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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

Ronen Isaac MilSource

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

Greg Rose DDC-I

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

Jay Thomas LDRA Technology

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

Ronen Isaac MilSource

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

Greg Rose DDC-I

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

Clarence Pape Intelligent Decisions

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

Ray Alderman VITA Standards Organization

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

Patrick Rogers AdaCore

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

Ray Alderman VITA Standards Organization

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

George Karalias Rochester Electronics

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

George Karalias Rochester Electronics

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

George Karalias Rochester Electronics

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.

Comms

BAM Blog: long life applications require high-rel components - Blog

April 09, 2014

George Karalias Rochester Electronics

Before & After Market (BAM) Blog: Before you begin diving into this blog piece, take a moment to step out of your comfort zone and into the shoes of a warfighter on the frontlines in a battle. This specific person you have become has been using mission-critical equipment that must operate under some of the most severe conditions in their current environment, including operating in 100+ degree temperatures for eight or more hours each day. In this moment you realize just how much you rely on the proper functionality of your equipment, as you cannot afford to waste any time fixing defects because it puts your life at risk. These types of scenarios need to be considered every time the procurement of mission-critical, high-reliability (high-rel) devices takes place.

Radar/EW

Embedded Vanguard Blog: Optimizing deployed system design begins with dialogue - Blog

March 27, 2014

Jacob Sealander Curtiss-Wright

Today, defense and aerospace system integrators are under increasing schedule and budget pressure. While funding for new programs is harder to come by, the technical requirements for deployed systems continues to increase as platforms become more digitally connected and sensor rich. One frequently overlooked strategy that can significantly aid a system integrator’s efforts to develop an optimal system solution, especially when confronted with space, weight and power (SWaP) constraints, is to engage COTS hardware vendors early in their design process.