Here’s how it usually goes: Faced with the need to upgrade an older platform or design a new one, a prime contractor will select – where it makes most sense in terms of risk, cost, and time – a mix of COTS [commercial off-the-shelf] suppliers and system integrators to function as subcontractors that will develop and build the various subsystems their program demands, for example, the mission computers, displays, and data concentrators. The prime contractor, making strategic build-versus-buy decisions about what tasks to keep in-house, will focus on those that have the most value, for example the platform itself or the application layer software.

The need to enable rapid deployment capabilities for the warfighter is driving increased demand for resilient and secure communication systems in dynamic environments. Recent conflicts in Ukraine and elsewhere have reinforced what U.S. Department of Defense leaders have known for several years: that command posts have to be mobile to be survivable. They must be distributed over different areas and be able to set up rapidly for information-sharing and decision support without putting the post in jeopardy as an easily identifiable target on a map. The opportunity now: fielding turnkey, easy-to-use unified network operations that operate optimally on the move in the toughest deployment environments.

PALM BAY, Fla. Reticulate Micro announced that it and several partners -- Curtiss-Wright and Nantenna -- successfully demonstrated what the the company says is the first-ever real-time video streaming over the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) tactical satellite network for a U.S. Special Operations organization.

System integrators seeking secure data-at-rest (DAR) solutions for deployed sensor-rich platforms are faced with handling increasing amounts of data from an ever-greater number of more powerful onboard sensors.

NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland. Curtiss-Wright, in collaboration with Wind River, Ansys, and CoreAVI, is demonstrating a new digital cockpit flight display at this year's MOSA Industry & Government Summit & Expo.

SOF WEEK 2024 -- TAMPA, Florida. Curtiss-Wright showcased their latest tactical communications solutions at SOF Week, including a modular radio center and a series of snap-together ultra-compact tactical communications and processing modules.

Aerospace and defense systems integrators continue to push for reductions in size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) to support advanced sensor/vetronics payloads onboard unmanned reusable and attritable platforms. Fortunately, advances in the miniaturization of mission-processor and network-switch subsystems are enabling designers of UAS (unmanned aerial system), UGV (unmanned ground vehicle), UUV (unmanned undersea vehicle), and USV (unmanned surface vehicle) platforms to expand their mission capabilities.