors of Ethernet - Blog
January 06, 2015
ETHERNET EVERYWHERE BLOG: Our last blog covered the basic subject of why Ethernet is a good choice for military and embedded applications. Now that Why has been explained, I thought that I would spend some time talking about the What? Most people are often surprised by the different flavors, so to speak, of Ethernet that exist. I’m not sure that there are actually 31 flavors, but for this discussion, it is close enough.
Radar/EW
Warfare Evolution Blog: Defeating 3rd generation warfare - Blog
January 02, 2015
WARFARE EVOLUTION BLOG: We looked at the how the Blitzkrieg (3GW) defeated the Maginot Line (2GW) in Part 2 of this series. As U.S. Army Gen. George S. Patton once said, "a good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed at some indefinite time in the future." That axiom was proved true when 2GW was overwhelmed in World War II (WWII). Now, let's look at how 3GW can be defeated while continuing to support Patton's statement.
Avionics
CODE QUALITY BLOG: Is 100 percent code coverage analysis essential? - Blog
November 19, 2014
CODE QUALITY BLOG: Safety-critical software standards focus very highly on how to test software effectively. They state that effective software testing requires a disciplined approach in which code coverage is used to provide feedback on the effectiveness of the testing to date. The level of testing rigor applied to a system must be driven by the impact of a system failure. The more significant the consequences, the more rigorous the testing has to be.
Comms
ETHERNET EVERYWHERE BLOG: Why Ethernet? - Blog
November 12, 2014
ETHERNET EVERYWHERE BLOG: This is a first in a series of blogs covering the latest and greatest information surrounding Ethernet. However, I thought I’d start out the first blog answering the question “Why Ethernet?" and then, I’ll proceed through a series discussing the latest innovations, standards, and applications.
Avionics
SAFETY CRITICAL BLOG: Microkernels, de-centralized government and social order - Blog
October 29, 2014
SAFETY CRITICAL BLOG: In the early days, we lived in a physical world. Everything ran in supervisor mode, much like a commune. Unfortunately, with no leader, if was difficult to preserve order and contain errant and malicious code, so chaos and mischief ensued. A bad pointer was all that was needed to bring the most sophisticated equipment to its knees, witness the Mars Rover and its maddening encounter with that nettlesome rock.
Avionics
CODE QUALITY BLOG: Is code coverage analysis necessary? - Blog
October 20, 2014
CODE QUALITY BLOG: When programmers discuss testing, a question that often comes up is how much is enough? Do I need to get 100 percent coverage? Let’s first address the elephant in the room: it’s impossible to fully test a piece of software. Don’t believe me? A 100-line program described by Glennford Myers in the 1976 book "Software Reliability: Principles and Practices" had as many as 1018 unique paths. In reality when you realize that contemporary software often exceeds hundreds of thousands, if not millions of lines of code and you quickly realize how impractical it is to completely test a piece of software.
Radar/EW
Unmanaged vs. managed Ethernet switches for modern warfare applications - Blog
October 16, 2014
In today's modern warfare – where survivability and mission success is dependent on data acquisition, analysis, and instruction – a growing number of Ethernet-based devices supporting missions must be connected to the central mission computer, and often to each other. Ethernet switches are needed throughout military infrastructure as a common means of making such connections. Customers often ask us whether they need a managed or unmanaged switch. Let's go through the basic capabilities of each.
Avionics
SAFETY CRITICAL BLOG: Face value - Blog
October 15, 2014
Safety Critical Blog: With our fighting forces asked to do more with less, cost containment has become an imperative for Department of Defense (DoD) program managers and defense contractors, not only for initial procurement, but long-term maintainability and upgradability. Cost containment has become especially critical for software development, which is the primary driver of enhanced avionics functionality.
Comms
Virtual training and simulation: trends and observations - Blog
August 18, 2014
The U.S. military has embraced virtual simulation as a way to train its soldiers effectively, but at a lower cost. With no relief from spending cuts in sight, the Army and other government organizations are increasingly looking to industry for cost-effective, more advanced virtual simulation solutions that immerse trainees in highly realistic environments that prepare them to meet the challenges they will face on the battlefield.
Radar/EW
Warfare Evolution Blog: Next generation warfare part 2 - Blog
August 13, 2014
WARFARE EVOLUTION BLOG: In our first blog we looked at the history of warfare and how it can help us determine what technological capabilities the U.S. will use to fight future wars. It is critical that we understand the previous generations of warfare before we speculate about the next generation. As Winston Churchill said "the further backward you look, the further forward you can see.”
Comms
Ada Watch: Bringing Ada onto the battlefield - Blog
July 28, 2014
The growth in smartphones and tablets is radically changing the face of military technology. As in civilian life, the power of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) handheld devices is enabling fast, frontline access to systems that previously required larger, bulkier computers. For example, ruggedized phones and tablets now have the processing power to access mission-critical command and control and communication systems, while being portable enough to fit into a pocket. In these systems the original operating system (OS) and consumer-oriented applications are replaced by customized versions that include domain-specific software using proprietary and/or confidential algorithms.
Radar/EW
Warfare Evolution Blog: Moving toward next-generation warfare - Blog
June 24, 2014
Warfare Evolution Blog: For the moment, let's ignore sequestration, program terminations, funding reductions, and all the negative speculation concerning America's military budget. Let's look at where we are going, in the evolution of warfare. When we're done here, you will see that U.S. military budgets are just being refocused and the net effect will be some level of reduction, at least on the front-end. The reductions we observe today will become directed and focused spending in the near future, on advanced military systems with capabilities you never imagined.
Comms
BAM Blog: Authenticity versus reliability - Blog
June 11, 2014
Before & After Market (BAM) Blog. The military-aerospace market has seen a tremendous increase in the amount of companies with proposed solutions to determine the authenticity of a semiconductor component, including imaging and tagging solutions. There are I/O curve tracers. There is x-ray automation. There are companies with die image library examples of authenticity. That’s good news, right? Won’t this help eliminate counterfeit components from entering the supply chain? In some cases the answer is yes, but mostly the answer is no.
Unmanned
BAM Blog: Who is watching out for your repair needs? - Blog
May 21, 2014
Before & After Market (BAM) Blog: Most markets don’t realize a key product is in short supply until an OEM places an order that can’t be fulfilled. Shortages usually occur because of a spike in demand or something that interrupts production such as a natural disaster.
Comms
BAM Blog: Back to Basics: Why a legitimate Certificate of Conformance (C of C) matters - Blog
April 23, 2014
Before & AfterMarket (BAM) Blog: In simple terms, a Certificate of Conformance -- commonly referred to as the ‘”C of C” -- is a document put into place to assure that the product being procured, and ultimately used in an application, meets a specific set of standards and regulations. In the semiconductor industry, the C of C is distributed mostly with military-grade components, and allows the end user to prove that the devices are authentic. Unfortunately, there is a large gap in the acquisition process relating to the C of C, which in turn also leads to a gap in the procurement of fully-authorized components.
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Rugged mission displays for surveillance applications
March 30, 2010
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Software warranties -- A new era?
September 23, 2009
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Solving the processor challenges for safety-critical software
October 12, 2011
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Remote test equipment solves problems in avionics bus systems
June 24, 2008
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VPX standards keep pace with faster fabrics
October 12, 2011
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Expanding options in VPX connectivity
October 12, 2011
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Designing rugged, multifunctional HPA controllers to prevent system damage
September 02, 2011
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''I'm excited about the processor road maps.'' - Q&A with Matt Tracewell, Executive Vice President of Tracewell Systems
April 11, 2011
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JDL Level 2-4 information fusion engine released by Larus Technologies
May 23, 2013
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DARPA Adaptive Radar Countermeasure program contract awarded to Leidos and Exelis
June 01, 2015
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The Internet of Things for the intelligence community
July 23, 2015
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Predictive analytics and the industrial IoT: Thinking about military adoption
September 10, 2015
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Open standards ease Multi-Level Security (MLS) systems integration
July 27, 2011
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Domain-specific property checking with advanced static analysis
February 17, 2011
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Should we put up with software that doesn't work?
September 02, 2011
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Protecting integrated circuits from silicon Trojan horses
February 10, 2009