Defense

Rugged, Standards-based MISSION COMPUTERS ENABLING CONNECTED MILITARY SYSTEMS

Integrators of modern defense systems face an ever-increasing need to computation and bandwidth, while they struggle with shrinking budgets and deployment schedules.  With Kontron, defense contractors can depend on a global supplier of feature-rich and technically advanced solutions achieved through decades of experience engineering rugged, high performance mission-critical computers. Satisfying the most demanding defense computing requirements, Kontron excels at delivering COTS application-ready platforms and customized systems specifically designed to accelerate time to deployment.  Kontron is also a driving force in evolving standards such as OpenVPX, SOSA™, VICTORY, and COM-HPC, which defense system integrators depend on for interoperability and ease of integration.

KONTRON INNOVATIVELY MEETS HARSH ENVIRONMENT RELIABILITY/SURVIVABILITY AND SWaP-C REQUIREMENTS WITH SCALABLE AND LONG-LIFE COTS PLATFORMS THAT ADDRESS BUDGET LIMITATIONS. 

Kontron offers a wide selection of military computing hardware solutions including application-ready COTS boards, integrated mission computers, and rugged enclosures.  Partnering with Kontron, defense contractors have access to the full breadth of our rugged computing expertise:   

• Based on industry standards: VITA, PICMG, SOSA™, VICTORY, and others
• Boards, pre-qualified mission computers, and custom-integration services
• Rugged qualification at the board- and system-level
• Certification, full system integration and extended product lifecycle management

Streaming Sensors and High Performance Embedded Computing (HPEC)

Kontron’s high performance embedded computing (HPEC) systems finally give military developers the advanced rugged architectures that balance processor power with I/O bandwidth to meet these needs. As the need for SOSA-aligned COTS platforms grows, Kontron’s state of the art products, including the 3U StarVX and ApexVX based on  Intel® Xeon-D and other next-generation processors, offer leading edge DSP performance and future proof APIs for sensor data processing applications. Kontron's highly-integrated HPEC systems enable compute-intensive military systems to benefit from:

• Consolidating workloads onto a single machine using parallel virtual machine (VM) execution
• High performance computing and I/O bandwidth that meet defense simulation and operational warfare systems demands
• Reliable support for PCI Express Gen3 and 10/40 Gigabit Ethernet between all boards in the backplane across the full operational domain of a rugged computer design
• Advanced VITA 46.11-based system management
• SOSA alignment

Kontron inside real-world applications

• Next-Generation Combat Systems
• Missile Systems
• Autonomous Missile Systems
• Tactical Battlefield Radar
• Combat Management Systems
• Battlefield Sensor Systems
• Military GPS
• UAVs
• Communications, Command, Control and Intelligence (C4ISR)

Capabilities

Semi- & FullY Custom Solutions

Kontron brings together a strong set of in-house engineering and manufacturing capabilities, plus an array of specialized product and system designs that can be readily adapted to meet the demands of new programs, applications and emerging technologies.

Whether the requirement is for a standalone chassis, rackmount, ruggedized, portable, or custom platform, Kontron can provide a solid foundational design with the flexibility for tailoring the features, performance and cost to any specification. Our expertise includes design and manufacturing of complex rugged system enclosures as well as embedded systems integration for rugged defense applications.

SYSTEMS DESIGN PRACTICES

All of Kontron’s advanced chassis designs are optimized for both flexible configurability and rugged performance, with a range of choices in each design: from cooling methods to bus/ backplane architectures to processors, I/O and power supplies.

Because of our unique combination of deep COTS expertise and custom design capabilities, Kontron brings a "limitations-free" approach to the Concept phase of every project. As we move into the Design phase, our engineers are able to draw on this broad range of implementation options to tailor an optimal design to meet virtually any complex rugged hardware requirements. Our flexible manufacturing processes, integration and testing capabilities support a smooth transition through prototyping and into the Production phase. This allows Kontron to cost-effectively scale production to meet the needs of any deployment scenario and to provide responsive support throughout the life of the program.

ENGINEERING CAPABILITIES

Our system engineers are experts in thermal management and can use our proven designs as adaptable building blocks to optimize thermal efficiency, power and performance for the most exacting demands. Depending on the specific requirements, we can draw from a range of different design approaches for shock/vibration, noise insulation, security and hot-swap capabilities to tailor all operational parameters and survivability to meet unique program needs.

SYSTEMS INTEGRATION

Our systems integration services focus specifically on rugged military systems projects. In particular, we handle projects where compliance and long-term endurance are the key factors. We have provided high complexity systems in many projects, ranging from fully integrated systems enclosures to multi-rack systems. Our systems have been qualified on defense platforms, including seaborne (ships, subs), airborne (fixed and rotary wing), UAVs, ground-based (mobile, stationary).

On the enclosure side, we provide standard, semi-custom as well as full custom enclosures. Kontron’s knowledge and experience goes beyond MIL-SPEC’s and DO-160 requirements and design with strength, serviceability, and modularity in mind, offering the newest technologies to our customers, who deploy systems on a wide range of military platforms.

THERMAL MANAGEMENT

Increasingly complex military systems are driving increased challenges in integrating effective thermal management methodology. Due to the diversity of requirements, the most optimally designed systems are customized appropriately – addressing performance, cost, reliability needs and development timelines. Therefore, thermal management in particular must be dealt with head-on. Packaging designers first need to determine a system’s thermal calculations and make design decisions accordingly. Selection of the appropriate thermal solution also hinges on selecting a manufacturing partner that is experienced across the range of platforms and form factors who can serve as advisor. Kontron’s full range of thermal management methodologies, supported by a long history of effective and innovative military designs, matches complex needs of designers and applications. Ideally this type of manufacturing partnership provides a significant competitive advantage to designers, where all critical levels of expertise are combined into a single engineering resource.

Exploded view of ruggedized enclosure for backplane-based systems. It is configurable to provide a variety of options for cooling, mounting and external interfaces. Module-based systems also available.

This long-term program has benefited from the flexibility of a backplane-based system in a configurable rugged enclosure, but had its starting point as a standard catalog product. Kontron rugged enclosures and systems can be found in daily operation on the many airborne platforms including the Predator UAV, B2, P3 and soon P-8A, as well as other rotary wing, ground mobile, surface ship and subsurface platforms.