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11 Apr 24. Aitech Systems, a leading provider of rugged boards and system level solutions for military, aerospace and space applications, has expanded its in-house space production and testing capabilities by implementing a thermal vacuum system from LACO Technologies, a leading manufacturer of vacuum and leak testing systems. This new system enables the testing of space systems and components under hot and cold temperatures as well as in vacuum conditions, leading to better quality control and streamlined manufacturing. As part of larger production upgraded, Aitech partnered with LACO to build a custom ‘Space Simulation System’, also known as the Frontier Thermal Vacuum (TVAC) System, which includes everything from chambers and ports to stands and PLC. The addition of a chiller allows the system to replicate the extreme temperatures experienced from launch pad to in-orbit operation.
Ralph Grundler, Director of Space Business Development and R&D, of Aitech, said, “By adding LACO’s Frontier System to our space product production process, we’re increasing both our in-house efficiency and our level of quality for customers. Instead of sending parts out for third party verification, we can manage this critical aspect of the production process, improving delivery and associated costs.”
Aitech’s long-standing history in the space industry led to the production enhancements that the company is undertaking. Recognizing that its space customers are shifting from components to more integrated systems, the company is building an enhanced manufacturing environment to help manage the different testing needs of customers across all orbit levels and mission durations.
“As a team of dedicated engineers, we collaborated closely with Aitech throughout the entire manufacturing process, coming together to share ideas and knowledge. This enabled us to jointly develop a system that meets Aitech in-house testing that facilitates a more streamlined production environment and provides quality products in a shorter timeframe,” said Lee Chamberlain, Vice President, of LACO Technologies.
05 Apr 24. Honeywell Hydrogen Fuel Cell System to Power U.S. Army Electronic Devices. General Technical Services has contracted Honeywell for the development of a hydrogen fuel cell system that will be used on the move to charge batteries and power equipment
A hydrogen fuel cell system will be developed by Honeywell to power a number of electronic devices carried by U.S. Army soldiers.
Weighing roughly half as much as commonly used batteries, the system will deliver the same power foot soldiers need.
The fuel cell will enable a soldier to perform missions without the need to carry multiple heavy batteries or be resupplied regularly.
Honeywell’s small fuel cell will be used on the move to charge batteries and power equipment, reducing the number of spare batteries needed by the soldier or squad. Additionally, the system is designed to complement standard electronic equipment a U.S. soldier already uses.
“Today, a myriad of electronic devices, such as radios, computers, sensors and other mission-critical equipment, support soldiers on foot. All of this requires power, so the soldiers carry up to 45 pounds of batteries for an extended mission,” said Phil Robinson, senior director Engineering, Honeywell Aerospace Technologies.
“Honeywell’s reliable and proven hydrogen fuel cell power system, when combined with a soldier’s power distribution and management system, lowers the weight burden, making soldiers more effective, and that can save lives.”
The hydrogen fuel cell system prototypes take advantage of Honeywell’s proven Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cell technology, which is used in unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in commercial and defense applications. (Source: https://www.defenseadvancement.com/)
11 Apr 24. Battle Exercise Demonstrations for Simultaneous Command and Control Software. Anduril’s Lattice software demonstrated proficiency when commanding and controlling teams of unmanned and autonomous systems operating in the air, on the sea, and below the surface at the U.S. Navy’s Integrated Battle Problem 24.1 exercise.
The Lattice software from Anduril has proved effective when serving as the primary mission management platform for the U.S. Navy’s Integrated Battle Problem 24.1 (IBP 24.1) exercise, which took place across the Southern California Offshore Range.
Lattice, an open AI-enabled software platform that fuses various data sources and assets into an intelligent common operating picture, was integrated with more than a dozen Anduril platforms, partner platforms and data sources for the exercise.
Lattice
Anduril state that Lattice served as the primary software solution to integrate, network, and command and control teams of heterogeneous unmanned vehicles across air, sea, and sub-sea from a single intelligent common operating picture.
During IBP 24.1, more than 100 geographically distributed operators leveraged Lattice to successfully achieve multi-domain mission objectives that spanned the dynamic targeting sequence of find, fix, track, target, engage, and assess.
To achieve mission success, Anduril and partner organizations leveraged Lattice’s open APIs and software development kit to quickly integrate seven uncrewed surface vessel (USV) variants, three unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) variants, one autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), and multiple commercial data feeds into Lattice. In addition to Lattice integrations, Anduril also deployed Lattice onto multiple partner platforms, which then served as additional nodes to further bolster Lattice’s secure data mesh network and ensure resilient communications beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) during the exercise.
Throughout IBP 24.1, operators not only leveraged Lattice as a common operational picture, but also used Lattice to construct and execute coordinated multi-domain, multi-asset mission plans. Operators used Lattice to automate machine tasking of UxVs, adjusting their position, speed, and sensor coverage in real-time based on observations of changing battlefield conditions, demonstrating the operational utility of Lattice’s low-latency data mesh.
Anduril say that the successful demonstrations at IBP 24.1 evidence how Lattice can enable multi-domain command and control of mass effects at strategic, tactical, and operational levels.
Altius
Lattice enabled operators to verify pre-launch conditions for Altius through FMV sensor data from partner USVs, initiate the launch itself, and validate conditions post-launch. Once in the air, Altius leveraged advanced autonomy and in-flight command and control tasking via Lattice to execute simultaneous, coordinated ISR missions on moving targets in conjunction with partner assets across domains.
With multiple launches and hours of operational flight time, Anduril successfully demonstrated the flexibility, multi-domain launch, and expeditionary capabilities of the Altius family of systems at IBP 24.1.
Anduril executed multiple beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) Altius launches from partner USVs, extending Altius’s range by providing highly-mobile, unmanned launch points in the maritime domain.
All of the Altius systems that participated in IBP 24.1 were successfully recovered for future re-use.
Dive-LD
Tasked and controlled through Lattice, Dive-LD successfully demonstrated a 120-hour end-to-end mission where Dive-LD autonomously navigated hundreds of nautical miles across demanding bathymetry, relying upon onboard vehicle compute and planning software for navigation.
Over the course of the event, operators tasked Dive-LD to navigate a series of undersea waypoints from a surface loiter, tasked multiple partner USVs to conduct high-speed navigation, executed multiple successful Altius launches from partner USVs, cued multi-domain assets based on shared targeting data, and coordinated multiple Anduril and partner systems to perform a standardized set of autonomous behaviors.
The Integrated Battle Problem 24.1 (IBP 24.1) Exercise
Led by the U.S. Pacific Fleet (PACFLT) and orchestrated by U.S. 3rd Fleet, IBP 24.1 took place off the coast of Southern California and provided the U.S. Navy with the ability to analyze, simulate, prototype, and demonstrate multi-domain unmanned systems to implement into future fleet operations. IBP 24.1 was the fourth iteration under the PACFLT Experimentation Plan, which is focused on testing and developing unmanned capabilities “above the sea, on the sea and below the sea” that contribute to a stronger naval force, further driving capabilities to significantly reduce the risk to personnel in hostile environments. (Source: https://www.defenseadvancement.com/)
11 Apr 24. DASA funding helps Scottish startup develop lightweight, rapid assembly building blocks for Force Protection.
QUICKBLOCK’s innovative building block system enables the Armed Forces to build defensive structures rated for ballistics and blast protection.
- DASA funding has helped QUICKBLOCK develop a lightweight, portable structure assembly system, comprised of flat-pack building blocks that can withstand ballistics and blast fragmentation
- Funded through the DASA Themed Competitions, Take Cover: Phase 2 & 3
- Post-contract support from DASA’s Access to Mentoring and Finance (A2MF) Team is preparing QUICKBLOCK for future investment and market readiness
Protective structures, such as vehicle checkpoints, sangars, barriers and in-field defensive structures, are essential to enhance Force Protection and to keep operational troops safe from harm in the field. In high-risk environments, it is especially important that these structures can be built efficiently and at speed, minimising the time where troops are at risk.
However, current defensive structure solutions often require plant and machinery, significant manpower and many days to build, presenting a large logistical burden.
Operational troops need the capability to build structures with materials that are lightweight, strong and can be rapidly deployed, especially in high pressure, time sensitive scenarios.
Introducing QUICKBLOCK
Scotland-based small and medium-sized enterprise (SME), QUICKBLOCK has developed a flat-packed, lightweight, modular building system which offers an alternative to traditional building materials. Originally developed for disaster relief and humanitarian aid structures, the company have been developing a suite of products for the defence and security markets.
The company has developed two QUICKBLOCK products, one which is made of recycled plastic which can then be in-filled with material, such as earth, to provide additional protection, and also an armoured solution.
The armoured solution is made from ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) panels, forming lightweight blocks that can be interlocked together to create any building or structure.
“The product will be incredibly useful for troops whilst operational in the field.” Regimental Sergeant Major, Royal Marines.
“I see implementation of QUICKBLOCK as a potential force multiplier to MACA tasks, Force Support Engineering Regiments and basic Combat Engineer tasks, releasing vital tradesmen to other tasks.” SO3 Engr.Recce
The blocks, are stored in a flat-pack and pop open to form a hollow box. Owing to their form factor, 250 blocks can be stored and moved on a standard NATO pallet. Deployed troops require no specialist tools or knowledge to use the building blocks, enabling them to rapidly build sturdy structures of varying permanence, and with a significantly reduced logistical burden.
QUICKBLOCK’s modular building system helps military personnel in several ways:
- Ease of use: The system requires no technical knowledge or tools to build. Users simply unpack the flat-packed blocks and stack them together to form a sturdy structure.
- Flexibility: QUICKBLOCK’s flexibility makes it ideal for use in almost any environment, such as uneven ground, and in both rural and urban settings. For example, deployed soldiers will be able to build vehicle checkpoints, defensive structures, temporary shelters, protection for ammunition deployed around field gun positions, observation posts, and even reconfigurable training structures.
- Low logistical footprint: The building blocks are self-supporting and do not require additional materials to support them; this reduces the weight, and carbon footprint and assembly time when compared to traditional building methods.
- Rapid building capabilities: A team of three personnel can build and disassemble a small vehicle checkpoint sized structure in under 4 minutes.
- Force Protection: The QUICKBLOCK system offers different levels of protection depending on the operational requirement. The QUICKBLOCK armoured blocks are fitted with UHMWPE plates to provide significant protection against ballistic threats and blast. The lighter weight plastic version of the product can be in-filled with gravel or sand to offer similar levels of protection.
Building to success and making an impact with DASA
QUICKBLOCK’s solution started its life as a civilian product, made from a resilient plastic, for case uses such as light construction, agricultural applications, dividing walls and humanitarian aid structures.
After speaking with DASA, QUICKBLOCK realised the huge defence potential for the product. The SME submitted their innovative building system into the DASA Themed Competition, Take Cover: Phase 2 & 3, which sought solutions to provide advanced protection for small groups of front-line troops from ballistic and blast threats, demonstrated through a rapid assembly vehicle check point.
Through Take Cover: Phase 2 & 3, DASA funding enabled QUICKBLOCK to streamline the design for military use and incorporate armoured materials to the system. Extensive ballistic and blast trials proved the efficacy of the system. Feedback also allowed for the development of several solutions beyond the original vehicle check point requirement, such as hostile vehicle mitigation barriers.
End-users agreed that there were clear benefits and use cases for both the recycled plastic blocks and the newly developed armoured version to meet a variety of scenarios and threat levels.
What’s next? DASA has helped QUICKBLOCK realise several commercial uses
Going from a single employee business to now a team of five since their engagement with DASA, QUICKBLOCK has undergone accelerated growth in a short time frame. DASA’s impact and lessons learned from the Take Cover! Themed Competition: Phases 2 & 3, and feedback from potential end users in the British Army, have helped QUICKBLOCK rapidly improve their product and work towards several solutions, both in military and civilian case uses.
Support from the DASA Access to Mentoring and Finance (A2MF) team also helped the company hone their investment message, provide wider support around their future funding for defence and explore further investment. QUICKBLOCK has now raised two seed investment rounds in the past year.
QUICKBLOCK CEO, Andrew Vincent said: “We are incredibly grateful for the support from DASA. The project rapidly accelerated the development of our product for the Defence market and allowed us access to end-users that we would otherwise not have had. Its beauty is its simplicity, yet it has the potential to save many lives. We have developed a system which can act as a single resource to solve a variety of problems. It can flex to meet varying threat levels and also can be deployed in short-term temporary and/or longer-term semi-permanent scenarios.”
Owing to the flexibility and robustness of the modular building system, QUICKBLOCK has identified several other use cases for the solution such as rapidly deployable shelters, semi-permanent infrastructure, such as accommodation units, temporary medical facilities, revetments for aircraft and machinery and also temporary homes and shelters.
With the help of DASA funding and guidance, QUICKBLOCK have developed a full defence-centric product range, featuring different grades of the blocks that offers different levels of flexibility and protection depending on the operating environment, ranging from basic in-filled blocks, to ballistic and blast protected blocks and even full flat packed structures.
UPDATE: More good news for QUICKBLOCK
QUICKBLOCK have gone from strength to strength since their accelerated growth with guidance and funding from DASA. Recent success stories include:
- QUICKBLOCK being used to build realistic training scenarios for a UK-led medical training of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to deliver lifesaving medical treatment on the battlefield.
- QUICKBLOCK received an order for their product in early 2024 from the British Army
- QUICKBLOCK secured £1.3m in additional investment (£738,000 was received through a DASA Defence Innovation Loan) which enabled the SME to move their supplier base to Yorkshire, bolstering their supply chain and avoiding the recent shipping disruption in the Red Sea
(Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
11 Apr 24. Airmanship data capture technology flies high with a Defence Innovation Loan. VRAI secured a DASA Defence Innovation Loan to help commercialise their data capture and analysis technology to help the RAF rapidly assess airmanship in future aviators.
- VRAI’s data capture technology, funded through the DASA Open Call, has the ability to codify and predict airmanship performance. This technology can be used to accelerate training time for RAF recruits.
- Additional funding secured through DASA’s Defence Innovation Loan programme will help VRAI further develop the technology and prepare for commercialisation
- Run in partnership with Innovate UK, Defence Innovation Loans are designed to help SMEs develop and commercialise their mature defence solutions
- As part of the project, DASA provided guidance and helped VRAI test the system with the RAF and obtain vital military end user feedback
Virtual training has become an essential component of modern defence, ensuring armed forces personnel can train proficiencies at scale while reducing costs. However, capturing and analysing training data has been a persistent challenge in defence, particularly in areas such as airmanship data from trainee pilots.
Airmanship refers to the non-technical skills, and judgement required for aerial navigation. To operate an aircraft safely, it is vital that trainees are trained to a high standard to have good situational awareness, decision-making ability and aircraft knowledge.
However, there are numerous obstacles to assessing pilot airmanship. It is constrained by the availability of in-person instructors that can observe students, as each instructor can only manage two or three students at a time. It is also heavily reliant on subjective observation.
Introducing VRAI: Combining virtual reality technology with data capture
Newcastle-based SME, VRAI, which specialises in virtual reality (VR) simulation training and data capture, recognised the need to provide trainee pilots with personalised training plans and data-driven feedback, to help them achieve their maximum potential in a shorter amount of time.
With the help of DASA funding, VRAI developed a solution to enable the Royal Air Force (RAF) to better measure and predict trainee pilot performance, using a combination of VR and data capture technology, called HEAT.
HEAT, which has been used to train staff in an array of vertical industries, can capture and generate rich data sets from commercial off-the-shelf VR solutions, which enables the capability to capture and store pilot data from simulated flying tasks.
VRAI’s data capture and analysis technology enables the RAF to train airmanship in future military pilots to a higher standard, faster, and in a more cost effective way.
It helps defence and security by:
- enabling instructors to train more students at the same time
- ensuring training performance is measure accurately
- ensuring good airmanship qualities can be codified, resulting is less subjective monitoring of student performance
- ensuring that students can readily self-assess their strengths and weaknesses against data
- enabling projections of trainee performance can be used to develop individualised training programmes
- enabling instructors to focus on more value added tasks when training students
Testing helps VRAI collect 1 bn airmanship data points with the RAF
VRAI submitted their innovative data capture solution to the DASA Open Call in 2020 and were awarded £348,000 in funding. DASA played a significant role in the project by offering VRAI guidance and helping them to test the system with the RAF, receiving valuable feedback from military end-users. The innovation was implemented at three RAF stations within a three-month timeframe, gathering nearly one bn data points from 40 RAF pilots, across the RAF 22 Group, and positive feedback from users.
During the testing, VRAI was able to collect valuable trainee data which can be used to standardise airmanship training and assessment, helping to significantly reduce the amount of time needed to train quality pilots.
Flying towards commercialisation: Defence Innovation Loans
With an eye towards the future, VRAI secured a Defence Innovation Loan to the value of £544,742, to further develop their innovation and market readiness.
They will use these funds, to apply machine learning (ML) to the innovation in order to generate more robust actionable insights to further develop trainees, while also ensuring the RAF can utilise the system for self-training. To help with this, VRAI will also use the funding to develop customised dashboard metrics relating to airmanship.
Niall Campion, Founder of VRAI said:
We believe the technology we’re developing with this funding will allow us to bring genuinely game changing advancements in how training is delivered and its success is measured.
Without DASA funding it would have been impossible for us to bring this product into the UK defence supply chain. By providing vital working capital while we demonstrate the value of the product in the defence industry, the Defence Innovation Loan will help us grow our business and deliver measurable improvements to training across both defence and other simulation markets.
UPDATE: VRAI reaching new heights
VRAI have continued to soar since working with DASA, securing a £288,000 contract to develop a data driven tactical simulator for the Multi Launch Rocket System (MLRS) which is based in the 101 Royal Artillery Regiment in the North East of England. The project, which was funded through the DASA 1st Customer Fund, will enable the British Army to collect user performance data in order to improve crew performance while reducing the cost and carbon footprint of training.
VRAI also recently announced plans to work with BAE Systems to harness the power of extended reality and artificial intelligence to enhance the training of fast jet pilots. BAE Systems will integrate VRAI’s HEAT data capture technology, which captures, analyses and visualises simulator data, in to a deployable simulator for a Hawk aircraft, the world’s most proven and successful fast jet trainer. The project is funded through the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Technology Exploitation Programme (DTEP), which works to foster collaboration between small and medium-sized enterprises suppliers with leading defence companies.
Anita Friend, Head of DASA, said:
VRAI is helping deliver exciting new innovations to the UK defense supply chain in crucial areas such as AI and training simulation, helping the MOD continuously enhance its capabilities while also fostering its business growth.
DASA is delighted to see the emergence of VRAI’s partnership with BAE, a direct outcome of DASA’s DTEP program. DTEP allows larger partner companies to benefit from early access to innovative technologies, materials, or processes from SMEs, that they can also help commercialise.
Need help bringing your defence innovation to market?
One of DASA’s main financial mechanisms to support with business readiness and the commercialisation of innovations is through the Defence Innovation Loans programme. Run in partnership with Innovate UK, these are designed to help growth-minded SMEs develop and commercialise their mature defence solutions and in doing so, tackle some of the challenges businesses face in moving from technology development to product and company scale up.
Defence Innovation Loans Key points:
- Exclusively for SMEs
- Innovations must be at Technology Readiness Level 6 or above
- Loans from £100,000 – £2m
- Loans can cover up to 100% of project costs to aid commercialisation of the solution
- Below market interest rate
- In partnership with Innovate UK
Learn more about Defence Innovation Loans here and submit an application: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/competition-defence-innovation-loans/competition-document-defence-innovation-loan
(Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
11 Apr 24. NATO selects SitaWare Headquarters as its Future Land C2 Capability. NATO’s land forces will benefit from an enhanced command and control application with the signing of a contract between Systematic and the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency) for the provision of its Future Land Command and Control (C2) capability (FLC2).
Systematic’s SitaWare Headquarters software was selected as part of a competitive tender process and provides world-leading command and control capabilities. Principal among these is the provision of seamless interoperability and the rapid, reliable sharing of information among coalition partners.
The FLC2 project, also known as ‘DEMETER’ includes the implementation of the software into the NATO Command Structure, as well as the provision of initial training support, marking a step-change in operational capability for the Alliance..
SitaWare Headquarters is used by more than 50 (fifty) countries worldwide and is a trusted force multiplier. Its proven ability unites armed services and ensures efficient communications and decision-making from the command right to the tactical edge. SitaWare Headquarters will also greatly increase interoperability between not only NATO and its member states, but across all Western allies.
Commitment to modernisation
Sven Trusch, Managing Director of Systematic’s German subsidiary said NATO would improve its operational efficiency across its land forces through the use of its software.
“We are delighted to sign the contract with NATO as the Future Land C2 capability,” he said. “Systematic is at the forefront of technological advancements in command and control and we are looking forward to a fruitful partnership in providing NATO’s command structures with this new capability.”
“We are also committed to the full implementation of SitaWare Headquarters, which will ensure a smooth transition to this new capability and provide access to the full range of its operational features.”
The contract also represents a further milestone in the long-standing relationship between Systematic and NATO. For the past decade, Systematic’s IRIS application has provided the de facto standard for military messaging, making national information systems interoperable with joint and coalition partners.
“This partnership with Systematic will provide the NATO war-fighter with the capability for enhanced battle-management C2 and situational awareness, as well as improved interoperability across the NATO Functional Area Services”, Will Leeming, DEMETER Project Manager at NATO Communications and Information (NCI) Agency said.
SitaWare Headquarters
SitaWare Headquarters is the operationally proven C4ISR solution that delivers superior tactical communication, unmatched interoperability, seamless collaborative planning and comprehensive situational awareness across the battlespace.
As an advanced C4ISR application, it allows all levels of command and all domains to exchange vital information and extensive plans within own, coalition, and joint battle networks.
11 Apr 24. TactoTek® Granted 250th Patent for Structural Smart Surfaces.
- TactoTek has earned its 250th patent
- TactoTek licensees rely on TactoTek intellectual property to innovate, globally
TactoTek, the global leader in Injection Molded Structural Electronics (IMSE®) technology, today announced that it has received its 250th patent grant spanning 48 patent families. TactoTek’s extensive patent portfolio covers many dimensions of IMSE technology, including design, construction, and production. Among the many TactoTek innovations are integrating electronic components inside of injection-molded smart surfaces and multiple lighting techniques that support illumination brand design language OEMs use for function, styling, and usability, including emblems, light lines, indicators, and ambient lighting in ultra-thin parts. With access to TactoTek’s broad and deep patent portfolio, TactoTek licensees have unparalleled freedom to innovate, globally.
Freedom to innovate, building on proven foundations
TactoTek’s patents include building blocks for IMSE solutions that are horizontal in market appeal: automotive, aerospace, industrial controls, smart home, and medical devices can all benefit from IMSE technology. IMSE solutions integrate electronics, mechanics, and cosmetics into thin, 3D structures that deliver step-function improvements in sustainability.
TactoTek’s core business model is licensing intellectual property to companies that design and manufacture IMSE parts for OEMs and brands. TactoTek licensees use the company’s intellectual property to build their businesses, often moving up the value chain as they turn surface plastics into sophisticated, seamless, single-piece electronic solutions.
TactoTek’s unparalleled patent portfolio reflects the company’s enduring commitment to market-driven applied research and development of IMSE core technologies. Capability, reliability, manufacturability, cost, and sustainability—the priorities of our licensees and their customers—focus the company’s efforts. TactoTek intellectual property forms a basis for innovation and enables licensees to create differentiated application designs built with IMSE technology.
“Our team is focused on innovations that support market priorities of OEMs and brands as they embrace smart surface technologies,” noted Antti Keränen, TactoTek’s co-founder and CTO, “TactoTek’s commitment to innovation that is reflected in reaching the 250-patent milestone is in service of helping our licensees build their businesses.”
11 Apr 24. Bell targets V-280 manned, V-247 unmanned platforms as replacement for USN MH-60R/S helicopters. The US Navy (USN) is starting to look for its next-generation maritime strike platform. Bell is offering a variant of its V-280 Valor tiltrotor teamed with its V-247 Vigilant unmanned aircraft for the navy’s Future Vertical Lift-Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) capability, building off the V-280’s selection for the army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) programme. The selection of the V-280 for the FLRAA programme has increased interest from the other services on the possibilities of the platform for their requirements, Tyler Harrell, manager of Military Sales and Strategy Advanced Systems at Bell, told Janes on 9 April at the Navy League Sea-Air-Space 2024 global maritime exposition in National Harbor, Maryland. (Source: Janes)
10 Apr 24. Advantech announced its strategic collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. to revolutionize the edge computing landscape. This effort, combining AI expertise, high-performance computing, and industry-leading connectivity, is set to propel innovation for industrial computing. This collaboration establishes an open and diverse edge AI ecosystem, paving the way for best-in-class solutions tailored to AIoT applications.
Miller Chang, President of EIoT at Advantech, elaborates: “In the vast and fragmented IoT landscape, deploying AI applications efficiently is a challenge. Advantech and Qualcomm Technologies are working together to meet market demands and surpass perceived limits. Advantech, in collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies, will look to provide Edge AI Platforms to navigate the industry’s fragmentation, ensuring interoperability. Together, we aspire to redefine AI possibilities at the edge, shaping the future of edge intelligence.”
“Advantech and Qualcomm Technologies’ collaboration marks a significant milestone in the evolution of edge computing. By combining Advantech’s expertise in industrial computing with our cutting-edge technology, we are poised to reshape the future of embedded systems. This collaboration will unlock new possibilities for AIoT applications, enabling seamless integration of AI-powered solutions at the edge. We are excited to be part of this journey and look forward to the transformative impact it will have on various industries.” – Jeff Torrance, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Industrial and Embedded IoT, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
Qualcomm Technologies is leading the industry transformation at the edge. Utilizing its Product Longevity Program for certain SoCs, advancing AI technology and industry-leading connectivity systems, Qualcomm Technologies envisions benefits across industrial automation, transportation, medical, and rapidly evolving sectors like robotics and energy.
The collaboration between Qualcomm and Advantech reinforces the technical expertise and dedication to innovation of both companies. Advantech’s goal is to develop an advanced lineup of Edge AI Platforms and a dedicated Edge AI SDK for edge AI applications. These standardized and diverse platforms will drive the tasks of the future that will rely increasingly on intelligent and performance-intensive technology.
Through this collaboration, Advantech is poised to integrate Qualcomm
Technologies’ leading solutions across its entire platform spectrum, including AI-on-Modules, AI Function Boards, and AI Edge Systems. Both companies will help develop go-to-market strategies to accelerate the digital Transformation of the embedded industry. This collaboration aims to drive continuous innovation and expansion in Edge AI devices for IoT.
10 Apr 24. Mercury Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRCY, www.mrcy.com), a technology company that delivers mission-critical processing power to the edge, today announced it was awarded a $31m contract from L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) to provide solid-state data recorders for the U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA)’s Tranche 2 Tracking Layer satellite constellation. L3Harris was selected in January to design and build 18 satellites that will provide near-global missile warning and tracking coverage, with preliminary missile defense, under SDA’s Tranche 2 Tracking Layer program. The Tracking Layer is part of SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a layered network of military satellites supporting multiple missions in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Tranche 2 follows the 16-satellite constellation L3Harris is building for Tranche 1, and the four recently launched satellites it built for the Tranche 0. Mercury’s solid-state data recorders (SSDRs) are the primary storage devices on all three L3Harris constellations. These radiation-tolerant devices enable on-orbit sensor data processing and storage in a 3U VPX form factor, with a microprocessor and software-free design that ensure precise, long-term operation in harsh environments. Mercury SSDRs have a proven spaceflight heritage, powering missions such as NASA’s Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation science mission that is currently in operation aboard the International Space Station.
“We are extremely proud to provide the on-orbit data storage capabilities for this important national security mission,” said Tom Smelker, GM of Mercury’s Microsystems business unit. “The Mercury Processing Platform brings unique advantages to the space domain, with edge-ready products that turn data into decisions.”
09 Apr 24. Curtiss-Wright Adds Digital Temperature Compensation Pressure Scanner Module to KAM-500 Flight Test Instrumentation Family. Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions Division Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions Division has expanded its family of KAM-500 flight test instrumentation (FTI) modules with the addition of a new ADC card that interfaces to multiplexing Digital Temperature Compensation (DTC) pressure scanners. The KAD/MDC/105 module enables the acquisition of pressure and temperature data during flight test programs by interfacing to popular DTC pressure scanners, such as the TE Connectivity ESP-32HD and ESP-64HD. The module, which supports dual 64-channel DTC Pressure Scanners, can directly read scanner memory at data rates up to 50 Ksps per channel, and applies DTC correction algorithms to ensure accurate data, delivering 0.02% full scale range error performance. The KAD/MDC/105 also supports the re-zeroization of the scanner device and stores any corrections in on-module non-volatile memory. The rugged module is ideal for use in flight test, engine test and pressure measurement applications for commercial and defense fixed wing and rotorcraft platforms.
“The introduction of the KAD/MDC/105, our first KAM-500 DAU module to support DTC Pressure Scanners, exemplifies our commitment to the continual enhancement of our popular KAM-500 data acquisition product family,” said Brian Perry, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions. “Our KAM-500 and other DAU product families offer flight test engineers the world’s broadest range of I/O modules with which to easily and quickly integrate the exact test regimen their demanding program requires.”
Both KAD/MDC/105 scanner interfaces provide a pair of analog differential-ended inputs for scanner pressure and temperature measurements. In addition to measurement channels, the KAD/MDC/105 also provides individual 6-bit address busses and necessary power supplies. In addition, each address bus serves as a DTC scanner communication interface that can be used to set up the scanner, read DTC calibration memory, measure internal scanner excitation, and check the scanner’s manifold position. The KAD/MDC/105 sequentially addresses 64 multiplexed channels of DTC pressure scanners and measures voltages to further process their outputs according to DTC algorithms based on scanner calibration data.
10 Apr 24. Leonardo and ST Engineering Antycip together for a next-generation digital system. The partnership is aimed to develop a new simulation and high-performance Image Generator concept for aircraft digital design and pilots training. The technological approach is based on the extensive use of the digital twin concept design. This includes leveraging cutting-edge technology available on the market, complemented by Leonardo proprietary solutions, for all the components of the digital ecosystem, including gaming technology. In line with the corporate digital strategy, Leonardo has signed an agreement with ST Engineering Antycip – European leader in Virtual Reality, Simulation, Visual Displays & Engineering services – to develop a customised version of an Image Generator based on the Unreal Engine, an advanced real-time 3D creation tool, provided by Epic Games. Through Unreal Engine, Leonardo will bring incredible real-time experiences, enabling realistic virtual environments, increasing the number of entities and complexity in the virtual scenario. The technology will integrate with all of Leonardo’s training devices, such as full-flight simulators, flight training and procedural training tools and others, with the aim to reach innovative Mixed Reality and Virtual Reality solutions. Furthermore, the software will be a game changer for a set of ongoing advanced developments, like the “wearable cockpit” in next generation combat and training aircraft. This latest achievement was possible thanks to the strong cross-business synergies at Leonardo, involving the Aircraft and Leonardo Global Solutions teams in relation to the procurement of the best engineering services for the company. (Source: News Now/https://www.leonardo.com/)
09 Apr 24. Octavo Systems Unveils the OSD32MP2 Series: Revolutionizing System Design in the Electronics Industry. Octavo Systems, a leader in system integration technology, proudly announces the launch of its OSD32MP2 family, featuring two innovative System-in-Package (SiP) modules: the OSD32MP2 and OSD32MP2-PM. Designed to leverage the advanced capabilities of the new STM32MP25 processor from STMicroelectronics, this family is set to transform electronics design by significantly reducing complexity, size, and total cost of ownership., this family is set to transform electronics design by significantly reducing complexity, size, and total cost of ownership.
A Tailored Solution for Every Design Challenge
The OSD32MP2 family caters to a diverse range of applications, from industrial automation to consumer electronics, offering unparalleled processing power, connectivity, and security features. The series includes:
- OSD32MP2: A comprehensive SiP solution integrating the STM32MP2 processor, DDR4 memory, power management (STMPMIC2), EEPROM, oscillators, and passives into a 21mm x 21mm BGA package. This module is designed for designers seeking a straightforward, efficient path to harnessing the full capabilities of the STM32MP2.
- OSD32MP2-PM: A streamlined module focusing on the essential integration of the STM32MP2 processor and DDR4 memory in a compact 9mm x 14mm package, ideal for cost-sensitive or uniquely designed projects requiring flexibility in power solutions or form factors.
Innovative Features for Advanced Designs
The OSD32MP2 series is built around the STM32MP25 processor, featuring a dual Arm Cortex-A35 cores, an Arm Cortex-M33 core, a 3D GPU supporting Vulkan API, H.264 video encoding/decoding, a 1.35 TOPS AI accelerator, and comprehensive connectivity options. These features enable the development of cutting-edge applications that demand high-performance processing, advanced graphics, and robust security.
Empowering Electronics Design Engineers
“Octavo Systems is committed to empowering electronics design engineers by simplifying the complexities of modern electronic design,” said Harley Walsh, President of Octavo Systems. “Our OSD32MP2 series allows engineers to focus on innovation and product differentiation, providing them with the tools to bring their ideas to market faster and more efficiently than ever before.”
The OSD32MP2 reduces design time and size by up to 60%, offering the lowest total cost of ownership. The OSD32MP2-PM offers a flexible option for designs requiring a unique form factor or power solution, making it ideal for wearable technology or other innovative applications.
Availability
Samples of the OSD32MP2-PM will be available at the end of 2024, with the OSD32MP2 samples following in early 2025. For additional information, including detailed specifications and ordering details, please visit https://octavosystems.com or contact Octavo Systems at .
09 Apr 24. Green Hills Software, STMicroelectronics and Cetitec Collaborate on Delivering Configurable In-Vehicle Communications Platform for Automotive Zonal Controllers. Green Hills Software, the worldwide leader in embedded safety and security, together with STMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, and Cetitec, a Porsche company and leading software specialist for the development of connectivity and networking system solutions, today announced a collaboration to deliver an integrated and configurable communications platform for use in zonal controllers for the centralized EE vehicle architecture of the SDV. This solution consists of Green Hills’ µ-velOSity™ real-time operating system (RTOS), ST’s Stellar Integration MCU platform, and Cetitec’s advanced networking stacks, gateways and routing frameworks.
The automotive industry is currently aligned to transition to the Software-Defined Vehicle which requires a change in the vehicles’ EE architecture. A significant number of the ECUs in currently decentralized or domain-based architectures will be consolidated into a small number of high-performance compute units combined with zonal controllers. This zonal-based centralized architecture has increased requirements for performance, safety and security of the zonal controllers and necessitates new in-vehicle networking solutions.
ST’s Stellar Integration MCUs provide a 10x increase in performance compared to previous generations of vehicle MCUs and adds required features such as extensible memory and OTA (over-the-air update) support, allowing OEMs to update and add new features during the lifetime of the vehicle. Running on ST’s latest Stellar MCUs, Green Hills’ µ-velOSity RTOS benefits from access to the latest hardware updates of the Stellar P and G microcontrollers. The Green Hills MULTI® integrated development environment (IDE) fully integrates with the Stellar Studio development environment, making the development of applications faster and easier to debug.
Based on this platform, Cetitec provides a demonstrator consisting of the Cetitec Gateway and the Cetitec Distributed Communications Framework (CDCF). These communications solutions bridge the gap between automotive-specific protocols such as CAN, LIN, Ethernet and a service-oriented software architecture, where Ethernet is often used as the vehicle networking technology. Cetitec Gateway is highly configurable, has the ability to update the routing configuration post-build without recompiling the firmware, and supports all standard automotive networking protocols. The ST Stellar Data Move Engine (DME) runs on one of the Arm® Cortex®-M4 cores present in the Stellar MCUs performing the communication routing functionality which offloads the main Stellar MCU core (Cortex-R52) running the Green Hills µ-velOSity RTOS. The communication between the cores is achieved by using the CDCF. This component is running both on top of µ-velOSity on the R52 core and on the Stellar DME core, allowing the Cetitec Gateway to effectively communicate with ECU applications running on µ-velOSity. This component abstracts away the functionality of native drivers and provides full environment abstraction for applications running on μ-velOSity. At the heart of the μ-velOSity RTOS is an efficient and reliable kernel with a minimal footprint and easy-to-use API. μ-velOSity enables applications, middleware, and drivers to run outside of kernel memory space and offers optional memory protection for separation, enabling safe and secure isolation, so that system designers can meet freedom-from-interference requirements between critical and non-critical applications of the ECU.
This joint solution also includes support for the Green Hills ASIL-certified MULTI integrated development environment (IDE) and C/C++ compilers which increase developer productivity while enabling developers to shorten the time to find and fix bugs and optimize applications on multicore processors such as the ST Stellar MCUs. The MULTI IDE’s advanced History® event viewer and TimeMachine® back-in-time debugger make it easy to quickly find and fix difficult bugs and performance bottlenecks while preventing future software problems in deployed systems.
“Our collaboration with Cetitec and Green Hills on the Stellar platform brings safe and efficient solutions to our customers. They will enable them to stay at the forefront of the shift towards more sustainable, software-defined vehicles of the future,” said Davide Santo, ST Automotive Microcontroller Business Unit Director.
“As SDV architectures are being fast-tracked by OEMs, platforms that reduce the time to ECU/feature integration while efficiently managing communications are key enablers for reducing the cost to develop and the time to deploy,” said Dan Mender, VP Business Development at Green Hills Software. “Our collaboration with STMicroelectronics and Cetitec is foundational to enabling efficient, scalable and configurable communications solutions for next-generation SDV domain/zonal controller ECUs.”
“We believe that providing a great infrastructure for easy application development is paramount for the future OEMs to be able to make the SDV a great success. Cooperation with our partners is an important step to achieve this,” said Dr. Michael Back, CEO of Cetitec, sharing his vision of the future.
About Green Hills Software
Founded in 1982, Green Hills Software is the worldwide leader in embedded safety and security. In 2008, the Green Hills INTEGRITY-178 RTOS was the first and only operating system to be certified by NIAP (National Information Assurance Partnership comprised of NSA & NIST) to EAL 6+, High Robustness, the highest level of security ever achieved for any software product. Our open architecture integrated development solutions address deeply embedded, absolute security and high-reliability applications for the military/avionics, medical, industrial, automotive, networking, consumer and other markets that demand industry-certified solutions. Green Hills Software is headquartered in Santa Barbara, CA, with European headquarters in the United Kingdom. Visit Green Hills Software at https://www.ghs.com.
09 Apr 24. Xiphera Launches nQrux™ Family of Hardware Trust Engines for Hardware-Isolated Cryptographic Services and Computing Environments. Xiphera, a globally trusted provider of hardware-based cryptographic security IP, announces the nQrux™ family of Hardware Trust Engines. The new family introduces highly optimised and customisable security solutions, offering exceptional security modules performing purely hardware-based cryptographic operations.
nQrux™ Hardware Trust Engines introduce novel security architectures, delivering hardware-level trust for the most critical environments and applications. The solutions in the nQrux™ portfolio ensure the complete isolation of cryptographic operations and application-specific data within inherently secure hardware elements. This enables the freedom from embedded CPUs or software elements, enabling paramount security and performance levels.
“We are thrilled to launch nQrux™, a family that collects Xiphera’s solutions for building larger system-level security”, Kimmo Järvinen, Xiphera’s co-founder and CTO, comments.
The nQrux™ family consists of cryptographic security solutions built on Xiphera’s cryptographic IP cores that are fully standard compliant (IEEE, IETF, NIST), and CAVP validated by NIST. The solutions in the nQrux™ portfolio have optimised configurations based on customer footprint, performance, and security requirements. Xiphera’s Crypto Module provides an integrated security platform with customer-tailored set of highly optimised cryptographic services for microcontrollers and SoC implementations. The versatile configurations of Xiphera Crypto Module enable fully optimised feature set to fit customer requirements for functionality, performance, and resources.
With the launch of the nQrux™ family, Xiphera announces Confidential Computing Engines (CCE) as part of the nQrux™ family of Hardware Trust Engines. The CCE offer a secure code execution environment protecting data, code, and AI models in cloud, edge, and AI environments. “CCE is our first opening in the domain of trusted computing where hardware-based cryptography and isolation are used for building trust in remote computation”, Kimmo Järvinen concludes. Xiphera’s CCE will be ready for customer evaluation in 2024.
08 Apr 24. SHL Telemedicine’s SmartHeart® Technology Triumphs in US Army Project Convergence – Capstone 4 Experiment. SHL Telemedicine Ltd. (NASDAQ: SHLT, SIX: SHLTN;) (“SHL” or the “Company”), a leading provider and developer of advanced personal telemedicine solutions is pleased to share that in a remarkable display of innovation and operational excellence, the Company’s SmartHeart®, portable 12-lead ECG technology showcased its unparalleled capabilities and successfully participated in Project Convergence – Capstone 4 (PC-C4), the largest, two-phase, “in-the-dirt” experiment to date that includes enduring objectives and learning demands evolving from the Project Convergence campaign of persistent experimentation. One key event during the experiment was a comprehensive multi-day army medical experiment held at Fort Irwin’s National Training Center in the Mojave Desert amidst the challenging terrains of California’s Tiefort Mountains.
Designed to revolutionize urgent cardiovascular assessment in non-traditional settings, SmartHeart® provided critical support across different roles of care, during the experiments, ensuring swift and accurate heart condition evaluations in various levels of trauma care. The SmartHeart® technology was used by a varied group of healthcare clinicians including nurses, medics and physicians amidst the rugged desert conditions, where it demonstrated its reliability, ease of use and effectiveness in extreme conditions.
PC-C4, a joint, multinational experiment hosted by the U.S. Army across multiple locations in February and March allowed military medicine to explore and integrate the latest technological innovations in a field environment. SmartHeart’s inclusion in this prestigious experiment underscores the growing recognition of SHL’s portable ECG technology as a game-changer in the fast-paced and demanding field of military healthcare.
Jason Bottiglieri, General Manager at SHL Telemedicine USA, emphasized the significance of this achievement, stating: “The army’s invitation for SHL to participate and the SmartHeart’s exemplary performance in PC-C4 solidifies our technology’s critical role in rapid cardiac assessment. It addresses a crucial need in the continuum of military medical care from initial non-battle evaluation to trauma response, to advanced interventions for intensive and continual care. The SmartHeart’s robust performance in the challenging operational and environmental conditions of the experiment promises to transform how heart conditions are assessed and managed in field operations, ultimately leading to better outcomes for those serving on the front lines.”
About SHL Telemedicine
SHL Telemedicine is engaged in developing and marketing personal telemedicine systems and the provision of medical call center services, with a focus on cardiovascular and related diseases, to end users and to the healthcare community. SHL Telemedicine offers its services and personal telemedicine devices to subscribers utilizing telephonic and Internet communication technology. SHL is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SHLTN, ISIN: IL0010855885, Security No.: 1128957) and on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange (SHLT, ISIN: US78423T2006, CUSIP: 78423T200).
For more information, please visit our website at www.shl-telemedicine.com. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
08 Apr 24. The world’s biggest chipmaker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, has agreed to make its most advanced products in Arizona from 2028, in a boost to White House efforts to bring semiconductor production on to home soil. TSMC will make the latest cutting-edge 2-nanometre chips in a fabrication plant, or fab, it is building in Phoenix, Arizona, marking an upgrade from its previous plans. That facility will be the company’s second in the US. The first, which is also in Arizona and was announced in 2020 under the Trump administration, will begin production next year. TSMC also said on Monday that it will increase its total investment in the US from $40bn to $65bn to build a third fab, with 2nm or even more advanced technology, which will be operational by 2030. The Taiwanese company and the US commerce department said on Monday that Washington would provide it with support worth $6.6bn in grants and up to $5bn in loans. The subsidies fall under the Chips Act, which was passed in 2022 to boost US chipmaking. Last month, the Biden administration unveiled a deal for $8.5bn in grants and up to $11bn in loans for Silicon Valley’s Intel, which has pledged $100bn in new investment. TSMC’s commitment helps the White House move towards its goal of bringing 20 per cent of the world’s advanced semiconductor manufacturing onshore by 2030. Recommended Visual story Inside the miracle of modern chip manufacturing Growing fears of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, where 90 per cent of cutting-edge chips are currently made, have prompted the US to step up efforts to boost its domestic semiconductor production. “TSMC is expanding its manufacturing capabilities in Arizona such that for the first time ever we will be making, at scale, the most advanced semiconductor chips on the planet here in the United States of America,” said US commerce secretary Gina Raimondo. “[We are] massively strengthening our national security position.” “Our US operations allow us to better support our US customers, which include several of the world’s leading technology companies,” said Mark Liu, chair of the leading contract chipmaker. The latest plans will bring semiconductor production in the US closer to the state of the art, as artificial intelligence drives demand for ever more computing power. (Source: FT.com)
08 Apr 24. Lockheed Martin Boosts Domestic Microelectronics Capabilities for Pentagon Aerial Defense Program. Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) will work with Intel Corporation (Nasdaq: INTC), and Altera, an Intel Company, to support the Stimulating Transition for Advanced Microelectronics Packaging (STAMP) program for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD R&E). Lockheed Martin will develop a low size, weight, and power (SWaP), Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA) aligned airborne electronic defense system, utilizing Altera’s Multi-Chip Package (MCP2) for expected use on the U.S. Navy’s MH-60R multi-mission helicopter. The project was awarded through the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane Division Strategic & Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S2MARTS) Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) vehicle and will be managed by the National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL).
“We are excited to work with Intel, Altera, and OUSD to provide a revolutionary leap in defense systems capabilities, utilizing high-performance U.S.-built semiconductors,” said Deon Viergutz, vice president of spectrum convergence at Lockheed Martin. “In the modern battlespace, against modern threats, this technology will be essential to the evolution of legacy systems and development of new systems that keep service members safe by controlling the electromagnetic spectrum and staying ahead of the threat.”
“The Multi-Chip Package (MCP2) based on Altera’s Agilex™9 SoC FPGA Direct RF-Series is the latest example of how we’re delivering industry-leading products via our chiplet technology,” said John Sotir, Senior Director, Military Aerospace and Government Business and State-of-the-Art Heterogeneous Integration Packaging (SHIP), Altera. “Through STAMP and our collaboration with Lockheed Martin we’ve enabled the rapid development of vital defense systems to provide higher bandwidth and performance at low latency, lower power, and in a smaller footprint.”
As a STAMP awardee, Lockheed Martin will advance the progression of technology to enable a defense system that detects and identifies threats with greater speed and accuracy at a significantly reduced SWaP and cost, freeing space for equipment to support other missions. While initially designed for the Sikorsky MH-60R helicopter, STAMP technology applies to platforms across all domains, including air, land, and sea. Altera’s Agilex™ 9 SoC FPGA Direct RF-Series enables the defense system by providing advanced digital and analog capabilities while reducing the system’s size, weight, power, and cost by an order of magnitude.
Over the next 18 months, Lockheed Martin will integrate its latest SOSA technology with Altera’s semiconductors with the intent to ultimately implement, test and complete production through the U.S. Navy’s MH-60R helicopter program.
For STAMP, work will be performed at Lockheed Martin’s facility in Owego, New York.
08 Apr 24. LDRA Launches products at Embedded World. Workflows for Functional Safety and Security Standards Compliance. —LDRA, the leader in automated software verification, traceability and standards compliance, today launched domain-specific software productivity packages for the LDRA tool suite:. These packages replace the cost and complexity of running different traceability, software analysis and compliance reporting point solutions with a single, streamlined workflow for functional safety and security standards across embedded industries such as aerospace and defense, automotive, industrial controls, rail transportation, energy, consumer devices and medical devices.
The conventional approach to acquiring verification and validation tools can be expensive, time-consuming, and often underutilized, no matter the industry. Embedded software developers must identify the appropriate tools for the tasks at hand, such as analyzing and testing software, providing traceability between development artifacts and generating documentation and compliance reports. These tools often come from different vendors, requiring developers to integrate the tools with each other and in their own development environment. LDRA’s new productivity packages provide all the necessary software tools to demonstrate compliance with each industry’s highest required assurance levels.
“With compliance costs and software complexity rising, development teams can no longer afford to procure, manage and maintain independent, disconnected tools,” said Ian Hennell, Operations Director, LDRA. “Our domain-specific productivity packages provide customized, bundled solutions that allow companies to swiftly meet the stringent certification requirements of myriad industries and manage costs with affordable pricing and efficient tool utilization.”
Packages deliver industry-specific value
Backed by over 45 years of experience providing critical software capabilities through the LDRA tool suite, each productivity package encompasses a set number of tool capabilities that align with the certification standards of specific industries. The focus is on delivering industry-specific value, ensuring quality, functional safety and security compliance, and granting clients, no matter their size, the flexibility to choose a package that best suits their unique needs.
The LDRA Productivity Packages offer capabilities ranging from static and dynamic analysis with unit and integration testing to complete compliance reporting for specific industry standards and assurance levels. Functional safety and security are fundamental to each of the productivity packages and include capabilities such as coding standards compliance, security assessments, automatic test case generation, execution, artifact generation and compliance reporting. These productivity packages also offer add-in products to address the unique demands of each of the industries, applications and required integrations.
“We’ve strategically crafted these packages to support large-scale industry demands and the focused requirements of start-ups and small-to-medium-size companies that need tailored solutions fitting growth-scale budget constraints,” Hennel added. “These entities can now have all the necessary software tools to demonstrate compliance with even the highest levels of requirements assurance.”
LDRA also annoiunced the introduction of LDRAvault to simplify the analysis and management of software certification activities and artifacts. LDRAvault improves the management of certification efforts by automatically aggregating reports and results from the LDRA tool suite across a certification project team and throughout the lifecycle of the project, including code reviews, code coverage analysis and unit testing. LDRAvault generates visualizations of verification results and trends and automatically maintains project snapshots and user-defined milestones. LDRAvault’s visualizations help project and engineering management make informed decisions to optimize costs and time-to-market.
In the embedded market, there are increasing demands for transparency and visibility in software development and verification workflows, particularly in the evolving certification and regulatory landscape. Aggregating and analyzing verification data from disparate teams has historically been difficult as developers aim to improve overall organizational software quality through process improvement. As the industry increasingly adopts continuous integration and continuous delivery/deployment (CI/CD), LDRAvault’s automatic aggregation of information supports these processes with instant, up-to-date access to all software quality analysis and verification results from multiple projects and team members.
“The last thing critical software teams want is to spend time searching for and analyzing verification and validation artifacts when release schedules and compliance signoffs are on the line,” said Ian Hennell, Operations Director, LDRA. “The LDRAvault web application accelerates certification by sharing all the insights managers need to make informed decisions, such as progress against project milestones, with snapshots and trends from one central accessible interface.”
Visualizations enable easy discovery, solutions to critical software issues
LDRAvault relies on the proven capabilities of the LDRA tool suite, including static and dynamic analysis, unit/system testing and reports, to generate visualizations such as heat maps and trend graphs that users can drill into to discover and address the root cause of potential critical software issues. Trend graphs also convey how the organization progresses in its verification and validation activities throughout the development lifecycle. All embedded markets, from aerospace and defense, automotive, industrial controls, energy and medical devices, can leverage this capability for instant access to all software quality analysis and verification results. LDRAvault ultimately helps organizations reduce the cost, time and risk of managing their certification artifacts and their verification and validation activities.
LDRA Elevates Its DevSecOps-Ready Platform with Actionable Security Analysis & Reporting
New security-first capabilities—including extended taint analysis and vulnerability heat maps —help embedded developers remediate critical issues earlier in the lifecycle
LDRA, the leader in automated software verification, traceability and standards compliance, today announced the availability of four new security-first capabilities in the LDRA tool suite: security vulnerability reports, security audits, security reviews and taint analysis. Each capability digs deep into identifying and remediating critical security vulnerabilities that impact today’s complex and connected embedded software applications. Unlike other software verification, traceability and standards compliance tools, the LDRA tool suite simplifies analysis results using accessible user-experience techniques to help developers understand the results and integrate them into their DevSecOps processes.
“Security vulnerabilities in mission-critical systems are just waiting to be exploited, but LDRA can help developers identify and remediate them before release,” said Ian Hennell, Operations Director, LDRA. “The latest features in the LDRA tool suite abstract away much of the noise and complexity of traditional analysis tools to give developers clear, understandable results. Spending less time on “analysis paralysis” enables embedded software teams to focus on early vulnerability remediation and faster compliance.”
Early vulnerability detection, easy-to-understand results
Understanding and prioritizing analysis results consumes more time and skills than development teams can afford, often leading to shortcuts that may compromise the security of embedded systems. The new capabilities of the LDRA tool suite improve analysis effectiveness and reduce developers’ workloads for critical systems in aerospace, defense, automotive, industrial controls and medical devices.
Combining security vulnerability reports, security audits, security reviews, and taint analysis gives embedded software teams powerful ways to identify vulnerabilities earlier in the lifecycle and support DevSecOps practices.
Development teams benefit from:
- Improved breadth of and confidence in vulnerability analysis of critical embedded software.
- Reduced time to remediation with security reporting, audits and heat maps that pinpoint vulnerabilities in code.
- Deep visibility into component-level vulnerabilities, software complexity and memory allocation impacts.• Less time spent on compliance with automated CWE, MISRA, and CERT-C security reviews
“LDRA has always been at the forefront of advanced analysis tools that ease developers’ workloads,” Hennell added. “The latest capabilities of the LDRA tool suite refine our approaches to analysis effectiveness and usability to help enterprise organizations improve their secure software development processes without additional overhead.
Experience LDRAvault at Embedded World
LDRAvault is one of several new technologies LDRA will showcase in booth 4-406 at Embedded World in Nuremberg on April 9-11. Additional information about how the LDRA tool suite helps software development teams can be found at https://ldra.com/.
05 Apr 24. Teledyne e2v HiRel Electronics proudly announces the release of the TDGM650LS60, the first product in its innovative new 650V power module family. This new module utilizes a Teledyne high voltage Gallium Nitride (GaN) transistor and integrates an isolated driver in one package. Designed to serve as a load switch or solid-state switch, the TDGM650LS60 offers unparalleled performance and versatility. With the driver providing 5KV isolation and a GaN transistor boasting a minimum breakdown voltage of 650V, this module ensures robust and dependable operation in diverse environments.
One of the standout features of the TDGM650LS60 is its lightning-fast switching time coupled with the absence of moving parts. This unique combination not only enhances operational efficiency but also significantly elevates the reliability of the device. As a result, the TDGM650LS60 is ideally suited for high-reliability applications, including but not limited to Space, Avionics, and Military sectors.
“This launch marks a significant milestone in Teledyne’s commitment to innovation,” said Mont Taylor, Vice President and Business Development Manager at Teledyne e2v HiRel. “The TDGM650LS60 represents the culmination of our dedication to pushing the boundaries of technology, offering our customers performance, reliability, and versatility in their applications.” (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
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Oxley Group Ltd
Oxley offer a range of Military Marine NVG friendly LED lighting that includes navigation lights and controls, flight deck landing lights and interior compartment lighting. Our lighting products are used by Navies around the world including our own Royal Navy on UK Aircraft Carriers, Canadian Frigates, Swedish Submarines, Australian Surface vessels and Submarines, on board French Naval Carriers and in Naval Gun Turrets.
https://oxleydevelopments.cmail20.com/t/t-l-cdhkulk-yujhutkljd-r/
The technology is extremely energy efficient and built robustly, with proven long life. The lighting is NVG friendly, dimmable and programmable to allow for operations with aircraft pilots using military night vision goggles. They offer superior design giving high reliability for the most demanding environments with high sealing and the ability to meet the most stringent EMC standards.
https://oxleydevelopments.cmail20.com/t/t-l-cdhkulk-yujhutkljd-y/
Oxley are proud to say that we are working in partnership with SeaKing to enable a control panel to be offered with our LED Navigation Lighting. All of Oxley navigation lights have been specifically developed for vessels over 50 metres.
Contact Marcus Goad on 07850 917 263 for more information or to arrange samples.
Oxley specialises in the design and manufacture of advanced electronic and electro-optic components and systems for air, land and sea applications within the military sector. Established in 1942, Oxley has manufacturing facilities in the UK and USA and enjoys representation worldwide. The company’s products include night vision and LED lighting, data capture systems and electronic components. Oxley has pioneered the development of night vision compatible lighting. It offers a total package incorporating optical filters, equipment modification, cockpit and external lighting along with fleet wide upgrade services including engineering, installation, support, maintenance and training. The company’s long experience of manufacturing night vision lighting and LED indicators, coupled with advances in LED technology, has enabled it to develop LED solutions to replace incandescent and fluorescent lighting in existing applications as well as becoming the lighting option of choice in new applications such as portable military hospitals, UAV control stations and communication shelters.
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