March 2020, Volume 22 – Number 3 • cotsjournalonline.com
The Journal of Military Electronics & Computing
JOURNAL The Best Hacker Defense is a Good Offense Planning and Designing a Supercomputer Center for the United States Military
The Journal of Military Electronics & Computing COTS (kots), n. 1. Commercial off-the-shelf. Terminology popularized in 1994 within U.S. DoD by SECDEF Wm. Perry’s “Perry Memo” that changed military industry purchasing and design guidelines, making Mil-Specs acceptable only by waiver. COTS is generally defined for technology, goods and services as: a) using commercial business practices and specifications, b) not developed under government funding, c) offered for sale to the general market, d) still must meet the program ORD. 2. Commercial business practices include the accepted practice of customer-paid minor modification to standard COTS products to meet the customer’s unique requirements.
JOURNAL
—Ant. When applied to the procurement of electronics for he U.S. Military, COTS is a procurement philosophy and does not imply commercial, office environment or any other durability grade. E.g., rad-hard components designed and offered for sale to the general market are COTS if they were developed by the company and not under government funding.
SPECIAL FEATURES 18
The Best Hacker Defense is a Good Offense
By Jim Shaw, Executive Vice President of Engineering
COTS COMPANY PROFILE: 22
BAE, Inc.
By John Reardon, COTS Journal
DEPARTMENTS 6
Contributed Publisher’s Note Planning and Designing a Supercomputer Center for the United States Military
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The Inside Track
COT’S PICKS 26
Editor’s Choice for March
Cover Image Soldiers participate in live-fire gunnery qualification training at the Orchard Combat Training Center in Idaho, Feb.14, 2019.
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The Journal of Military Electronics & Computing
JOURNAL EDITORIAL
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CONTRIBUTED
PUBLISHER’S NOTE Steven Kimball, PMP, LEED® AP, emerson DESIGN
Planning and Designing a Supercomputer Center for the United States Military The Information Technology Complex at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base was the first building in a multi-phase master plan that will create a state-of-the-art technology campus for the U.S. Air Force. The Information Technology Complex was identified in the master planning process to provide state-of-the-art computing, collaborative modeling, and simulation environments required for the rapid infusion of Information Technology to enhance weapon system life-cycle acquisition and support capabilities. The master plan called for five phased buildings, arranged around a landscaped courtyard, joined by a curving circulation spine. Phase 1 integrated leading edge simulation facilities with the supercomputing resources required to drive them.
It consolidated critical classified computing and workspaces for modeling, simulation, analysis and design. emersion DESIGN provided the architectural and interior design services for the Design/Build RFP for the construction of this Phase I, 97,000 square foot, $33 million facility. “This project came with great responsibility,” said Steve Kimball, principal and leader of the Science & Technology practice at emersion DESIGN. “Not only did we need to stay true to the master plan, but the need for technical accommodations was significant. From the demolition of five existing buildings through the planning for future construction of five buildings with stringent security, technology and power demands, we needed to pull from our team’s collective expertise to ensure that no details were overlooked.”
Image 1 - The 97,000 square foot, Information Technology Complex (ITC) provides state of the art computing, collaborative modeling, and simulation environments required for the rapid infusion of Information Technology to enhance weapon system life-cycle acquisition and support capabilities. 6
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The details and design highlights are noticeable as the constructed Phase I is now an internationally recognized supercomputer center. A few of the notable features include: • Cockpit simulation lab • Varying security level areas including high restricted areas, as well as secure and unsecured communication networks • Modeling and simulation spaces for IT • Analysis space • Development lab • Demonstration room • Pilot accommodation space • Computer staging area • 100 seat auditorium • Raised access floor • Expanded power resources, dual electrical services and emergency generator and UPS Phase 1 of the master plan, the Information
Image 2 - Cutting the ribbon during the unveiling of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s new $33 million Information Technology Complex Oct. 5 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base are (L-R): Randyll Levine, ITC director and chief; Col. Luke Leonard, commander, U.S. Corps of Engineers, Louisville District; Lt. Gen. CD Moore II, AFLCMC commander; Col. Cassie Barlow, 88th Air Base Wing commander; and Kevin Cozart, operations vice president of Messer Construction Co. (Skywrighter photo by Niki Jahns)
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Technology Complex at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, is an internationally recognized center of excellence and one of the few supercomputing sites in the nation. It is LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Certified and has won numerous awards, including the U.S. Air Force Design Award for Concept Design and the U.S. Air Force Materiel Command Design Award for Concept Design. During the design of the Information Tech-
nology Complex, the opportunity developed for additional square footage. A new requirement for a battery room was added to the building’s original design and located beneath the entrance plaza. This ground-level roof presented itself as a viable candidate for a green-roof design. A plastic-tray grid system, similar to flower trays, applied on top of a waterproof membrane was devised and filled with noninvasive plantings requiring minimal maintenance. Access at ground level also was a plus for this type of roof. It was the
perfect opportunity for a green roof application and helped the building earn LEED Gold certification. “We were humbled to be part of a team that delivered the design for a state-of-the-art, and highly secured technology complex, that also offered sustainability in a sophisticated design,” said Kimball. “It has definitely been one of the highlight projects of my career, and I look forward to the future phases.”
Image 3 - The new Information Technology Complex has world-class modeling and simulation capabilities. (Skywrighter photo by Niki Jahns) 8
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Cobham Awarded Contract from European Space Agency for GR740 SBC Reference Design Cobham Gaisler announced that it is leading a consortium for a new development contract from the European Space Agency (ESA). Cobham Gaisler and RUAG Space, both located in Gothenburg, Sweden, with specification input from Airbus Defense and Space, Thales Alenia Space and OHB Systems, will together design a reference design and basic software for a single board computer (SBC) based on the GR740 Quad-Core LEON4FT Microprocessor. Cobham Awarded Contract from European Space Agency for GR740 SBC Reference DesignSponsored by the ESA, this single board computer reference design and software will be available for all European space users. It will be based on Cobham’s GR740, a radiation hardened system-on-chip that has been designed as the European Space Agency’s Next Generation Microprocessor (NGMP) and is part of the ESA roadmap for standard microprocessor components. The development will include breadboard and basic software to be verified on a functional and performance level, as well as
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a test plan for future space qualification. The availability of the reference design will shorten the development time and reduce the risk for space users when designing their custom single board computers and flight software based on the GR740 processor. “The project is a perfect fit for Cobham, with the highest level of expertise in the GR740 processor, a suitable basic software library, successful experience of previous reference design projects and in-depth knowledge of potential backplane standards. Through the collaboration with RUAG Space, who brings an unparalleled amount of relevant design experience, we ensure high quality output of the board development, test environment and environmental analyses”, said Arne Samuelsson, Proposal & Project Manager, Cobham Gaisler. “We at RUAG Space have a long experience in developing boards for internal use, also using LEON technology, and see this activity as an opportunity to bring our knowledge and experience to the single board
processor market”, said Lars-Göran Green, Project Manager, RUAG Space. “After the effort and investment undertaken by ESA and European industry to develop and qualify the GR740 Quad-Core LEON4FT Microprocessor, this is the next step to bring this new space component into real space computers. While large system integrators usually know how to develop their own computer units, the reference design, to be made available under ESA community licence, will be of particular interest also for small companies and institutes, developing instruments for science and other missions, enabling them to offer a high performance and high quality on-board computer at reasonable incremental development effort. A common reference design for a frequently used building block such as a computer, while still allowing application specific tailoring, also improves the standardisation of interfaces and form factors, hereby reducing the effort to make things fit at unit- and system integration”, said Roland Weigand, Technical Officer, European Space Agency. 2003 COTS Insider
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Lockheed Martin’s HELIOS Laser Weapon System Takes Step Toward Ship Integration
successfully conducting a Critical Design Review (CDR) for the High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) system.
The High Energy Laser with Integrated Opticaldazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) met U.S. Navy requirements and will be integrated onto an Arleigh Burke destroyer in 2021
“Our adversaries are rapidly developing sophisticated weapons and the threats to the U.S. Navy’s fleet are getting more challenging,” said Hamid Salim, vice president, Advanced Product Solutions at Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems. “Our warfighters need this capability and capacity now to effectively counter threats such as unmanned aerial sys-
Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy moved one step closer to integrating a laser weapon system onto an Arleigh Burke destroyer after
tems and fast attack vessels.” This year, HELIOS will undergo system integration in Moorestown, New Jersey—the home of Aegis Combat System development for 50 years. The HELIOS system will then be tested at the Wallops Island Navy land-based test site which will significantly reduce program risk before being delivered to a shipyard for integration into an Arleigh Burke destroyer next year. In addition to being built into the ship’s structure, HELIOS will become an integrated component of the ship’s Aegis combat system. “HELIOS will provide an additional layer of protection for the fleet—deep magazine, low cost per kill, speed of light delivery, and precision response. Additional HELIOS systems will accelerate the warfighter learning curve, provide risk reduction for future laser weapon system increments and provide a stronger demand signal to the supply base,” said Brendan Scanlon, HELIOS program director, Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems. Lockheed Martin has more than 40 years of experience developing laser weapon systems. HELIOS leverages technology building blocks from internal research and development projects that continue to advance the Navy’s goal to field laser weapon systems aboard surface ships.
Troops get better eyes on battlefield with leap-ahead thermal sighting system Raytheon’s advanced sensors pinpoint threats Raytheon Company has developed, manufactured and delivered the first-ever 3rd GEN FLIR™ sensor system under a U.S. Army contract awarded in 2016. This latest Forward-Looking Infrared, or FLIR, system gives soldiers four fields of view and the ability to see across longand mid-wave IR bands simultaneously with a stabilized line of sight.
eration FLIR is like moving from a standard tube television to high-definition 8K,” said Sam Deneke, Raytheon Land Warfare Systems vice president. “This breakthrough technology enables U.S. and allied troops to own the night with more detail and precision than ever before.” Existing Army platforms have second gen-
eration sighting systems designed for each vehicle. Raytheon’s new 3rd GEN FLIR systems will support all next-generation interfaces, offering a common thermal sighting system across all vehicle types. Raytheon has provided FLIR sensors to the U.S. and allied nations for over 50 years.
Forward-looking Infrared is an advanced targeting system that uses heat, not light, to see through darkness, smoke, rain, snow or fog to perform targeting, reconnaissance and fire support. Second generation systems allow soldiers to see the battlefield with just two fields of view and far less clarity. “Making the leap from 2nd to 3rd GenCOTS Journal | March 2020
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Viasat, Blacktree Technology Sign Agreement to Enhance Support for the Australian Defence Force and Five Eyes Partners
Agreement Focuses on Providing Advanced Manufacturing and Support Services for Ultra High Frequency Satellite Communications Terminal
Viasat Inc. announced it signed a Strategic Alliance Agreement (SAA) with Blacktree Technology, Pty Ltd (Blacktree), an Australian-based communications systems design and integration company, in November 2019. The SAA will enable Viasat and Blacktree to meet the needs of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) requirements, by providing rapid and cost-effective in-country manufacturing and support services for Ultra High Frequency (UHF) satellite communications (SATCOM) systems. Colin Cooper, general manager, Government Systems, Viasat Australia commented, “Our agreement with Blacktree will play a critical role in supporting and expanding UHF support and maintenance resources in Australia, and will provide opportunities to investigate export of UHF products and services to Five Eyes (FVEY) and coalition UHF military SATCOM user nations.” “Blacktree welcomes the formalisation of
Demonstration is the first customer-validated sense on-the-move capability against an unmanned aerial vehicle C4ISR • Radars Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) completed a successful government customer demonstration of the Highly Adaptable Multi-Mission Radar (HAMMR) system at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Northrop Grumman Successfully Demonstrates On-The-Move Ground Radar Capability during the successful live fire demonstration, Northrop Grumman used the HAMMR system, mounted on a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) as an Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) sensor to detect and track an unmanned aerial vehicle target. “This first-of-its-kind demonstration validated the sense on-the-move capability 12
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the alliance with Viasat, which strengthens a relationship that enhances ongoing innovation and development of UHF SATCOM solutions and support for Defence customers in Australia and internationally,” said Joe Nevin, director, Blacktree Technology. Viasat’s leadership in critical technology segments such as SATCOM, tactical networks and cybersecurity offers an opportunity for Australia to modernise systems used by the ADF. Viasat is
Viasat’s Ka-band broadband satellites combined currently offer more bandwidth than any other satellite operator in the world. Viasat is a vertically integrated satellite communications technology and services company, and is a leading provider of highly integrated GEO payloads, components & subsystems, gateway/teleport antenna systems, networking systems, user terminals for fixed & mobile applications, ASICs, MMICS, and/ or modules for third party terminal developers. Importantly from a defence perspective, beginning in 2021, Viasat plans to launch a new, global ViaSat-3 constellation of resilient, flexible and agile high-capacity communications satellites that will improve responsiveness of current and emergent defence mission threats. Viasat’s Australian Government Systems business is headquartered in Canberra and provides a wide range of defence technology capabilities and sovereign resources to meet Australia’s needs.
a leader in UHF SATCOM and is working to assure global 25-kHz Demand-Assigned Multiple-Access and next-generation Integrated Waveform (IW) networks and services, enabled by Viasat’s Visual Integrated Satellite communications Information, Operation and Networking (VISION) software platform continue to meet military mission requirements.
The range of products being developed and supported by Blacktree include high-gain UHF helical antenna’s, static and remote-control pedestal systems, filters and diplexers, HPA’s, LNA’s and RF management components. Blacktree’s products are manufactured in Perth, complemented by support teams located in Darwin and Canberra, Australia.
in concept for the Department of Defense’s IAMD enterprise and proved that this capability can be developed and fielded to warfighters much sooner than anticipated,” said Mike Meaney, vice president, land and maritime sensors, Northrop Grumman.
weapon cueing and counter-fire target acquisition missions in either a 360-degree or sector-only staring mode. HAMMR delivers the unprecedented ability to provide force protection while operating on the move, significantly increasing warfighter survivability.
Northrop Grumman’s HAMMR is a short- to medium-range X-Band Three Dimensional (3D) radar that utilizes the proven Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) AN/APG-83 F-16 fighter radar in a ground-based, sense on-the-move role. HAMMR provides robust multi-mission 3D performance for air surveillance,
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Abaco Systems Completes Move to New Huntsville Headquarters New Engineering Innovation Center will help accelerate further development of industryleading embedded computing solutions
Abaco Systems announced that the company has completed its move into its new headquarters, which significantly expands its footprint in Huntsville. 8800 Redstone Gateway hosts a significant new Engineering Innovation Center, a purpose-built training facility, and close proximity to key customers. Abaco’s new headquarters has space available for further expansion in line with the company’s continued growth.
The move provides Abaco with the head room and resources that will allow the company to continue to develop the innovative embedded computing technologies and solutions that have enabled it to become a leading supplier to the defense market, with longstanding relationships with all major primes and tier-1 suppliers. “Increased demand for electronics content to power contemporary platforms is driving significant growth at Abaco,” said Rich Sorelle, President and CEO. “Our expertise in areas such as modular, open-standards architectures; rugged reliability and advanced thermal management; artificial intelligence, machine learning and autonomy; software tools; high performance video and graphics;
and advanced, secure networking has earned us positions on national asset platforms. Our new Engineering Innovation Center will accelerate these efforts and bring more value to our customers.” Acquiring the new facility enables Abaco to expand the company’s manufacturing capacity at its original headquarters at Memorial Parkway SW. It also allows Abaco to respond to growing customer demand for shorter lead times as defense technology programs come under increasing pressure to move from conception to deployment more rapidly. “This expansion is a milestone for Abaco and evidence of the continued success and
growth of our business,” continued Sorelle. “We look for the most talented people to join us in our mission to solve our customers’ most complex embedded computing challenges. We believe the quality of our new facilities and the attractive location will prove to be a major draw to prospective employees.” Approximately 300 of Abaco’s 750 worldwide employees are located in Huntsville. Huntsville is well known as a key location within the aerospace and defense industry, with high profile companies including Boeing, DRS, Georgia Tech Research Institute, L-3, Leonardo, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon – all of whom Abaco counts as customers – having a presence in the city.
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INSIDE TRACK Sierra Nevada Corporation Unveils Oneof-a-kind Protection for Critical Utilities Operational Technology (OT) Systems
The risk that cyberattacks pose to operational technology (OT) - the physical valves, pumps, machines, systems and networks used to generate, transmit and distribute power for electrical utilities, water treatment plants, oil and gas pipelines and other critical infrastructure – is increasing
in frequency and potency as hackers’ ability to control OT grows. A successful attack on these OT systems can cut access to critical nationwide resources and inflict severe financial, environmental and structural damage. Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) created Binary Armor® to prevent these attacks. SNC’s Binary Armor provides critical, real-time, endpoint cybersecurity. Its patented “functional whitelisting” technology stops both internal and external threats from reaching OT, including malware and intentionally unsafe or erroneous instructions that cause motors to spin too fast, valves to open or close at inappropriate times, or switches to turn out of sequence. By allowing only pre-approved, known, safe messages to reach OT, Binary Armor protects 14
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against insider threats, human error and enforces workflow to reduce the likelihood of equipment damage and personnel injury.
ry Armor provided our City an affordable and simple solution for the complex problem of OT protection.”
The Ukrainian attack, by itself, demonstrated the vulnerability of electrical grids. It is no surprise then that a 2019 survey of utilities conducted by Siemens and the Ponemon Institute found that, “[T]he majority of global utilities surveyed say, “cyber threats present
Pete Fischer, Senior Director Programs at SNC stated, “SNC and the Binary Armor team is proud of our track record protecting utility SCADA and control systems in Fort Morgan and beyond since 2014. What is more, we are pleased that utility partners are confident in
a greater business risk to their OT than their IT environment. Utilities are concerned by the unique characteristics of OT environments, including a focus on availability, reliability and safety.” The City of Fort Morgan, Colorado installed Binary Armor to protect it electric utilities in 2014. Doug Linton, Superintendent of the Fort Morgan Light & Power Department stated, “As a municipality, we are committed to protecting our operational technology systems from increasingly sophisticated and malicious hackers. As a mid-size utility, Bina-
the U.S. Department of Defense and other certifications along with demonstrated results achieved by Binary Armor. We always say you don’t have to take our word about Binary Armor, but you can trust the demanding certifications Binary Armor has achieved.” The Binary Armor engineering team has extensive experience developing solutions that enhance national security. Comprised entirely of individuals holding security clearances, the Binary Armor team can deliver solutions for protecting the most sensitive utility systems and sites. The Binary Armor team stands ready to protect our critical grid infrastructure and our quality of life.
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Safer Seas with Autonomous Unmanned Vessels for Mine Countermeasures Autonomous Mine Countermeasure System Mine Countermeasure (MCM) Mine Warfare Share
Thales has been providing navies around the world with world leading mission capabilities for almost a century. our expertise in maritime technology is transforming the science of mine countermeasures (MCM). Here’s why. As much as 95% of UK trade, including about half of all our food and fuel, reaches us through the sea. Put another way, that’s goods to the value of well over £500 billion every year. Keeping maritime trade safe, when the majority of it passes through just a handful of chokepoints, is a constant task for the British Royal Navy and her allies.
L3Harris is a good fit for Thales because of its impressive track record in building a variety of unmanned surface vehicle systems for military, security and offshore energy applications. The history of our partnership and this new agreement give us a great foundation for developing future market leading capabilities, while supporting Thales’ model of forming close partnerships across industry, SMEs and academia.
Together, Thales and L3Harris have developed a new class of USV. The first of their kind, Artemis and Apollo represent an important step towards the next generation of MCM technology. These first two of these USVs will enter service with the Royal Navy and France’s Marine Nationale in 2020. The culmination of
the world. It can also be used in multiples and in concert with allied forces, making the clearing of a path through a minefield quicker and safer than ever before. These particular boats, which are being built to our custom design, are the heart for a system of systems which provides a world leading unmanned MCM capability at a distance and without the risk of sending divers down into harms way. Now that our ability to build, equip and control unmanned surface vehicles has been fully tested over thousands of hours, we expect it to migrate to other fields such as unmanned anti-submarine warfare, fisheries protection, coastal surveillance and anti-smuggling operations, to name a few. Some of these may require a different platform or configuration, of course, but the capability has been proven. There is no reason why the technology can’t migrate into new markets and we’re open to approaches from interested parties.
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J O U R N A L Inexpensive and easy to deploy, mines which can be improvised by hostile forces - are a growing menace. Until now, clearing them has been a personnel intensive and slow and dangerous process, even with four ships on permanent deployment. But Thales is working with L3Harris under the terms of a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding to create Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV) to counter the threat safely and quickly. Thales and L3Harris ( formerly known as ASV Ltd) have a long-standing partnership which began in 2012 with the design, build and commissioning of the Halcyon USV. The versatile 11m USV served as a platform to test and develop new concepts of autonomous operation.
4,000 hours of trials over a period of 4 years, the boats are equipped with a powerful autonomy engine and our Towed Synthetic Aperture Sonar, which work in unison to detect, classify and locate mines. Live data and images are streamed to a control centre, which can be many kilometres distant, either on a ship or quayside. When a mine is located, the USV can be equipped to deploy a remotely operated vehicle, which is used to neutralise the threat through assured and accredited communications channels. Unlike traditional systems on dedicated mine hunting and sweeping ships, Thales’s entire solution is designed to be packed up into a container and rapidly deployed anywhere in
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U.S. Navy awards Leidos Next Generation Enterprise Network contract
Leidos has been awarded a prime contract by the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR), formerly known as the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR), to provide global network services under the Next Generation Enterprise Network Re-compete (NGEN-R) Service Management, Integration, & Transport (SMIT) contract. The single award, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity, firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract has a fiveyear base period of performance followed by three one-year option periods, and an approximate value of $7.7 billion. Work will be performed on a global scale, headquartered out of the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Under the contract, Leidos will unify, operate, and maintain the shore-based networks and data management for the Department of the Navy’s (DON) Program Executive Office, Enterprise Information Systems (PEO EIS) and the Naval Enterprise Network Program Office (PMW 205) to improve capability and service under one enterprise network construct. Key services to be provided include transport services, network operations, IT service management, user support services, and system engineering. “Leidos is proud to provide sailors and marines around the world with the tools they need to gain a warfighting edge in the modern digital landscape,” said Gerry Fasano, Leidos Defense Group president. “Under the enterprise construct of NGEN-R, we look forward to unifying and fortifying existing networks while providing cost-efficiencies to the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.” “A mighty force requires a mighty network, and our team stands ready to deliver just that,” said Dan Voce, senior vice president and Enterprise and Cyber Solutions operations manager for Leidos. “Our clear-cut past performance in network modernization and transformation enables us to deliver immediate and enduring value through NGEN-R.” 16
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BAE Systems Secures $188 Million Contract for U.S. Navy’s AEGIS Combat System BAE Systems Inc. was awarded a fiveyear $188.2 million contract to provide the U.S. Navy’s AEGIS Technical Representative (AEGIS TECHREP) organization with critical large-scale system engineering, integration, and testing expertise for the AEGIS Weapons and Combat Systems aboard U.S. Navy surface combatant ships. “BAE Systems personnel have worked side-by-side with Navy sailors and civilians for nearly 40 years to strengthen and modernize the fleet of AEGIS-equipped surface ships,” said Mark Keeler, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems’ Integrated Defense Solutions business. “Our team brings a wealth of AEGIS combat system expertise with the agility, innovation, and technical acumen to ensure the U.S. Navy has the safe and effective combat capability it needs to meet mission objectives.” As part of the AEGIS Technical Representative Engineering Support Services contract, BAE Systems will provide Navy acquisition managers with on-site leadership and systems engineering to validate Total Ship Combat design at Navy sites in Mt.
Laurel, New Jersey; Bath, Maine; and Pascagoula, Mississippi. The company also will support systems engineering and test and evaluation personnel to provide fleet experience and operational insight. Additionally, the company will provide logistics, cybersecurity, production, acquisition, and waterfront support required for upgrading and maintaining development of AEGIS Combat System capabilities and baselines across the entire life cycle. The task order was awarded under the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center’s Chief Information Officer–Solutions and Partners 3 (CIO-SP3) Government-Wide Acquisition Contract. CIO-SP3 is an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract. This contract is intended to provide information technology solutions and services. BAE Systems delivers a broad range of services and solutions enabling militaries and governments to successfully carry out their respective missions. The company provides large-scale systems engineering, integration, and sustainment services across air, land, sea, space, and cyber domains. BAE Systems takes pride in its support of national security and those who serve.
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SPECIAL FEATURE
The Best Hacker Defense is a Good Offense By Jim Shaw, Executive Vice President of Engineering, Crystal Group, Inc. The risks associated with cybersecurity are growing far faster than anyone ever expected. While we hear reports of high-profile attacks on a regular basis, there are many more that go unreported. Consider it unauthorized data mining. Attacks are becoming more prevalent because more systems and devices are being connected to the Internet, growing the “pool” of vulnerable points. The cyber community calls this “increasing the attack surface.” This is true for just about any market, but certainly includes the military, power and utility industries, security, autonomous vehicle developers, and so on — all places we consider critical infrastructure points — extending into equipment used in industrial spaces, like power substations, smart grids, and petroleum processing plants. As we populate these areas with more sensors, our cybersecurity challenges are compounded. Most experts believe that it’s just a matter of time before every platform worth hacking, is attacked. The key is to ensure that when it’s your turn, the information that’s exposed doesn’t put your institution, constituents or data at risk.
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While the potential risks differ in every application, some are far more serious than others. Some recent examples include malware that can erase your entire system, unauthorized encryption of your data, or unauthorized use of a network to seek access to sister company systems. Taking the uncertainty out of cybersecurity Selecting from the needed range of products and capabilities to deliver customized, turnkey computing solutions that keep criti-
cal, confidential data secure, even in the most extreme conditions — when it matters most. Maximum protection from the outside in and inside out: • The right combination of rugged hardware and certified software that meet strict government certification standards to achieve your unique program needs • Vertical integration delivers maximum protection with minimal complexity • Holistic physical and data security ensures information is only accessible by
authorized individuals when and where it’s needed • Achieve accreditation with ease • Established ecosystem of trusted partners • U.S. supply chain eliminates risk of compromised components • Secure systems incorporate innovation, industry standards and critical certification levels, like FIPS 140-2, NIAP, NIST, common criteria and CSfC • Tailored solutions to solve your most difficult challenges • High-performance, scalable solutions use readily-available commercial components for quick deployment and SWaP-C/resource optimization • Single pane of glass enables seamless updates • Evolve and expand systems easily across our broad range of scalable solutions • Reliable performance anywhere, every time • Engineered for seamless performance in the most extreme, unpredictable and remote conditions based on demanding MIL-SPEC, IEEE and IEC standards • Extreme processing power and near-zero
Image 1 - Crystal Group’s new AV computer, AVC0161, is built for safety and reliability, tapping over 30 years of experience tailoring high-performance, fail-safe rugged hardware for hundreds of military and aerospace missions, as well as challenging industrial, critical infrastructure, and commercial programs, including some of the most advanced autonomous vehicles.
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latency ensure accurate, actionable real-time data • Certified ISO 9001:2015/AS9100D In military applications, like weapons systems or advanced communications, the need for extreme security is not only obvious, but non-negotiable. Each program has specific classifications that define the required level of security. For example, the SIPRNet and NIPRNet enclaves have lower security requirements than those specified in the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System ( JWICS), a network run by various defense agencies, including the Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Homeland Security. Staying current on these requirements is critical. To effectively and accurately design and develop system architectures that allow end-users to control the security of their products and applications, you have to start with a clear understanding of what the end-user is trying to accomplish, the vulnerabilities and threats, and what defense mechanisms must be in place to prevent those threats from being realized. The RS1104 rugged 1U server from Crystal can be customized to address both data at rest and secure network attached storage security levels with features like self-encrypted drives, instant secure erase and key management. Armed with this information, we develop a secure platform that’s hardware enabled and provides the required level of security for the intended application. This may involve running virtual machines that can be spun up to handle different security functions. This technique
Crystal Group PASS™ SAS SSD for accreditation • Ultra-fast performance up to 2200MB/s • Scalable dual port 12Gb/s SAS interface • FIPS/NIAP (Common Criteria) tamperresistant drive • High storage density decreases equipment footprint • Meets U.S. DoD quality and security requirements • Rugged conformal coating • High capacity options • TAA approved
The growing need for progressively stronger encryption—especially to ensure warfighters have real-time access to actionable data in volatile, forward-deployed environments—requires better software protection as well. Making that happen hinges on increasingly diverse technologies and partnerships with top software and component providers. These partnerships play a major role in delivering solutions that are rugged, secure and meet multilevel encryption requirements for military data in the field. An example of this is the partnership with Seagate, through which Crystal Group exclusively provides the world’s first rugged, accredited, data-encrypted SAS solid state drives for secure data storage at the tactical edge. And with an entire portfolio of flexible security features available at the base CPU level, for trusted platform module add-ins, and on tamper-resistant hardware, we’re able to create a vault of safe tactical computing. Combining those solutions with TCG Opal drives compliant with FIPS 140-2 and NIAP requirements—and enhanced with multiple levels of security measures—effectively bullet-proofs the entirety of the security stack. Offering an entire portfolio of solutions that protect against multifold threats more easily connects military operators with integrated, certified tools and services through a single supplier. This allows them to meet their component requirements for both physical and computing reliability and security without the hassle and uncertainty of patchworked solutions from multiple providers. In today’s harsh, constantly changing tactical landscape, a fully integrated cybersecurity foundation is an invaluable necessity.
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can be combined with hardware locks or tamper-proof construction. We start with a rugged hardware Root of Trust to monitor the boot loader files for authenticity and pedigree. This includes verifying the BIOS and firmware and monitoring any board revisions to confirm that everything in the software is legitimate and secure. By loading the image as a secure boot enabled device, the customer always receives a computer that performs as expected. With a solid foundation in place, we incorporate FIPS 140-2 SAS solid-state drives for data at rest protection.
Given the intricacies of cybersecurity, the rate and scale at which is compounds, and the evolving requirements, it’s next to impossible for any single company to address the full range of cybersecurity needs. Crystal Group has forged strong relationships with trusted partners that are experts in their respective areas. This allows them to focus on core competencies, while integrating others. Through this ecosystem of partners, they can deliver the right cyber secure combination of rugged hardware and certified software for each customer program, which eliminates any uncertainty or hassle for the customer. A great example of this is the partnership with RackTop and Crystal to create a cyber-converged network platform that encrypts large data streams with near-zero latency. The system provides a simplification in policy management, access to data, data at rest security, key rotation and key management. As the embedded world sees more sensors pumping data into a network, this becomes critically important. Overall, the system’s capabilities can be narrowed or expanded while making it easy to manage com-
plex security networks and large amounts of data.
Jim Shaw joined Crystal Group in January 2006 as Vice President of Engineering; in 2011, Jim was promoted to Executive Vice President of Engineering. Jim has responsibility for guiding the Engineering department and is the leading member of the product development team. Jim also provides direction as the Quality Management Representative for Crystal Group.
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COTS COMPANY PROFILE:
BAE, Inc. By John Reardon, Editor
The company was created on November 30, 1999. It was on this date Marconi Electronic Systems (MES) and British Aerospace (BAe) merged to form BAE Systems. The name BAE Systems was created through the use of the historic acronym for British Aerospace (BAe) combined with the ‘Systems’ section of partner company Marconi Electronic Systems. The company is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, BAE Systems, Inc. and employs approximately 33,800 in the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, and Israel. The sales in 2018 were $10.8 billion. BAE Systems, Inc. provides support and service solutions for current and future defense, intelligence, and civilian systems; designs, develops and manufactures a wide range of electronic systems and subsystems for both military and
commercial applications; produces specialized security and protection products; and designs, develops, produces, and provides service support of armored combat vehicles, artillery systems, and munitions. In April 2000 BAE purchased Lockheed Martin Control Systems (LMCS), a manufacturer of electronic controls for aircraft, space vehicles and the transportation industry for US$510 million. LMCS was renamed BAE Systems Platform Solutions. In November 2000 BAE Systems purchased Lockheed Martin Aerospace Electronic Systems, a defense systems company that encompassed Sanders, Fairchild Systems and Lockheed Martin Space Electronics & Communications. Following an internal re-
Image 1 - The M109A7 addresses long-term readiness and modernization needs of the M109 self-propelled howitzer family through a production plan that leverages today’s most advanced technology, enhancing reliability, maintainability, performance and responsiveness. 22
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organization the division became BAE Systems Electronics & Integrated Solutions (E&IS). In December 2002 BAE Systems completed its acquisition of Condor Pacific, Inc. for $58.5 million. Condor Pacific was a manufacturer of sensors and guidance systems for the aerospace industry. In 2003 BAE Systems acquired Advanced Power Technologies, Inc., a data exploitation company and provider of communications and networking solutions, for $27 million. APTI was merged into E&IS. In March 2003 BAE Systems acquired MEVATEC, a provider of “professional technical services”, which was renamed BAE Systems Analytical & Ordnance Solutions.
In August 2004 BAE Systems acquired Boeing Commercial Electronics (now part of the Platform Solutions unit of BAE Systems E&IS). In September 2004 BAE announced the acquisition of the technology company DigitalNet Holdings Inc. The deal was completed on October 25, 2004 for approximately $600 million and the company was merged into the newly created BAE Systems Information Technology.
The company is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, BAE Systems, Inc. and employs approximately 33,800
In 2004 BAE Systems purchased STI Government Systems, a provider of “photonics, information technologies, system integration ...and a variety of services to other government agencies in areas such as pollution mapping and search and rescue.” STI is now part of the CNIR division of BAE Systems E&IS.
In September 2004 BAE announced it was to acquire ALPHATECH, a Massachusetts-based image and signal processing company.ALPHATECH was renamed BAE Systems Advanced Information Technologies.
In March 2005 BAE announced the acquisition of United Defense a major manufacturer of combat vehicles, artillery and naval guns. The acquisition received regulatory approval from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States on April 18, 2005 and was completed on June 24. United Defense was merged into the newly created BAE Systems Land & Armaments operating group. In May 2007 BAE Systems announced the purchase of Armor
Image 2 - CV90 MkIV climbing
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Image 3 - Undersea mission system payloads provide critical capabilities including autonomy, navigation, SIGINT, acoustic and RF communications, sensor processing, RF EW, acoustic IFF, and active acoustics.
Holdings, a Florida-based manufacturer of military, law enforcement and personnel safety equipment. Following regulatory and shareholder approval, the acquisition was completed on July 31, 2007 for approximately $4.532 billion. BAE has received large contracts as a result of the UDI and Armor Holdings acquisitions; for example $1.1bn worth of refurbishment and upgrading work, an order in January 2008 for medium mine-protected vehicles (MMPVs) which could earn up to $2.3bn, and a $2.24bn contract for mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles in December 2007. On December 12, 2007, BAE announced the acquisition of Dayton, Ohio-based MTC Technologies. The purchase was finalized in June 2008. Today the company has three business groups that are defined as follows: Electronic Systems Electronic Systems produces commercial and defense electronics for flight and engine control, electronic warfare, surveillance, communications, and power and energy management. Intelligence & Security Intelligence & Security delivers a broad range of solutions and services enabling militaries and governments to successfully carry out their missions. The company provides large-scale sys24
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tems engineering, integration, and sustainment services across air, land, sea, space, and cyber domains. Platforms & Services Platforms & Services is a leading provider of tracked and wheeled armored combat vehicles, naval guns, naval ship repair and modernization, artillery and missile launching systems, advanced precision strike munitions and ordnance, and other technologies for U.S. and international customers. Special Security Agreement BAE Systems, Inc. is a Delaware corporation that has mitigated its foreign ownership through a Special Security Agreement between the U.S. Government, BAE Systems, Inc. and BAE Systems plc. That agreement calls for the appointment of outside directors who, in conjunction with other U.S. based board members, comprise a Government Security Committee. The Government Security Committee has the responsibility for overseeing the company’s compliance with U.S. Government Security and Export regulations, and meets regularly with U.S. Government oversight agencies to provide feedback on that compliance. Our long history of successful compliance with the SSA allows BAE Systems to supply products and services to the Department of Defense, Intelligence Community and Homeland Security on some of the Nations most sensitive programs. BAE holds over 2,000 patents and is a dominant player in many
of the markets it addresses. For example, it builds the electronic-warfare systems for the tri-service F-35 fighter; it produces all of the vehicles in U.S. Army’s Armored Brigade Combat Teams except the Abrams tank; and it is the biggest provider of ship repair services to the Navy. The Leadership Jerry DeMuro is chief executive officer (CEO) of BAE Systems, Inc., the company’s U.S.-based, international defense, aerospace, and Security Company with more than 35,000 employees that generated sales revenues of approximately $11.4 billion in 2019. BAE Systems, Inc. ranks among the top 10 prime contractors to the U.S. Jerry DeMuro is chief executive officer (CEO) of Department of Defense and delivers a full range BAE Systems, Inc. of products and services across a broad and diverse portfolio for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, commercial avionics, securi-
ty, IT solutions and support services. In addition, DeMuro is an executive director on the BAE Systems plc. Board of Directors, a member of the company’s Executive Committee, and an officer director on the BAE Systems, Inc. Board of Directors. Throughout his career, DeMuro has led the transformation and successful operation of complex global organizations responsible for fulfilling critical and challenging missions worldwide in the national security, technology, and aerospace industries. Before joining BAE Systems in 2014, DeMuro served as a corporate vice president at General Dynamics and executive vice president of the more than $11 billion, 44,000-employee Information Systems and Technology group. DeMuro joined General Dynamics when GTE Government Systems was acquired in 1999. While at GTE, DeMuro held a number of senior leadership roles. Earlier in his career, he served for nearly a decade as an acquisition official at the U.S. Department of Defense. DeMuro has been actively involved with several associations and nonprofit organizations, including the Aerospace Industries Association, where he is currently a member of its Executive Committee, the Association of the United States Army, the MILCOM Conference Board, and AFCEA International, where he served on the Board of Directors as an Executive Committee member and as chair of the Audit Committee.
Image 4 - Our LiteHUD® is a cutting edge digital head-up see-through display (HUD) designed to fit into almost any cockpit, including modern aircraft with large area displays where conventional HUDs could not fit.
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March 2020
COT’S PICKS Renesas Expands RF Beamforming Portfolio for Satellite Communications, Radar, and Phased Array Applications Next-Generation Beamformer ICs and DualChannel Low Noise Amplifiers Improve Transmit Efficiency and Lower Receive Noise of Phased Array Antennas Renesas Electronics Corporation expanded its portfolio of mmWave solutions with the introduction of two new IC families for satellite communications (Satcom), radar, and phased array applications: The F65xx transmit active beamforming ICs and F692x low-noise amplifiers (LNAs). Featuring a combination of low power consumption, high gain, and compact size, the new solutions deliver a performance boost for antennas used in Satcom and radar systems.
The F65xx and F692x devices address the thermal and integration challenges designers face as they transition from bulky mechanically scanned antennas to lower weight and profile active electronically scanned array antennas (AESAs). The two new families support Satcom, radar and point-to-point communications applications in the Ku, Ka, and CDL frequency bands. “When 26
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mechanical antennas, our customers require reliable, compact and cost-effective ICs with exceptionally low power consumption and noise figures that meet their system EIRP and G/T requirements,” said Naveen Yanduru, Vice President of RF Communications, Industrial and Communications Business Division at Renesas. “We are excited about the emerging capabilities that our new IC families will enable, including inflight live video conferencing, ubiquitous global broadband connectivity and all-weather radar situational awareness for autonomous vehicles and drones.” About the New RF Solutions The next generation of 8-channel F6521 (Ku), F6522 (Ka) and F6513 (CDL) Tx active beamforming ICs offers unprecedented performance in a small form factor satisfying the tight integration requirements of planar phased
array antennas. They simultaneously satisfy both the effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) and thermal dissipation requirements of terrestrial Satcom terminals operating on low/medium Earth orbit (LEO) and geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) satellite networks in the Ku- and Kaband spectrum. Additionally, higher phase and gain resolution are coupled with larger on-chip memory and advanced digital modes to enable
precise beam pattern and polarization control, and rapid beam steering. The new ICs share the same physical footprint as the first-generation devices, reducing the required board re-design time when migrating to the second-generation ICs. Key features of the F65xx ICs include: • Compact BGA package with a physical footprint of less than 2.2mm2/ch • Single 2.3V supply simplifying power distribution network design • Highly efficient operation, consuming <100 mW/ch of power at >10 dBm/ch of RF output • Fast beam steering mode with <100 ns beam update times • Digital controls compatible with standard 1.8V digital logic • Excellent gain/phase orthogonality and low RMS phase and gain errors The new F6921 (Ku), F6922 (Ka), and F6923 (CDL) du al - ch a n n el LNAs offer an exceptional combination of low power consumption, low noise, high gain, and compact size to maximize the antenna array G/T, while minimizing the antenna a p e r a t u r e’s physical size resulting in lower overall power dissipation and system cost. The LNAs feature 19 dB of gain with only 15-20 mW of power consumption and two highly isolated and gain/ phase-matched RF channels in a single BGA package with 50 ohm single-ended RF inputs and outputs. Renesas Electronics Corporation www.renesas.com
March 2020
COT’S PICKS Xilinx Announces World’s Highest Bandwidth, Highest Compute Density Adaptable Platform for Network and Cloud Acceleration
secure networks. The series doubles the compute density of currently deployed mainstream FPGAs and provides the adaptability to keep pace with increasingly diverse and evolving cloud and networking workloads.
New Versal Premium series delivers breakthrough integration of networked, power-optimized cores for the fastest, most secure networks and adaptable cloud acceleration
“The Versal Premium series takes ACAPs to the next level delivering breakthrough networked hard IP integration enabling the development of single chip 400G and 800G solutions,” said Kirk Saban, vice president of Product and Platform Marketing at Xilinx. “Targeting next-generation networks and cloud deployments, Versal Premium delivers superior bandwidth and compute density in a scalable platform that is readily programmable by hardware and software developers alike for optimized acceleration and reduced TCO.”
Xilinx, Inc. announced Versal™ Premium, the third series in the Versal ACAP portfolio. The Versal Premium series features highly integrated, networked and power-optimized cores and the industry’s highest bandwidth and compute density on an adaptable platform. Versal Premium is designed for the highest bandwidth networks operating in thermally and spatially constrained environments, as well as for cloud providers who need scalable, adaptable application acceleration. Versal is the industry’s first adaptive compute acceleration platform (ACAP), a revolutionary new category of heterogeneous compute devices with capabilities that far exceed those of conventional silicon architectures. Developed on TSMC’s 7-nanometer process technology, Versal Premium combines software programmability with dynamically configurable hardware acceleration and pre-engineered connectivity and security features to enable a faster time-to-market. The Versal Premium series delivers up to 3X higher throughput compared to current generation FPGAs, with built-in Ethernet, Interlaken, and cryptographic engines that enable fast and
The Versal Premium series is built on a foundation of the currently shipping Versal AI Core and Versal Prime ACAP series. New and unique to Versal Premium are 112Gbps PAM4 transceivers, multi-hundred gigabit Ethernet and Interlaken connectivity, high speed cryptography, and PCIe® Gen5 with built-in DMA, supporting both CCIX and CXL. Together with the Vitis™ unified software platform and Vivado® Design Suite, the Versal Premium series offers a complete solution stack for hardware and software developers for maximum productivity. Faster, More Secure Networks Greatly increased network traffic from 5G network rollout is driving demand for power-optimized throughput and compute density within existing footprint and power envelopes. The Versal Premium series addresses these challenges by delivering up to 9Tb/s of scalable, adaptable serial bandwidth. This is achieved by utilizing 112G PAM4 transceivers and integrated connectivity for core, metro and data center interconnect (DCI) infrastructure that doubles bandwidth density per port and reduce latency by up to 50 percent. The pre-engineered connectivity enables secure, multi-terabit Ethernet with flexibility to support a variety of data rates and protocols. Channelized Ethernet cores deliver up to 5Tb/s of throughput in a minimized footprint and highspeed cryptography engines provide up to 1.6Tb/s of encrypted line-rate throughput and support for AES-GCM-256/128, MACsec, and IPsec. “As the demand on the core network continues to grow, the need for adaptable infrastructure
hardware greatly increases. The new Versal Premium ACAP builds on Xilinx’s portfolio of high-performance and flexible products for communications networks,” said Jim McGregor, principal analyst, TIRIAS Research. “With the integration of networked, power-optimized cores, Versal Premium will allow telco operators to build fast and secure networks while offering adaptable acceleration for new data-intensive workloads that are transforming networks and data centers.” Adaptable Cloud Acceleration The Versal Premium series is engineered to help hyperscalers reach the highest levels of acceleration for a wide range of data center workloads. The over 120TB/s of on-chip memory bandwidth, coupled with the customizable memory hierarchy, reduces data movement to remove key bottlenecks, while pre-engineered connectivity and cores allow drop-in integration into existing cloud infrastructure. From genomics, analytics and video transcoding to AI inference for speech and image recognition, Versal Premium delivers a highly integrated, cloud-ready platform enabling breakthrough performance for diverse workloads. Xilinx, Inc www.xilinx.com
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March 2020
COT’S PICKS Datakey Releases CryptoAuthentication™ Line of Portable Memory Tokens New memory tokens make popular Microchip security ICs mobile
ATEK Access Technologies today announced the launch of its new Datakey CryptoAuthentication™ memory token line which gives embedded systems designers a rugged and secure portable memory device for authentication applications. The line of removable memory devices utilizes Microchip’s CryptoAuthentication family of high-security hardware authentication ICs, enabling embedded applications like: • Secure storage and transfer of keys, certificates and passwords • Secure credential with a unique, read-only serial number • Device authentication (anti-counterfeit) with countdown limit use • Secure boot and secure firmware update • Secure Crypto Ignition Key (CIK) “Securing embedded systems is critically im-
WIN Enterprises Announces ATX Form Factor Powered by 9th/8th Gen Intel Core Processor WIN Enterprises, Inc. announces the MB50030 a ATX embedded board that features 9th/8th Gen Intel Core processor This embedded board supports intense applications, such as measuring integers, floating-point calculations, virtualization, and large/complex databases, all with HPC-level performance. The WIN Enterprises ATX embedded motherboards supports high performance computing capabilities, rich I/O connectivity, high integration, and expansibility. The device enables support for up to 7 expansion slots. The ATX board’s form factor is 305mm x 244mm, making it an ideal solution for industrial automation and machine vision applications that require reliability & add-on-card expansibility. Features • 9th / 8th Gen Intel® Core™ with Intel® Q370 chipset • 4 DDR4 DIMM with up to 128GB • Support for 3 independent displays: 28
COTS Journal | March 2020
portant, especially for networked and IoT devices,” said Paul Plitzuweit, senior product manager for the Datakey product line. “CryptoAuthentication memory tokens can be used for securely updating keys, enabling locked features or for providing access to users as part of a multi-factor authentication system.” The new Datakey IAT4.5Kb and IAX4.5Kb CryptoAuthentication memory tokens utilize Microchip’s ATSHA204A CryptoAuthentication IC and contain 4.5 kilobits of programmable memory, consisting of a 512-bit one-time programmable zone and a 4096bit data zone that is divided up into 16 256-bit slots. Each slot can be configured for read-only or read/ write access in either clear or encrypted modes. The Datakey IAT10.5Kb and IAX10.5Kb tokens utilize Microchip’s ATECC608A CryptoAuthentication IC. It has similar capabilities to the ATSHA204A but has a 9664-bit data zone and provides hardware support for asymmetric encryption algorithms. Slightly smaller than an SD card, the proprietary-shaped IAT memory tokens utilize solid over-molded construction using an engineered composite, making them physically robust. The tokens also feature contacts on both sides, so tokens can be inserted into receptacles with either side up. The toVGA + DP++ + DP++ • Multiple expansion: 1 PCIe x16, 3 PCIe x4, 2 PCI, 1 Mini PCIe, 1 M.2 M Key, 1 SMBus, 1 LPC • Rich I/O: 2 Intel® GbE, 6 COM, 2 USB 3.1 Gen 2, 4 USB 3.1 Gen 1, 7 USB 2.0 • 15-Year CPU Life Cycle Support Until Q1’ 32
kens mate with Datakey SlimLine™ receptacles, which come in both board-mount and panel-mount varieties and are rated for 50,000 insertion/removal cycles. In addition to the memory tokens, ATEK has also produced two extension boards that plug into the extension ports on the ATSAMD21-XPRO development board that is part of the Microchip DM320109 CryptoAuthentication Xplained Pro Starter Kit. The extension boards feature Datakey SlimLine receptacles and allow the CryptoAuthentication memory tokens to be used with the Microchip starter kit. Pentek, Inc. www.pentek.com
• Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 • Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology • Intel® Smart Cache WIN Enterprises, Inc. www.win-ent.com
March 2020
COT’S PICKS Adder Launches New Range of NIAP PP 4.0 Secure KVM Switches and Accessories
Introducing the ADDERView™ Secure Range Maximize cybersecurity without compromising real-time access to mission-critical computing Compliant with the latest NIAP Protection Profile 4.0 Adder Technology has announced the launch of the new ADDERView™ Secure Range of KVM switches and accessories. The NIAP Protection Profile 4.0 compliant range is designed to minimize hacking and cyber-attack risks without compromising real-time data visualization and secure collaboration in mission-critical environments. Made in America, the range of secure switches combine features such as channel separation, uni-directional data paths and tamper-proof labeling to maintain high levels of security required in command and control centers. Users can control classified and non-classified network sources simultaneously and in real-time, whilst benefitting from pixel-perfect data visualization at video resolutions up to 4K at 60 frames per second ( fps). The ADDERView Secure range has been designed with simplicity and usability in mind without sacrificing functionality. An E-Paper display shows user-defined status information for the
selected target computer and classification level, whilst fully color-configurable LED buttons have been designed to give users instant and clear channel confirmation, essential in busy control room environments. To increase efficiencies in control rooms, the ADDERView Secure range is compatible with Adder’s existing portfolio of matrix and extension products, allowing secure IT personnel to protect their initial infrastructure investment, improve scalability and IT agility. Backwards compatibility allows users to take advantage of access to a wider portfolio of connectivity solutions to improve data visualization and collaboration. The ADDERView Secure range comprises: ADDERView Secure Desktop KVM Switches: a powerful range designed to improved usability with an intuitive E-Paper display and color-configurable LEDs. ADDERView Secure Flexi-Switch: an innovative solution designed to offer ultimate flexibility with support for video resolutions up to UHD 4K at 60 fps on single and dual-head computers. ADDERView Secure Multi-Viewer: designed to deliver instant and simultaneous access to multiple data s ources in mission-critical control rooms. ADDER Secure Card Reader: a robust accessory that allows users to
simultaneously authenticate with up to four isolated computers. ADDER Secure Remote Control Unit: a compact unit that provides secure push button access to any channel on the target PC directly from the user desktop. ADDER Secure Port Expander: a secure accessory used to provide an additional port for USB HID devices including touch screens. Adrian Dickens, CEO, Adder Technology, commented, “We understand that organizations accessing, processing or controlling sensitive data require numerous security features as standard, and compliance with the latest NIAP protection profile is just one of them. It was important to us that our new secure KVM products offered enhanced functionality above and beyond what is expected. I believe the ADDERView Secure range does just that, and will significantly improve user workflows in mission-critical applications. ” The new ADDERView Secure range forms part of Adder’s extensive connectivity portfolio, which is renowned for technical excellence, reliable performance and market-leading specification. Adder Technology www.adder.com
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March 2020
COT’S PICKS DARTS 9030-M/MS: Multitarget Capability for Radar Sensor Test Solutions dSPACE has added multitarget capability to two of its automotive radar sensor test systems: DARTS 9030-M and DARTS 9030-MS. A single unit can now simulate multiple independent radar echoes at the same time. A new software upgrade also provides multitarget capability for existing systems. The software-based functionality extension allows for simulating up to four objects independently of each other. Each echo can be assigned its own distance, speed, and amplitude (RCS). The excellent signal quality of the simulated targets, as well as accuracy and reproducibility, are not affected by the simultaneous simulation of several targets.
range of products last year, by entering into a cooperation with the radar specialists miro•sys and ITS. The dSPACE Automotive Radar Test Systems (DARTS) include solutions tailored to the entire value chain, from sensor testing by chip manufacturers to hardware-in-the-loop validation and end-of-line testing of vehicles by automobile manufacturers. The DARTS solutions are also used in homologation and the aftermarket. DARTS 9030-M is a modular, high-frequency solution for automotive radar sensors, enabling the validation of radar-based automotive applications in many areas – from chip design to sensor development
to testing driver assistance systems and autonomous vehicles. The system simplifies realistic over-the-air tests by simulating radar echoes of objects in road traffic with variable distances, speeds, and sizes. The DARTS product family consists of solutions tailored to a multitude of applications, from compact systems for the laboratory desk to test benches that can be used in closed-loop operation with other simulators and test automation. The systems are modular, scalable, and fully software-configurable. dSPACE www.dspace.com
Users can opt to purchase an extended software license for the simulation of two, three, or four targets. “By providing new functions through intelligent software, we are continuously improving our existing solution, preparing it for any future requirements,” explains Dr. Andreas Himmler, Senior Product Manager for automotive radar systems at dSPACE. dSPACE added radar testing systems to its
Mercury Systems Announces HighPerformance Digital Transceiver for SWaP-Constrained Electronic Warfare Applications Rugged, compact module enables next-generation electronic warfare systems to mitigate more advanced threats Mercury Systems, Inc. announced the EnsembleSeries™ DCM3220 digital transceiver, a multi-channel, highly configurable transmit/receive module with integrated FPGA processing. This versatile, low-latency digital transceiver has the highest spectral processing density of any 3U OpenVPX™ module available today. Engineered to minimize volume without reducing bandwidth and digital signal processing (DSP), the transceiver brings the latest in electronic warfare technology to smaller airborne platforms, expanding protection from highly complex radar threats. Mercury’s pioneering technology delivers high performance in a smaller form factor without sacrificing ruggedness or performance including easy clocking and scalable coherency. 30
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“Today’s announcement underscores our commitment to Innovation That Matters by providing rugged, mission-critical technologies for airborne, naval, and land environments,” said Neal Austin, Vice President and General Manager of Mercury’s Embedded Sensor Processing group.
“As our adversaries take electronic threats to an increasingly crowded airborne domain, it’s critical for the U.S. and its allies to have the necessary technology to mitigate these threats. Our new transceiver is a perfect example of how we continue to make commercial technology profoundly more accessible to aerospace and defense.” With increasing demand to achieve more with less power and space, the DCM3220 transceiver challenges previous limitations and sets a new standard for what is achievable on a smaller 3U platform. A base and mezzanine combination design exploits the full volume of the modular digital transceiver by incorporating advanced conduction cooling technology. When paired with a specially designed 3U microwave transceiver, the extended frequency coverage enables operation across the entire standard electronic warfare band. Additionally, the DCM3220 withstands harsh conditions despite its smaller size, meeting industry environment qualification standards for demanding environments.
Neal Austin, Vice President and General Manager
Mercury Systems Inc. www.mrcy.com
March 2020
COT’S PICKS Pentek Challenges SWaP Constraints with Rugged Small Form Factor Sentinel 26 GHz RF Recorder
• Ideal for SIGINT, COMINT and ELINT applications • Automatically tune, detect and record signals of interest from 1GHz to 26 GHz • Capture instantaneous RF signal bandwidths up to 500 MHz • ½ ATR chassis with front panel hot-swappable storage • Removable SSD QuickPac drive pack holds up to 61 TB of data Pentek, Inc. announced a major addition to its popular family of Talon® signal recording and playback systems, the RTX 2684 26 GHz RF Sentinel™ Intelligent Signal Scanning small form factor recorder. The RTX 2684 combines the power of a Pentek Talon Recording System with a 26 GHz RF tuner and Pentek’s Sentinel intelligent signal scanning software, packaged in an extremely rugged, small form factor (SFF) 1/2 ATR chassis. Pentek’s SFF recorders provide the performance of large rackmount recorders in the smallest footprint available in Pentek’s Talon product line.
The Talon RTX 2684 SFF recorder weighs just 23 pounds and is designed for extreme operating environments. Optimized for SWaP (size, weight and power), the rugged sealed ½ ATR recorder is available with up to 61 TB of removable SSD storage. The ½ ATR chassis makes it highly suitable for military, security and government intelligence (SIGINT, COMINT and ELINT) applications that are mobile or very space limited. “The RTX 2684 Sentinel recorder is a complete antenna to disk solution with RF signals downconverted directly to the A/D converters,” said Rodger Hosking, vice-president of Pentek. “Its 5x reduction in packaging size over the rackmount equivalent, bandwidth performance, and storage capacity all offer huge improvements in addressing challenging SWaP constraints in mobile or space limited platforms.” A Pentek Model 78141A Jade® transceiver module serves as the data acquisition engine of the Talon RTX 2684. One of its dual 3.2 GS/sec 12bit A/D converters operates at a sample rate of 2.8 GS/sec. The Model 78141 is coupled to the 500 MHz bandwidth analog IF output signal of a 26 GHz RF tuner front end, delivering excellent dynamic range across its entire spectrum. A digital downconverter (DDC) in the Model 78141 provides frequency zooming for recording signal bandwidths of 500, 250 or 125 MHz. Sentinel Intelligent Signal Scanning The RTX 2684 allows SIGINT engineers to scan the RF spectrum from 1 GHz to 26 GHz for signals of interest and
monitor or record bandwidths up to 500 MHz wide. A spectral scan facility allows the user to scan the spectrum, while threshold detection allows the system to automatically lock onto and record signal bands. Scan results are displayed in a waterfall plot and can also be recorded so users can look back at some earlier spectral activity. Once a signal of interest is detected, the real-time recorder can capture and store terabytes of data to disk, allowing users to store data spanning many hours. Extremely Rugged, Sealed Design RTX SFF recorders are engineered to operate in the toughest environments with high levels of shock and vibration, plus all electronics are sealed from the external environment. The ½ ATR chassis uses military standard circular I/O connectors to control RF emissions while protecting the recorder’s electronics from humidity, water, dust, sand and salt fog. The Talon RTX SFF chassis seals the internal electronics from the outside environment by extracting heat through conduction to an aircooled inner plenum. A thermostat-controlled, removable fan pulls air into the front of the chassis, through the plenum and then out the back of the chassis. Only the fan is exposed to the outside environment, assuring all system electronics are protected in the sealed chassis. The inner plenum can be replaced to provide other cooling options, such as liquid or conduction cooling. Designed to operate from -40ºC to +50ºC, these recorders can handle most thermal environments, making them ideal for UAV’s, aircraft pods, tight equipment bays, military vehicles and most outdoor environments. High-Speed Data Storage and Security Pentek’s QuickPac drive pack is easily removed from the recorder via a set of captive thumb screws on the front panel. Fully sealed with environmental gasketing, QuickPac drive packs can be quickly exchanged to support short down times and extended missions. A companion offload system for the QuickPacs is available so the recorder can be redeployed while the recorded data is transported and reviewed at a ground facility. The QuickPac drive pack holds up to 61 TB of SSD data storage and supports RAID levels 0, 5 or 6. Pentek, Inc. www.pentek.com
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March 2020
COT’S PICKS
SMART Embedded Computing Announces New PCIe Card for High Density Vo5G and VoLTE
SMART Embedded Computing announced a new PCI Express (PCIe) card for voice-over-5G and LTE applications (Vo5G/VoLTE). This media processing accelerator add-in card enables high density voice processing to be integrated into rack mounted servers or other network appliances that have PCIe slots. It is designed to make the deployment of the Enhanced Voice Services (EVS) codec, which is in demand for 5G and LTE networks, more cost-effective by significantly increasing channel density. The PCIe-8130 uses the latest generation of highly efficient digital signal processors (DSP) from Octasic to provide direct offload of the host CPU, eliminating the need for additional servers when adding high density audio transcoding to an application. Network equipment providers can either add or substantially increase the voice channel density within existing systems thereby reducing overall power and space demands for their equipment as it scales to higher throughput. Multiple cards can be added to scale capacity as the subscriber base grows and the card can be deployed as a centralized cloud solution or in central offices at the edge of the network. “The EVS codec is highly sought-after in 4G and 5G networks, but it is compute-intensive, so the PCIe-8130 is optimized to provide the highest processing capacity per watt and per dollar for session border controllers, media gateways and similar network functions,” said Todd Wynia, Vice President of product management, SMART Embedded Computing. “This PCIe add-in card is ideal to reduce
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COTS Journal | March 2020
CapEx and OpEx in network voice processing deployments and upgrades through significantly higher voice transcoding density than current technology or standard server processors.” PCIe-8130_ang1_200 The EVS codec is designed to support high quality and high efficiency. Unlike its predecessor, AMR, which was used for initial VoLTE deployments and marketed as ‘HD Voice,’ EVS was developed and optimized specifically for LTE. EVS is a feature-rich codec that supports everything from narrow band (NB) to super wide band (SWB) with bit rates starting at 5.9 kbps up to 128 kbps and a multitude of advanced error treatment capabilities. Technical Details • Configurations with 4, 6 or 12 Octasic OCT3032 DSPs • Full- or half-length by full-height versions • Octasic Vocallo firmware • Broad CODEC support • Field proven in carrier networks • Echo cancellation and voice quality enhancement • Packet-based API reduces development time allowing faster time-to-revenue
SMART Embedded Computing www.smartembedded.com
March 2020
COT’S PICKS
CPhoenix International Introduces FIPS140-2 Certified NVMe Open VPX Solid State Disk Data Storage Module
Phoenix International Systems unveiled industry’s first FIPS 140-2 certified encryption Open VPX NVM Express (NVMe) Solid State Disk data storage module. The VP1-250-eSSDC is a VITA 48/REDI conduction cooled 3U VPX SSD storage module that delivers extremely high performance. Designed from the ground up to remove legacy layers of hard drive interfaces such as SATA and SAS, it takes full advantage of the speed and parallelism of solid state nonvolatile memory. Streamlined efficient queuing protocol combined with an optimized command set register interface enables low latency and high performance. Data is delivered fast and efficiently with minimal burden on the host CPU. The VP1-250-eSSDC supports TCG compliant AES-256 and FIPS140-2 certified encryption as well as military grade data elimination. NVM Express (NVMe) is an industrystandard registered interface designed to accelerate the performance of nonvolatile PCI Express (PCIe) SSDs. The NVMe protocol was established in collaboration by server industry leaders to standardize a scalable PCIe interface, making it easier for designers to unlock the full potential of PCIe. NVMe provides opportunities for increased data throughput and reduced latency all while reducing the number of drives needed — both
now and in the future. Adoption of this industry standard is driven by a strong consortium of storage technology providers and a robust ecosystem of drivers across multiple operating systems. Major Features of the VP1-250-eSSDC Data Storage Module: • Out-of-the-box software, drivers and manageability enable easy adoption and storage interoperability • Capacities to 15TB Optimized register interface and command set lowers latency Performance: • Sequential 128KB read: 1.2 GB/s • Sequential 128KB write: 1.2 GB/s Operating shock: • 1000G/1ms Operating vibration: • 10 GRMS 5–800Hz @ 30 min/axis Advanced flash management for enhanced reliability and durability Streamlined protocol with efficient queuing mechanism to scale for multicore CPUs 1,000,000 hours MTBF
Phoenix International www.phenxint.com
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March 2020
COT’S PICKS General Micro Systems (GMS) Introduces “Goliath”: Compact, Rugged Scalable Xeon® 168TB NAS Server with GPGPU Artificial Intelligence
Compact and rugged, “Goliath” 16-inch deep short rack server is the smallest available with dual CPUs, 22 drives, six PCIe Gen 3 slots, artificial intelligence, and dual-redundant PSUs. The new General Micro Systems (GMS) “Goliath” 1U and 2U short rack servers are compact and rugged—only 16-inches deep—and ideal for shipboard and sub-surface high-performance applications that are space-constrained. Using the latest Intel® Scalable Xeon® server and Nvidia® GPGPU AI co-processors, “Goliath” is a marvel of systems engineering, packing over 4U worth of server and AI functions in only 1U or 2U. This saves size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) for NAS, recorder, data mining and sensor fusion applications, or naval afloat system upgrades. Where most full-featured servers are 19-, 22-, or 24-inches deep, Goliath servers are a mere 16-inches deep. The rugged servers can be placed in tight locations such as submarines, close to curving walls or doorways, in narrow-body antisubmarine warfare (AWS) aircraft, or tucked tightly to bulkheads in companionways on smaller ships and surface vessels. Despite their small size, the dual-socket, twin Scalable Xeon servers use Intel’s latest server processors: Gold/Platinum up to 24 cores (embedded SKUs) or 28 cores (server SKUs) with each CPU addressing up to 1 TB of ECC DDR4 memory. They also accommodate one or two Nvidia V100 200+ TFLOPS GPGPU AI co-processors. Unique to Goliath servers are the five (in 2U) secure, removable storage cartridges designed for sensor data recording or networkattached storage (NAS) applications. Each cartridge holds four SAS/ SATA/NVMe Gen 3 SSDs, for a total of 20 drives plus two internal M.2 fixed SSDs. A 2U Goliath has 22 SSDs and 168 TB of storage using 8 TB media (denser SSDs will dramatically increase Goliath’s total storage). Hardware and software RAID plus dual gigabit Ethernet or optional 10/40 GbE networks stream data to/from 33
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the array at full sensor speeds—making Goliath a decisive real-time sensor data processor and recorder. “We’ve seen the competition, and don’t know why they waste so much space and weight,” said Ben Sharfi, CEO and chief architect at GMS. “There is no other Scalable Xeon server with so much storage, memory, AI processing, add-in I/O or raw performance, in such a small package with the latest of every conceivable server technology. If size or weight is the concern, Goliath is the only choice— and it’s the best choice.” Using GMS’ proven RuggedDNA™ cooling, packaging, and ruggedization techniques carried forward from 30 years of deployed VME, VPX and small form-factor systems, Goliath servers are value-engineered for extended temperature, high shock and vibration, while still serving the lower price points expected for better-than-benign naval applications. The servers can operate over a wider -20 °C to +55 °C temperature range while offering the security and long-life expected for DoD applications. Three Versions: Designed in America Goliath is designed in America with the same design ethos as the company’s successful MIL-SPEC conduction-cooled TITAN 1U and 2U servers, or deployed conduction-cooled small form factor (SFF) chassis and systems. But in Goliath, TwoCool™ BMCcontrolled fans mitigate heat reliably while keeping costs down. Optional features like zeroize via GMS SecureDNA™ or hardware secure erase via FIPS-140 or Opal 197 drives, allows for crypto data-at-rest
on the removable SSD cartridges. A typical use case allows an encrypted 32 TB data cartridge to be moved physically between operator locations—such as between an airborne platform and a ground-based analyst station. Goliath-NAS holds five removable cartridges. Goliath servers come in three versions: Goliath-X is a 16-inch 1U variant with a single removable 4-drive cartridge, dual CPUs, two PCIe Gen 3 slots, and one optional Nvidia GPGPU. Goliath-NAS is a 16-inch 2U variant designed for NAS systems with 22 total drives and five removable cartridges. There are up to six add-in slots, and two Nvidia GPGPU AI engines can be installed for “tip of the spear” battlefield edge processing. Goliath-AI is a 16-inch 2U variant that dedicates the add-in slots to dual GPGPUs and on-platform processing. All Goliath variants have 2x 1GbE LAN ports, console video, eSATA for external drive arrays, optional hardware or software RAID, a BMC with dedicated Ethernet port and TPM, and optional 10/40 GbE (copper or fiber). A DVD/Blu-ray drive is optional, as are serial ports and audio I/O. Chassis use GMS’ “egg crate” RuggedDNA™ techniques for superior shock and vibration tolerance, and operating temperature is -20 °C to +55 °C. Singleor dual-redundant power supplies are standard, in 110VAC or 220VAC, plus select DC voltages. General Micro Systems Inc. www.gms4sbc.com
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Alphi Technology Corporation .................................. 19
Website
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Annapolis Micro Systems ...................................... 16/IBC ........................................ www.annapmicro.com Behlman Electronics ............................................
IFC
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Fairview Microwave ...............................................
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Kingston Technology ............................................. IBC ............................................. www.kingston.com Milpower Source ..................................................... 7/IBC ............................................. w ww.milpower.com MPL .....................................................................
20 .................................................... www.mpl.com
Neonode ................................................................
9 .............................................. www.neonode.com
Index
OSS ........................................................................ BC ................................. www.onestopsystems.com Percepio ...............................................................
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Pentek ..................................................................
5 ................................................ www.pentek.com
.............................................. www.percepic.com
PICO Electronics, Inc .............................................
13 ................................... www.picoelectronics.com
Pixus Technologies ................................................
IBC
.............................. www.pixustechnologies.com
Versalogic .............................................................
9
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COTS Journal (ISSN#1526-4653) is published monthly at; 3180 Sitio Sendero, Carlsbad, CA. 92009. Periodicals Class postage paid at San Clemente and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to COTS Journal, 3180 Sitio Sendero, Carlsbad, CA. 92009.