A Software-Defined Radio (SDR) system is a radio communication system where components that have typically been implemented in hardware (e.g. mixers, filters, amplifiers, modulators/demodulators, detectors. etc.) are instead implemented using software on a personal computer or other embedded computing devices. While the concept of SDR is not new, the rapidly evolving capabilities of digital electronics are making practical many processes that were once only theoretically possible.

Space-Qualified Boards and ICs Satisfy Rad Hard Needs

Electronic systems designed for space face unique requirements over and above those of any typical military application. Satellites designed for space missions, for example, have toRead More...

Multicore Boards Roundup

6U CompactPCI Boards Sport Quad Core Xeons The multicore trend has hit all levels of processor families, and the Xeon is no exception. Concurrent Technologies has released theRead More...

Major Defense Programs Boost Their Appetite for Electronics

Coming in late December, the U.S. Congress approval of the 2011 Defense Authorization bill puts a budget in place for the DoD allowing the Pentagon to spend $725 billion in fiscalRead More...

Serial ATA Stakes out Territory as Next-Gen Storage Interface

Over the past several years, serial interconnect schemes have been steadily pushing aside parallel buses, and that trend has impacted the memory and storage realm just as it has everyRead More...

FPGA Boards Revamp the Radar and SIGINT Landscapes

Waveform-intensive applications like sonar, radar and SIGINT seem to have an endless appetite for signal processing power. Faster DSPs coupled with a broader range of IP cores andRead More...

COTS Products

3U cPCI Board and Rack Family Satisfies Extreme Thermal Needs CompactPCI, particularly in its 3U flavor, is no longer the new kid on the block in the military market. It’s paidRead More...

MicroTCA Gaining Ground in Military Applications

Deeply rooted in VME and CompactPCI platforms, military embedded design is undergoing a noticeable shift. Modern warfare initiatives are driving designers to find more bandwidth, whileRead More...

PXI/CompactPCI Backplanes for Embedded Test and Control OEMs

More than 10 new 3U and 6U PXI/CompactPCI backplanes offer from 4 to 18 slots and work with PXI, PXI Express, CompactPCI and CompactPCI Express modules. Engineers can design customRead More...

Software Radio and JTRS Making Steady Progress

With its most troubled days well behind, the DoD’s Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) remains one of the most sweeping and technically challenging programs ever conceived. The JointRead More...

Processing and Musical Chairs

Okay embedded processing technologies, when the music stops I want each of you to grab a chair and sit. Musical chairs is a good way to describe the moving targets that are advancedRead More...

Networking and Comms Evolve into Game-Changing Military Resources

Continuing an accelerating DoD-wide effort over the past decade, the next generation of technology development for military networking and communications is headed toward a goal ofRead More...

Rugged Ethernet Switch Boards Roundup

Dual-Channel 10GbE XMC Ready for Rough Duties The military has become sold on the idea of using Ethernet not only as a network technology but also as a fabric interconnect. TheRead More...

Technology Focus: Conduction-Cooled cPCI Boards

Rad-Tolerant SBC Boasts Low Operating Power Space-based applications require a level beyond the typical definition of ruggedness. Aitech Defense Systems offers aRead More...

The Inside Track

GE Fanuc Secures 3U VPX Order from GD Land Systems GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, a unit of GE Enterprise Solutions, today announced that it had secured an order from GeneralRead More...

AMCs Expand MicroTCA's Military Potential

Modern warfare systems must expertly blend issues of ruggedness, flexibility, mobility and high-end processing with the need for standards-based solutions that can be developed andRead More...

The Inside Track

ITT Awarded JTRS Support Contract ITT has been awarded a $22.9 million contract for Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio Systems (SINCGARS) Software In-Service Support (SwISS)Read More...

Small UAVs Step up to Advanced Comms Capabilities

The brisk investment in UAV development and procurement continues across all branches of the DoD. And that situation isn't expected to change under the current Administration. InRead More...

PCI/104-Express, PC/104 and EPIC SBCs Roundup

SBC Provides Right-Sized PC/104 Solution PC/104 has always shined in defense applications that need a modest amount of computer power. Adlink Technology has released the AmproRead More...

The Inside Track

Northrop Grumman Demos Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) Aboard F-16 Northrop Grumman in conjunction with the U.S. Air Force has successfully completed a series of demonstrationRead More...

Deployable xTCA Platforms Fuel Net-Centric Application

Broad new military initiatives such as the U.S. Navy’s (CANES) Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Servers, Brigade Combat Team Modernization, (JTRS) Joint Tactical RadioRead More...

Role of the Military Battery: Lightening the Load

There are a number of advantages to having a battery with a higher energy density—for the soldiers on the ground and the unmanned aerial vehicles overhead during any mission. HigherRead More...

FPGA Processing Boards Roundup

Virtex-5 FPGA PMC Aims at I/O Processing At one time FPGAs served merely as glue logic interfaces. Now they function as complete processing engines. Acromag’s PMC-VFX modulesRead More...

Information Overload and Ducks

If you look at the role of military embedded computing systems today, the analogy of a duck coasting along the water comes to mind. The movement of a duck across a pond looks smoothRead More...

The Inside Track

Army Contracts General Dynamics for Battlefield Handheld Computers The U.S. Army has awarded General Dynamics C4 Systems a $2.3 million contract to provide a prototype, handheldRead More...

The Inside Track

Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Demo SEWIP Electronic Attack Capability Navy Lockheed Martin and Raytheon demonstrated a potential electronic attack solution for the U.S. Navy’s SurfaceRead More...

XMCs and PrXMCs Open Door to New Levels of Performance

Mezzanine cards have held an entrenched position in military embedded systems since the early days of SBCs and standard backplanes. They enable system developers to mix and match theRead More...

COTS Products

3U VPX SBC Sports Freescale MPC 8640D Processor There have been only a handful of SBC vendors so far that have rolled out VPX products. The ones that jumped on board haveRead More...

Tactical Radio Amplifier System Gets Additional JITC Certification

AR Modular RF has received JITC certification for its KMW2030 tactical radio amplifier system (30 MHz - 512 MHz / 125 watts) when used with the Harris PRC-117G tactical radio. It hasRead More...