15 Feb 06. Rockwell Collins unveiled its Net-centric Computing System, bringing transformational command and control capabilities to today’s battlespace during AUSA.
Rockwell Collins’ Net-centric Computing System provides advanced computing capabilities while reducing space, weight and power requirements, allowing integration into a wide variety of platforms, including tracked, wheeled, and airborne vehicles. The system has a completely sealed, conduction-cooled chassis providing protection against vehicle shock, vibration, dust, sand, water and salt fog. The Net-centric Computing System is easy to remove and reliable under extreme conditions.
“The Net-centric Computing System demonstrates Rockwell Collins’ proven ability to bring much-needed technology to today’s warfighter,” said Woody Hogle, vice president and general manager of Integrated Systems for Rockwell Collins. “The Net-centric Computing System will provide warfighters a rugged, highly capable computer able to withstand harsh battlefield environments and rough handling.”
Rockwell Collins has extensive domain knowledge in net-centric computing due to its participation, along General Dynamics, in developing the Integrated Computer System for the Future Combat System. In addition, Rockwell Collins has pioneered new networking technologies, such as the Tactical Targeting Network Technology waveform, and a family of weapon system computers known as the Integrated Processing Center, used on Army and Air Force platforms.
The Net-centric Computing System consists of four independent, rugged, compact PCI computing modules, four removable hard drives for the operating system and mass storage, and a gigabit Ethernet router housed in a durable enclosure. Each computing module is a complete single-board computer providing peripheral support and control of an associated hard drive. The computing modules can be networked via the internal router. This system is capable of hosting high-speed Intel® and SPARC™ processor blades and is architected for compatibility with the US Army’s Army Battle Command System (ABCS) application suite.
BATTLESPACE will be covering Rockwell’s new vehicle system in depth in a feature for our DVD issue. In addition we will be covering developments of central computing systems from a number of supplier such as Rockwell Collins, DRS and General Dynamics in a forthcoming feature, ‘INTO THE BOX – RADIO AND COMPUTERS CONVERGE’