Contracted by a leading military and systems integrator, Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions division will provide switching, signal-processing, and graphics solutions as part of a military aircraft upgrade. The initial contract, valued at $2.6 million, has an estimated lifetime value of approximately $14.5 million. Curtiss-Wright Corp. is a leading supplier of subsystems based on the modular open systems approach (MOSA) in support of compatibility between parts from different vendors and the use of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware in military platforms.
As part of the initial contract, Curtiss-Wright will provide its model V3-1708 single-board computer (SBC) and model V3-717 graphics display module, both COTS units built in a rugged 3U OpenVPX form factor and both exceeding the requirements of the MIL-HDBK-516C Airworthiness Certification Criteria. The company will also provide its model VPX3-663 Ethernet switch module, also in a 3U OpenVPX format.
Chris Wiltsey, senior vice-president and general manager for Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions, said: “We are proud to have been selected to provide our MOSA-based safety certifiable processing and graphics technology for use on this military aircraft upgrade program.” He added: “With the changing operational needs for both new and upgraded platforms and systems, the combination of COTS and safety certifiable solutions for airborne platforms offered by Curtiss-Wright accelerates the time to market for new capabilities, while increasing affordability.” MOSA-based hardware eases interconnectivity within complex military and aerospace systems and the modular format simplifies future upgrades.