SFF Mission Computers

Small Form Factor (SFF) Mission Computers

Aerospace and defense system integrators continue to push for reductions in size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) to support advanced sensor/vetronics payloads onboard manned and unmanned platforms. Fortunately, groundbreaking miniaturization of mission processor subsystems are enabling platforms to expand their mission capabilities.

Curtiss-Wright’s rugged commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) mission computer subsystems in the small form factor (SFF) Parvus DuraCOR product line feature modular, expandable designs with powerful graphics and data processing capabilities together with ultra-reliable mechanical robustness. With decades of experience developing smaller, smarter, faster, and stronger defense solutions, Curtiss-Wright has engineered its DuraCOR product family to address SWaP-C requirements. This lets our customers deploy a fully-functional, environmentally-hardened subsystem in a matter of weeks.

These field-tested, MIL-STD qualified mission processors have been proven in command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) technology refresh and platform upgrade programs. They can hold up under thermal, shock, and vibration extremes in unmanned and manned aircraft, ground vehicles, and maritime platforms. Each unit features electrical/mechanical I/O expansion capabilities that enable rapid integration of payload-specific I/O interfaces for avionics, vetronics, situational awareness, and other applications.

Curtiss-Wright provides application engineering services to extend base system computing functionality for these SFF systems, adding in application-specific I/O and communications cards—typically without traditional NRE fees or development project delays. With pre-integrated, pre-qualified subsystems tailored by the factory, DuraCOR customers dramatically reduce scheduling risk and program management overhead, while maximizing use of open architecture COTS technologies.

The military and aerospace market maintains an insatiable appetite for smaller, lighter, and cheaper systems that speed their development programs. Recent technological breakthroughs in SWaP-C reduction has yielded the introduction of SFF mission computers. These systems’ combination of small size, low-power multi-core processing, and flexible I/O represents the key design targets that system designers of are seeking to add new C4ISR capabilities to their platforms, with minimal schedule and financial impact.