LONDON. Many questions on open architecture initiatives and the Department of Defense (DoD) modular open systems approach (MOSA) mandate were being floated to U.S. embedded hardware and software suppliers at DSEI in London this week. So, over dinner last night, I asked Chip Downing, Outreach Committee Co-chair of the Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE) Consortium and Senior Market Development Director for Aerospace and Defense at RTI, what type of open architecture strategies are being pursued by European defense departments and if the U.S initiatives like FACE influenced those efforts.

LONDON. Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA) Consortium members exhibiting at DSEI 2023 tell me there is considerable interest in the SOSA Technical Standard and in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) modular open systems approach (MOSA) even if there is not an official MOSA mandate like the one from the DoD.

I spent my first day touring the USA pavilion at DSEI 2023 in London. It’s my first time back to this massive show in four years; I saw many familiar faces and technologies from U.S. defense electronic suppliers, from connectors and signal-processing solutions to avionics boxes and rugged servers. Many companies are also showcasing and demonstrating their open-architecture designs.

Each issue, the editorial staff of Military Embedded Systems will highlight a different organization that benefits the military, veterans, and their families. We are honored to cover the technology that protects those who protect us every day.

Walking through the corridors of the Tampa Convention Center at SOF Week earlier this year, you couldn’t escape the palpable buzz of innovation. This annual gathering serves as a launchpad for technologies that could potentially shape the future of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and other governmental bodies.

For many COTS [commercial off-the-shelf] vendors and VITA members, the Tri-Service Memo issued in January 2019 by the secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force was the highest validation of several decades of their combined efforts.

Hybrid artificial intelligence (AI) systems supply the ability to perform accurate prediction and prescription across a wide range of military use cases. In particular, hybrid AI can enable more effective asset management when other methods fail.

From the Cold War period (1945-1989) through present-day globalization, the importance of maintaining reliable security coalitions and positive international relationships cannot be overstated. As modern-day warfare relies on technology for achieving military readiness and strength, collaborating on interoperable technological advancements remains an enduring mission for the U.S. and its coalition partners.

WARFARE EVOLUTION BLOG. Last time, we looked at the market for ground combat vehicles and tanks. Now, it’s time to look at the second largest volume platform market in the military: fighter planes and bombers. Let’s start at the top. According to Flight Global, there were about 53,250 military aircraft in the world in 2021. The U.S. flies about 25% of that total (13,250), Russia flies 8% (4,170), and China flies 6% (3,280). This includes fighters, bombers, tankers, cargo planes, ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) planes, and helicopters. Keep in mind that these numbers move around. Military aircraft crash all the time, and Russia has lost about 175 aircraft in Ukraine in 16 months.

Secure and protected tactical communication solutions are empowering the warfighter to achieve mission objectives, even as they come under electronic attack. As the modern electromagnetic battlespace rapidly evolves, the stakes for robust and resilient tactical communications networks across mission-critical defense applications have never been higher. As near-peer adversaries continue to develop and deploy advanced electronic warfare (EW) capabilities, traditional radio systems have struggled to adapt to these new and unique operational challenges. In the future fight, the warfighter’s ability to operate in congested and contested radio frequency (RF) spectrum environments and persist in the presence of adversarial jamming and interference has emerged as a critical need.

Each issue, the editorial staff of Military Embedded Systems will highlight a different organization that benefits the military, veterans, and their families. We are honored to cover the technology that protects those who protect us every day.

For many COTS vendors and VITA members, the Tri-Services Memo issued in January 2019 by the secretaries of the Army, Navy and Air Force was the highest validation of several decades of their combined efforts. The memorandum clearly stated that, going forward, modular open systems approach (MOSA) supporting standards “should be included in all requirements, programming and development activities for future weapon system modifications and new start development programs to the maximum extent possible.” Examples of MOSA standards include the Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA) and CMOSS, both of which rely on OpenVPX hardware as their foundation.

Monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) fabricated using compound semiconductors are a critical component of a multitude of RF [radio-frequency] systems. For commercial wireless applications, gallium arsenide (GaAs)-based power amplifiers are ubiquitous in the smartphone market, while gallium nitride (GaN) products service wireless base stations, SATCOM terminals, and are a core enabler of 5G systems.

WARFARE EVOLUTION BLOG. In our last adventure, we explored the worldwide military markets using three recent reports, and integrated those into the TAM-SAM-SOM model (total addressable market, serviceable addressable market, and serviceable obtainable market). That expedition gave us a macro-view of things. Now, it’s time to put on our rubber gloves, get out the sharp knives, and carve the military market into edible segments. The most objective way to dismember this massive creature is to cut it up by platform, so we’ll start with the largest volume segment: ground combat vehicles (GCV) and tanks.

Each issue, the editorial staff of Military Embedded Systems will highlight a different charitable organization that benefits the military, veterans, and their families. We are honored to cover the technology that protects those who protect us every day.