Mission critical rtos delivers real time information to pilots

The atd will deliver threat information to pilots using VxWorks, a mission critical rtos, while the workbench tool suite for VxWorks, will enable the use of open architecture. The atd is a family of self protection, situational awareness displays for fast jets, helicopters and transport aircraft. The atd is a 3ATI dedicated display providing a real time correlated threat environment picture to the pilot. Control functions on the front bezel of the atd and self protection subsystems integrated into a single display provide an intuitive user interface to the pilot. The product family currently exists in two configurations; a 4x3" bezel for general applications and a 6x3" bezel especially developed for the F-16. The atd will use VxWorks mission critical rtos running on a variety of embedded processors. Andreas Pabinger, vice president of EMEA, Wind River, said: "The use of Wind River technology in aerospace and defense projects such as the Astute submarine and the Dassault Neuron UCAV is well known. The deployment of Terma's advanced threat display underscores the continued use of VxWorks platforms for mission and life critical applications throughout the defense industry. Software will continue to dominate new functionalities on civilian and military aircraft and Wind River is well positioned to work with industry leaders like Terma to develop fast, proven and robust solutions." Terma's manager, Jørgen Jakobsen, added: "We needed a robust, real time software solution for the atd. A pilot typically has no more than a few seconds to respond to incoming threats. Every second counts when it comes to threat detection. Selecting VxWorks was the only decision that made sense for Terma. When an airforce realizes that their aircraft lack sufficient protection for upcoming deployments in the battlefield, they demand urgent implementation from Terma. We, in turn, must rely on urgent and agile suppliers."