The DoD overall requests totals 686.1 billion, up almost seven percent over the FY 2018 request. The panelists discuss the budget's potential impact on defense electronics suppliers, which applications are the winners in the budget such as unmanned systems, the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, fighter aircraft, and more.

The electronics footprint on unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) continues to shrink. These reduced size, weight, and power (SWaP) requirements are driving radio frequency (RF) and microwave designers to come up with innovative ways to deliver the reduced SWaP while increasing performance and enhancing the platform's capability.

The December VITA Standards Organization (VSO) standards meeting was held in Austin, Texas. This update is based on the results of that meeting. Contact VITA if you are interested in participating in any of these working groups. Visit the VITA website (http://www.vita.com) for details on upcoming VSO meetings.

One of the biggest challenges for VPX system designers is the management of I/O [input/output] to and from the modules. VPX leaves a lot of room for handling all types of I/O and the teams working on the standards have brought some excellent solutions to market.