SOSA Special Edition 2025

2025 | Volume 5 | Number 1

2025

To subscribe to the SOSA Update, Radar/EW, and McHale Report e-newsletters, and receive future copies of the SOSA Special Edition, CLICK HERE. To subscribe to The Open Group SOSA E-newsletter, CLICK HERE.

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P 16

SOSA Consortium Interview with Kirk Avery

COMPUTE

SOSA ALIGNED MEETS SAFETY CERTIFIABLE Mercury’s ROCK 3 mission computers are the first SOSA aligned, DAL-certifiable, 3U mission computers featuring Intel Core i7 safety-certifiable processors. Built to support future fleet capabilities, ROCK3 delivers up to 20x more performance than power PC-based aircraft computers and shortens aircraft technology integration timelines.

FEATURES ■ MOSA/SOSA architecture tested with open applications ■ Intel Core i7 safety-certifiable processing up to DAL-A ■ Board support packages to achieve FAA CAST-32A objectives ■ Rugged, compact, and low power form factors

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64 GS/s Direct RF Is at Hand!

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Small Form Factors

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@theopengroup

2025 VOLUME 5 NUMBER 1

EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE

9

The SOSA Consortium: Ten years old – and thriving

By John M. McHale III, Editorial Director

SOSA FEATURES

SOSA approach using VITA form factors in ATR, SAVE, or rackmount enclosures: The MOSA strategy in support of U.S. warfighters

By Bill Pilaud, LCR Embedded Systems p.38

10

SOSA Membership List

14

SOSA Consortium Information

16

SOSA Consortium Interview with Kirk Avery

20

ROUNDTABLE: SOSA aligned products in demand, MOSA/SOSA misconceptions, future MOSA impacts

By John M. McHale III, Editorial Director

26

The SOSA impact on electronic warfare solutions

30

Q&A with Travis Slocumb, CEO of Pacific Defense

38

SOSA approach using VITA form factors in ATR, SAVE, or rackmount enclosures: The MOSA strategy in support of U.S. warfighters

By Ian Beavers, Analog Devices, Inc.

By John M. McHale III, Editorial Director

By Bill Pilaud, LCR Embedded Systems

p.48

Managing the data deluge: How military radar systems are getting smarter

By Dan Taylor, Technology Editor

ON THE COVER Soldiers test the Mobile-Low, slow, small-unmanned aircraft Integrated Defeat System (M-LIDS) and its 30-mm anti-drone turret, Udairi Range, Kuwait. Systems like the Army M-LIDS will use relay sensor systems that leverage The Open Group Sensor Open Systems Architecture, or SOSA, Technical Standard.

U.S. Army photo by Capt. Austin May.

44

Think tanks: How smarter vehicle electronics are enabled by open architectures

By Dan Taylor, Technology Editor

48

Managing the data deluge: How military radar systems are getting smarter

By Dan Taylor, Technology Editor

52

How the SOSA standard is defining the software framework for deployed applications

By David Tetley, Elma Electronic

SOSA SPEAKOUTS AND PROFILES

56

SOSA Speakouts

62

SOSA Profiles

SOSA™ and logo design and The Open Group Certification Mark™ are trademarks of The Open Group in the United States and other countries. © 2025 OpenSystems Media © 2025 SOSA Special Edition

4 | SOSA Special Edition 2025

www.opengroup.org/sosa

WINNING AT THE EDGE

WOLF designs and manufactures VPX products that are SOSA Aligned. WOLF modules include advanced NVIDIA GPUs and Xilinx FPGAs, providing video output, image and data processing, video encoding and high performance embedded compute (HPEC) tasks.

WOLF-1636 VPX3U-BW5000E-VO-HPC • Slot Profile: 14.6.11 14.6.13

WOLF-163L VPX3U-BW5000E-CX7 • Slot Profile: 14.6.11 14.6.13

WOLF-163S VPX3U-BW5000E-SWITCH • Slot Profile: 14.4.15

WOLF-2638 VPX6U-BW5000E-VO • Slot Profile: 10.6.4

WOLF-14TZ VPX3U-ORIN-CX7-HPC • Slot Profile: 14.6.11 14.6.13

WOLF-14T0 VPX3U-ORIN-CX7-FGX2-SBC • Slot Profile: 14.2.16

Experience WOLF’s SOSA-Aligned Products

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Gold Sponsors PG 3 57 13 58 8 7 59 2 60 34 56 19 61 5 61

SPONSOR Annapolis Micro Systems – 64/GS/S direct RF is at hand!

Annapolis Micro Systems – Executive Speakout Elma Electronic – Accelerate development to deliver performance to the warfighter Elma Electronic – Executive Speakout Huber + Suhner – SOSA aligned interconnects designed for the tightest of spaces LCR Embedded Systems – All systems GO LCR Embedded Systems – Executive Speakout Mercury Systems, Inc. – SOSA aligned meets safety certifiable Mercury Systems, Inc. – Executive Speakout Open.Tech by Amphenol – Design Smarter. Source Faster.

Stay Aligned.

Open.Tech by Amphenol – Executive Speakout Vicor – High density and high efficiency SOSA aligned power supplies Vicor – Executive Speakout Wolf Advanced Technology – Winning at the edge Wolf Advanced Technology – Executive Speakout

Advertiser Index PG 28 24 56 29 33 42 57 83 84 58 43 59 18

60 23 36 25 55 37

ADVERTISER AirBorn – 2300W+ VPX power module Alpha Data Ltd. – Adaptive processing that gives you the edge Alpha Data Ltd. – Executive Speakout Atrenne – Failure is not an option …

Behlman Electronics, Inc. – Behlman leads the pack again!

Curtiss-Wright – –Engineered to be open Curtiss-Wright – Executive Speakout Eizo – Next-generation high-peformance embedded computing powered by NVIDIA GMS – X9 Venom. The world’s most advanced 3U OpenVPX rugged modules Interface Concept – Executive Speakout Kontron – Rugged embedded solutions.

One step ahead.

Kontron – Executive Speakout New Wave Design – We create precise, SOSA aligned VPX and XMC solutions for mission critical applications.

New Wave Design – Executive Speakout Omnetics Connector Corp. – High shock & vibration, small size & weight, 200° Celsius rated Pixus Technologies – SOSA aligned products in the slot profile configuration you need Precise Systems Inc. – AWESUM capability engineering for MOSA Sealevel Systems, Inc. – Intentionally and openly engineered Teledyne Storm Microwave – Small form factor with incredible reliability

6 | SOSA Special Edition 2025

GROUP EDITORIAL DIRECTOR John McHale john.mchale@opensysmedia.com ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR Lisa Daigle lisa.daigle@opensysmedia.com TECHNOLOGY EDITOR – WASHINGTON BUREAU Dan Taylor dan.taylor@opensysmedia.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR Stephanie Sweet stephanie.sweet@opensysmedia.com WEB DEVELOPER Paul Nelson paul.nelson@opensysmedia.com EMAIL MARKETING SPECIALIST Drew Kaufman drew.kaufman@opensysmedia.com WEBCAST MANAGER Marvin Augustyn marvin.augustyn@opensysmedia.com VITA EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Jerry Gipper jerry.gipper@opensysmedia.com

SALES/MARKETING DIRECTOR OF SALES Tom Varcie tom.varcie@opensysmedia.com (734) 748-9660 STRATEGIC ACCOUNT MANAGER Rebecca Barker rebecca.barker@opensysmedia.com (281) 724-8021 STRATEGIC ACCOUNT MANAGER Bill Barron bill.barron@opensysmedia.com (516) 376-9838 STRATEGIC ACCOUNT MANAGER Bill Baumann bill.baumann@opensysmedia.com (609) 610-5400 SOUTHERN CAL REGIONAL SALES MANAGER Len Pettek len.pettek@opensysmedia.com (805) 231-9582 DIRECTOR OF SALES ENABLEMENT Barbara Quinlan barbara.quinlan@opensysmedia.com AND PRODUCT MARKETING (480) 236-8818 INSIDE SALES Amy Russell amy.russell@opensysmedia.com STRATEGIC ACCOUNT MANAGER Lesley Harmoning lesley.harmoning@opensysmedia.com EUROPEAN ACCOUNT MANAGER Jill Thibert jill.thibert@opensysmedia.com TAIWAN SALES ACCOUNT MANAGER Patty Wu patty.wu@opensysmedia.com CHINA SALES ACCOUNT MANAGER Judy Wang judywang2000@vip.126.com

www.opensysmedia.com

PRESIDENT Patrick Hopper patrick.hopper@opensysmedia.com EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT John McHale john.mchale@opensysmedia.com EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND ECD BRAND DIRECTOR Rich Nass rich.nass@opensysmedia.com DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS AND CUSTOMER SUCCESS Gina Peter gina.peter@opensysmedia.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kaitlyn Bellerson kaitlyn.bellerson@opensysmedia.com FINANCIAL ASSISTANT Emily Verhoeks emily.verhoeks@opensysmedia.com SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER subscriptions@opensysmedia.com OFFICE MAILING ADDRESS 3120 W Carefree Highway, Suite 1-640 • Phoenix AZ 85087 • Tel: (480) 967-5581 REPRINTS WRIGHT’S MEDIA REPRINT COORDINATOR Kathy Richey clientsuccess@wrightsmedia.com (281) 419-5725

www.opengroup.org/sosa

All Systems

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SOSA-aligned interconnects designed for the tightest of spaces

atible Comp wned no with re END® MINIB cable blies assem

For over 50 years, HUBER+SUHNER has delivered high performance, high reliability connectivity solutions to the global aerospace & defense industry. As a proud member of The Open Group‘s SOSA Consortium and VITA Standards Organization, we continue to align our highly-engineered connectivity products with the rapidly advancing needs of the A&D market.

HUBER+SUHNER‘s all new VITA 67 interconnect portfolio features NanoRF, SMPM, and SMPS contact offerings designed with our proprietary solderless MINIBEND® RF cable termination technology, the driving force behind the industry’s most versatile, low profile flexible cable assemblies.

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Editor’s Perspective

By John McHale, Editorial Director

The SOSA Consortium: Ten years old – and thriving Welcome to the SOSA Special Edition 2025, our fifth offering of what is an annual issue highlighting editorial content on The Open Group Sensor Open System Architecture/SOSA Technical Standard from the pages and website of Military Embedded Systems magazine, as well as the products aligned to the Technical Standard – all put together exclusively by our staff. The SOSA Consortium and the Technical Standard, now more than a decade old, continues to be a key part of the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) push for a modular open systems approach (MOSA) in all new programs and upgrades.

This MOSA mandate was reaffirmed in a memo signed by the Secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force late in 2024, which stated that “MOSA shall be implemented and promulgated among the Military Services to facilitate rapid transition and sharing of advanced warfighting capability to keep pace with the dynamic warfighting threat.”

The memo called out the SOSA Technical Standard as a successful MOSA example, among others. The memo went on to list the changes made by Congress in Title 10 of the United States Code (USC) regarding MOSA, with three new sections: › “Section 4401 requires MOSA in major defense acquisition programs [MDAPs], › Section 4402 requires the implementation of MOSA in program capability development and acquisition weapon system design, to include verification of MOSA requirements, and › Section 4403 relates to ensuring the availability of major system interface standards and support for MOSA in defense acquisition.”

With Congress and DoD leadership behind MOSA strategies, the SOSA Consortium shows well-paced growth with no sign of slowing down. The ten-year-old consortium is adding new members every month.

During the MOSA Virtual Summit in February (hosted by Military Embedded Systems), I asked Patrick Collier, SOSA cofounder, about the SOSA approach’s impact on defense and where things stand today. “Historically, the push was us to figure out how we can develop multi-sensor systems and do it in a way that we could share information, share data, and have somebody be able to move those module elements around.

“From the SOSA Technical Standard perspective, it’s grown beyond that,” he continued. We have new members like NASA that go beyond just the sensing portion of a platform – it’s the whole platform. Then we have others that make use of the SOSA www.opengroup.org/sosa

approach from the sensor perspective but have other parts of it that are non-sensors. So, what we see today is that the standard has grown in terms of who’s involved and what they’re bringing to it, [with] the intent for everybody to align to the SOSA Technical Standard. That’s part of the benefit, having everybody aligning to what the SOSA approach is and what it can provide for you.”

Collier also said the standard is more mature today: “There are portions of the standard that are at a point where, if you look around in the ecosystem, you see companies, organizations building out to what is in the SOSA Technical Standard, based on customer needs. There’s a lot of growth inside the standard and the whole effort in and of itself, based on where it started.” For more, check out the MOSA Virtual Summit here: https://tinyurl. com/5dx8rswc.

Much of that effort is brought by small businesses joining the SOSA Consortium and bringing their expertise to its development. See our roundtable of SOSA members on page 20 of this issue to learn more.

Along with small business participation, the consortium membership also includes the military services; academia; commercialprocessor behemoths like NVIDIA, Intel, and AMD; and of course major defense prime contractors like Lockheed Martin.

The primes and their representatives have become quite influential within the SOSA Consortium. One of these is Kirk Avery, Senior Fellow and Chief Architect for Tactical Mission Systems within Lockheed Martin’s Rotary and Mission Systems division, who serves as the SOSA Consortium’s Technical Working Group vice-chair. He’s passionate about open architectures and sees SOSA making a big impact on future warfighter systems.

“In the same way we are seeing the HOST and FACE Technical Standards show up in RFPs [request for proposals]. Once the SOSA Consortium has all the pieces together, coupled with the Technical Standard and the certification process, I absolutely believe the number of RFPs will grow significantly,” he says in an interview with the SOSA Consortium on page 16.

Speaking of passionate people, neither this edition, nor the prior three, would get published without the assistance, work, and cooperation of Reggie Hammond and her colleagues at The Open Group; the SOSA Outreach Committee cochairs, Valerie Andrew of Elma Electronic and Gina Peter of OpenSystems Media; and my editorial product team of Lisa Daigle and Steph Sweet. Many thanks for everyone’s help on this fifth iteration of the SOSA Special Edition.

SOSA Special Edition 2025 | 9

About the SOSA Consortium TM

www.opengroup.org/sosa

The Open Group Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA Consortium, enables government and industry to collaboratively develop open standards and best practices to enable, enhance, and accelerate the deployment of affordable, capable, interoperable sensor systems. The SOSA Consortium is creating open system reference architectures applicable to military and commercial sensor systems and a business model that balances stakeholder interests. The architectures employ modular design and use widely supported, consensus-based, nonproprietary standards for key interfaces.

For additional information please visit https://www.opengroup.org/sosa.

BAE Systems Inc

Northrop Grumman Corporation

https://www.acc.af.mil/

Boeing

Owl Cyber Defense

Air Force Life Cycle Management Center

Booz Allen

Raytheon

https://www.aflcmc.af.mil/

https://www.boozallen.com/

Collins Aerospace

CACI International, Inc.

Sierra Nevada Corporation

https://www.collinsaerospace.com/

https://www.caci.com

Joint Tactical Networking Center

Cisco Systems

SR Technologies

https://www.jtnc.mil/

https://www.cisco.com/

Lockheed Martin

Concurrent

SRC, Inc.

https://www.lockheedmartin.com/

https://concurrent.tech/

NAVAIR

Cubic Corporation

Teledyne FLIR

https://www.navair.navy.mil/

https://www.cubic.com/

NIWC Atlantic

Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions

Ultra Intelligence & Communications

https://www.niwcatlantic.navy.mil/

https://www.curtisswrightds.com/

U.S. Army CCDC C5ISR

Elbit Systems of America

VadaTech Inc.

https://c5isr.ccdc.army.mil/

https://www.elbitsystems-us.com/

U.S. Army PEO Aviation

GE Aviation Systems

https://asc.army.mil/web/tag/pˆeo-aviation/

https://www.geaviation.com/

SOSA ASSOCIATE

U.S. PEO C3N

General Dynamics

Abaco Systems

https://peoc3n.army.mil/

https://www.gd.com/

https://www.abaco.com/

U.S. Army PM PNT

Huber+Suhner Astrolab

Acromag, Inc.

https://pm-pnt.army.mil/home

https://www.hubersuhner.com/en

https://www.acromag.com/

US Army Project Manager Electronic Warfare and Cyber

Intel Corporation

Aegis Power Systems

SOSA SPONSOR Air Combat Command

https://peoiews.army.mil/

SOSA PRINCIPAL Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. https://www.amd.com/en.html

Aeronix Technologies Group https://aeronixtg.com/

AMD

https://www.amd.com/en.html

10 | SOSA Special Edition 2025

https://www.baesystems.com/en/home https://www.boeing.com/

https://www.northropgrumman.com/ https://owlcyberdefense.com/ https://www.rtx.com/ https://www.sncorp.com/ https://www.srtrl.com/ https://www.srcinc.com/ https://www.flir.com/ https://www.ultra-ic.com/

https://www.vadatech.com/

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ homepage.html

https://aegispower.com/

L3Harris

https://aitechsystems.com/

https://www.l3harris.com/

Leonardo DRS

https://www.leonardodrs.com/

Mercury Systems

https://www.mrcy.com/

NASA

https://www.nasa.gov/

Aitech

AirBorn, Inc.

https://www.airborn.com/

Alpha Data

https://alpha-data.com/

American Rheinmetall Systems LLC

https://www.rheinmetall.com/en/company/ subsidiaries/american-rheinmetall-systems

www.opengroup.org/sosa

Amphenol

Delta Information Systems

Hughes Network Systems

Ampro ADLINK Technology, Inc

DornerWorks

IDEAS Engineering & Technology

Anduril Industries

DRS Signal Solutions

Innoflight, LLC

Annapolis Micro Systems, Inc.

DRTI

Insulated Wire Inc.

Apogee Semiconductor

Echodyne

Integrated Solutions for Systems, Inc. (IS4S)

Arc Compute US

EIZO Rugged Solutions

Atrenne

Elma Electronic

Ball Aerospace

EPI

Behlman Electronics

Epiq Solutions

Bevilacqua Research Corporation

Epirus

Brandywine Communications

Everfox

CAES

Expeditionary Engineering, Inc.

CesiumAstro, Inc.

FiberQA

CodeMettle

Frontgrade Technologies

COMROD Inc.

Fuse Integration

Comtel Electronics

General Atomics

Corning Optical Communications

General Micro Systems, Inc.

https://amphenol.com/ https://www.adlinktech.com/en/Index https://www.anduril.com/ https://www.annapmicro.com/ https://apogeesemi.com/

https://www.arccompute.io/ https://www.atrenne.com/ https://www.ball.com/ https://www.behlman.com/ https://brc2.com/

https://www.brandywinecomm.com/ https://caes.com/ https://www.cesiumastro.com/ https://www.codemettle.com/ https://www.comrod.com/ https://comtel-online.com/ https://www.corning.com/opticalcommunications/worldwide/en/home.html

Cornet Technology https://cornet.com/

COTSWORKS, LLC

https://cotsworks.com/

Critical Frequency Design

http://www.criticalfrequency.com/

Crossfield Technology

https://www.crossfieldtech.com/

Crystal Group

https://www.crystalrugged.com/

Dawn VME Products

https://www.dawnvme.com/

Defense Standardization Program Office

https://www.delta-info.com/ https://dornerworks.com/

https://www.leonardodrs.com/ https://drti.com/ https://www.echodyne.com/ https://www.eizorugged.com/ https://www.elma.com/en https://engineeredprod.com/ https://epiqsolutions.com/ https://www.epirusinc.com/ https://www.everfox.com/ https://www.xp-eng.com/

https://www.fiberqa.com/ https://frontgrade.com/

https://www.fuseintegration.com/ https://www.ga-asi.com/ https://www.gms4sbc.com

Georgia Tech Research Institute https://gtri.gatech.edu/

GIRD Systems, Inc.

https://www.girdsystems.com/

Glenair

https://www.glenair.com/

GORE

https://www.gore.com/

Great River Technology

https://www.greatrivertech.com/

Herrick Technology Laboratories, Inc. https://www.herricktechlabs.com/

HII Mission Technologies

https://hii.com/what-we-do/divisions/ mission-technologies/

https://www.hughes.com/

https://www.ideas-tek.com/

https://www.innoflight.com/ https://insulatedwire.com/

https://is4s.com/

Intellisense Systems Inc.

https://www.intellisenseinc.com/

Interface Concept

https://www.interfaceconcept.com/

iRF Solutions

http://irf-solutions.com/

ITT Cannon LLC

https://ittcannon.com/

ITZ, LLC

https://itz.org/

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab https://www.jhuapl.edu/

Jovian Software Consulting https://www.joviansc.com/

KITCO Fiber Optics

https://kitcofiberoptics.com/

Kontron America

https://www.kontron.com/en

LCR Embedded Systems, Inc.

https://www.lcrembeddedsystems.com/

LDRA Technology https://ldra.com/

Leidos

https://www.leidos.com/

Lynx Software Technologies https://www.lynx.com/

ManTech

https://www.mantech.com/

Mathtec, Inc.

https://mathtechinc.com/

Meritec

https://meritec.com/

Metrea Algorithmics

https://metrea.aero/metrea-algorithmics/

Micro Focus (USA) Inc.

https://www.microfocus.com/en-us/home

https://www.dsp.dla.mil/ www.opengroup.org/sosa

SOSA Special Edition 2025 | 11

SOSA ASSOCIATE (continued) Microchip Technology Inc. https://www.microchip.com/

Micropac

https://www.micropac.com/

Micross

https://www.micross.com/

MilDef Inc.

https://mildef.com/

Milpower Source

https://milpower.com/

Moog Inc.

https://www.moog.com/

Motorola Solutions Inc.

https://www.motorolasolutions.com/ en_us.html

Precise Systems

Spectra Aerospace and Defense

PTS Expeditionary Communications

Spectrum Control

QRC Technologies

StreamDSP, LLC

RADA Technologies LLC (RADA USA)

Swarm Aero

Rantec Power Systems

Systematic Inc.

Real-Time Innovations, Inc.

TE Connectivity

REDCOM Laboratories

Technology Advancement Group

Red Hat

Teledyne Storm Microwave

https://www.goprecise.com/ https://pts-inc.com/

https://www.qrctech.com/ https://radausa.com/ https://rantec.com/

https://www.rti.com/en/

https://www.redcom.com/ https://www.redhat.com/en

New Wave Design

Red Rock Technologies

https://newwavedesign.com/

https://www.redrocktech.com/

North Atlantic Industries, Inc

Reticulate Micro

https://www.naii.com/

https://reticulate.io/

NVIDIA

Riverside Research

https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/

https://www.riversideresearch.org/

ODU-USA

Roke USA

https://odu-connectors.com/us/

Omnetics Connector Corp. https://www.omnetics.com/

One Stop Systems

https://onestopsystems.com/

OpenSystems Media

https://opensysmedia.com/

Pacific Defense

https://www.pacific-defense.com/

Palantir Technologies, Inc. https://www.palantir.com/

Parry Labs, LLC

https://parrylabs.com/

People Tec

https://www.peopletec.com/

Peraton Labs

https://www.peratonlabs.com/

PIC Wire & Cable https://picwire.com/home

Picogrid

https://picogrid.com/

Pixus Technologies USA

https://pixustechnologies.com/

Power Device Corporation

https://powerdevicecorp.com/en

12 | SOSA Special Edition 2025

https://spectra-aerodef.com/

https://www.spectrumcontrol.com/ https://streamdsp.com/ https://www.swarm.aero/ https://systematic.com/us/ https://www.te.com/usa-en/home.html https://tag.com/

https://www.teledynedefenseelectronics.com/ stormmicrowave/Pages/default.aspx

Tektronix

https://www.tek.com/

Tercero Technologies https://www.tercero.ai/

The MITRE Corporation https://www.mitre.org/

https://www.chemring.com/about-us/ our-business/roke-usa

TrellisWare Technologies

RTD Embedded Technologies, Inc.

Trillium Engineering

Samtec, Inc.

TTM Technologies

Safran Federal Systems

Tucson Embedded Systems, Inc.

Sciens Innovations

University of Dayton Research Institute

ScioTeq

Variable Software

Sealevel Systems

Viasat, Inc.

Seagate Technology

Vicor Corp.

Selex Galileo

VIStology

SI2 Technologies

VITA

Skayl LLC

Wakefield Thermal

Smiths Interconnect Americas

Wolf Advanced Technology

https://www.rtd.com/

https://www.samtec.com/ https://www.safranfederalsystems.com/ https://www.sciensinnovations.com/ https://www.scioteq.com/en https://www.sealevel.com/ https://www.seagate.com/ https://www.leonardo.us/ https://www.si2technologies.com/ https://www.skayl.com/ https://www.smithsinterconnect.com/

https://www.trellisware.com/ https://www.trilliumeng.com/ https://www.ttm.com/ https://www.tucsonembedded.com/ https://udayton.edu/udri/

https://www.variablesw.com/ https://www.viasat.com/ https://www.vicorpower.com/ https://vistology.com/ https://www.vita.com/ https://wakefieldthermal.com/ https://wolfadvancedtechnology.com/

Southwest Research Institute https://www.swri.org/

Note: List current as of 4/23/2025

www.opengroup.org/sosa

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SOSA Consortium Information TM

As sensor systems increase in number, applications, cost and complexity, users need to address issues such as affordability, versatility and capabilities. Sensor systems should be rapidly reconfigurable and reusable by a greater number of stakeholders. The Open Group SOSA Consortium enables government and industry to collaboratively develop open standards and best practices to enable, enhance, and accelerate the deployment of affordable, capable, interoperable sensor systems.

The SOSA Consortium is creating open system reference architectures applicable to military and commercial sensor systems and a business model that balances stakeholder interests. The architectures employ modular design and use widely supported, consensus-based, nonproprietary standards for key interfaces that are expected to: Email The Open Group ogsosa-admin@opengroup.us.

• Reduce development cycle time and cost

For more information, visit www.opengroup.org/sosa

• Reduce systems integration cost and risk • Increase commonality and reuse • Reduce sustainment and modernization cost

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• Support capability evolution and mitigate obsolescence

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• Enable technology transition

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• Facilitate interoperability

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• Isolate the effects of change

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The Open Group SOSA® Consortium empowers government and industry to collaboratively develop open standards and best practices.

The SOSA Technical Standard leverages and complements open standards in government open interfaces, enabling the development of capabilities made up of common components. The

An integrative and inclusive standard to accelerate the development of affordable, agile, and composable sensor systems

components and hardware elements, as well as electrical and mechanical interfaces composing the SOSA sensor element.

For more information and to obtain the SOSA Technical Standard email: ogsosa-admin@opengroup.us

Join the SOSA Consortium Today We support the warfighters and soldiers in the field and strive to arm them with the electronic tools they need for mission success. Industry, government, and suppliers are successfully joining their unique perspectives to leverage technology and standards in support of the warfighters and soldiers in the field. https://www.opengroup.org/sosa/join

The Open Group: Leading the development of open, The Open Group is a global consortium that enables the achievement of business objectives through technology standards and open source initiatives by fostering a culture of collaboration, inclusivity, and mutual respect among our diverse group of 900+ memberships. Our Membership includes customers, systems and solutions suppliers, tool vendors, integrators, academics, and ® consultants across multiple industries. More information on The Open Group can be found at www.opengroup.org.

SOSA SPECIAL EDITION

SOSA Consortium Interview with Kirk Avery The following is the transcript of an interview recently conducted by the Sensor Open Systems Architecture, or SOSA, Consortium with Kirk Avery, who currently serves as the SOSA Consortium’s Technical Working Group vice-chair.

Kirk Avery What’s your role at Lockheed and how did you come to be involved in the SOSA Consortium?

KIRK AVERY: My official role is Senior Fellow and Chief Architect for Tactical Mission Systems within our Rotary and Mission Systems division. I’m also the Rotary and Mission Systems lead for MOSA [modular open systems approach] on our Corporate Working Group for MOSA. The SOSA Consortium is very important to Lockheed Martin as a prime, system integrator, and product/subsystem supplier.

I’ve been part of many open architecture efforts over the past three decades. I have been part of the Future Airborne Capability Environment, or FACE, Consortium since its inception in 2010, back when there were just 13 companies working part of that effort. I was the Technical Working Group (TWG) chair for the FACE Consortium – initially as co-chair for the first couple of years and then chair for the next six or seven years. When the SOSA Consortium was being incubated under the FACE Consortium, I was the SOSA TWG chair and ran some of its early committees. I also led some groups in the SOSA Consortium early on, and then later transitioned to become the TWG vice-chair supporting TWG chair Jason Dirner.

So, why did Lockheed join? Membership in the SOSA Consortium, from the perspective of a prime contractor, is extremely valuable. From a business perspective, alignment with business practices and acquisition methodologies ensures we are embracing open standards and MOSA across each decision we make. As a prime, we need to understand how we build up the associated business environment, and how to put together solutions of suppliers across our platforms and other products we provide. From a technical perspective, primes need to understand the complete weapon system and how open systems applies. The weapon systems, the platform, the air vehicle systems, the mission systems, and the sustainment solutions we create all need to embrace and integrate open system products and capabilities. We must deploy sensor solutions following the SOSA Technical Standard in our architectures, so understanding how they are designed, developed, and integrated with other products and capabilities across the platform is vital.

Many primes also have product-line solutions and build products or subsystems, so from a supplier and provider of open system components perspective, our participation in the SOSA Consortium is extremely important.

Have you also maintained your participation in the FACE Consortium since becoming so active in the SOSA Consortium?

KIRK AVERY: Lockheed Martin has always had significant representation on the FACE Consortium and I’m still very active in leadership positions within the FACE Consortium. I have been the Steering Committee representative for Lockheed Martin for the FACE Consortium since the inception of the Consortium. I’m also the Steering Committee representative for Lockheed Martin on the SOSA Consortium. I’m engaged in a number of activities across the FACE Consortium, including serving as co-chair for the conformance verification sub-committee. Robert Daniels and I are the folks handling the conformance verification matrix and other conformance artifacts across

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SOSA SPECIAL EDITION

the FACE ecosystem. Other Lockheed Martin employees spanning all four of the Lockheed Martin Business Areas are also involved in the FACE Consortium.

The FACE Technical Standard is more focused on the software environment, while the SOSA Technical Standard covers a broad spectrum, from hardware to electromechanical and into the software. There’s also significant alignment between the two consortiums.

Is there much intersection between your activities in the two consortia?

Do they complement each other or are they stovepiped?

KIRK AVERY: They are very complementary. From a sensor open systems perspective, I think the software aspect of the SOSA Technical Standard is very much aligned with the FACE Technical Standard. As we are evolving the SOSA Technical Standard we are working to make sure a FACE solution or implementation is easily incorporated into the SOSA software implementation. Stan­dards alignment is greatly important between open system standards, including alignment between the FACE and SOSA Technical Standards. I do see a lot of alignment, and there are many instances of collaboration between subcommittees of each consortium.

Are you in a position to bring to bear your experience with the FACE conformance process to the SOSA process?

KIRK AVERY: Absolutely. There are many folks across The Open Group and the FACE Consortium engaging in the SOSA conformance process development. These folks have experience in how The Open Group has handled the previous conformance process and implementation solutions. I would say that one of the reasons I was asked to participate in a leadership position in the SOSA Consortium was my experience in the FACE Consortium and efforts in the FACE conformance process with the FACE team. Many folks have expressed concerns with the complexity of the FACE certification process. We are working to address those concerns and www.opengroup.org/sosa

evolve the FACE certification process. Those efforts are directly to align and support the SOSA Conformance process.

One of the goals of the SOSA Technical Standard is to speed new sensorprocessing capabilities to the warfighter as soon as possible. Would you say that you’re already seeing the results of those efforts from your perspective as a prime? Is the promise approaching or has it already arrived?

KIRK AVERY: It’s a good question. I would say the SOSA Technical Standard is still maturing. We haven’t seen a lot of RFPs requiring SOSA conformance or Technical Standard alignment today, but we also know requiring conformance to the SOSA Technical Standard is the direction our customers are going. When you look at hardware standards implemented across product lines, we see that embracing those standards is helping us realize timeliness, affordability, and adaptability Quality Attributes.

The SOSA Consortium is taking that approach to the next level, while embracing and aligning with existing open standards. Once we have a conformance process in place for the SOSA Consortium, we will be able to ensure products meet the standard, so when a SOSA product is used in a weapon system, an air vehicle, or in a mission system, that product will operate as advertised from an open interfaces perspective.

As a whole, yes, I believe today we’re migrating positively towards the SOSA Technical Standard. We know the standard will meet objectives, because we’ve already seen it in the other standards on which the SOSA Technical Standard is building. We’ve also seen great success with our Open System Verification Demonstrations that utilize third parties, acting independently, to prove to our customers our open system solutions meet their objectives and achieve the quality attributes expected.

Have you seen any RFPs yet that specifically call out the SOSA Technical Standard requirements?

KIRK AVERY: Yes, we have seen a small number of RFPs, more associated with concept developments. We have seen a lot more RFIs, BAAs, and CRADAs. I think for our customers, having the conformance program in place is a critical element. We see procurements migrating towards the SOSA Technical Standard; however, getting the SOSA certification process completed and in use is critical to increasing the number of RFPs. So post-conformance, would you say that you’d expect to see the SOSA Technical Standard become a standard requirement?

KIRK AVERY: I would, and in the same way we are seeing the HOST and FACE Technical Standards show up in RFPs. Once the SOSA Consortium has all the pieces together, coupled with the technical standard and the certification process, I absolutely believe the number of RFPs will grow significantly. We also anticipate open system verification demonstrations [will] become more common to reduce the risk of selecting solutions that don’t truly achieve the SOSA objectives.

From your perspective as a prime, how important is the SOSA Technical Standard in the selection of subcontractors in the industry?

KIRK AVERY: For primes, while we build the weapons systems and platforms, we also integrate a lot of subsystems and devices across these platforms. From a prime perspective, being able to integrate supplier products in an efficient open manner is what we want and need. Today, we are asking our suppliers to provide open system solutions regardless of whether our end customer is asking for them. We’re asking for open systems because that approach makes us more cost- and schedule-efficient in the upgrade, maintenance, and sustainment of our platforms. It’s about aligning with our customers’ objectives to be able to provide capabilities faster to adapt to the constantly evolving battlespace and eliminate vendor lock. The customer objectives of eliminating vendor SOSA Special Edition 2025 | 17

SOSA SPECIAL EDITION

lock also apply to the subsystems and devices across the platforms. Inherently, our customers are going to need this type of open solutions to evolve their weapon system, and the suppliers are critical to that evolution.

Within your organization do you find yourself having to educate your peers, or evangelize to your peers, about the SOSA Technical Standard?

KIRK AVERY: I think the SOSA Consortium and the SOSA Technical Standard are well understood and recognized within Lockheed Martin. As I mentioned, we have a large number of folks across Lockheed Martin and each business area who are participating in the consortium and implementing the objectives into our products and solutions. That being said, there’s always education to be done as the standard evolves. My colleagues and I participating in the SOSA Consortium regularly provide education across the Lockheed Martin enterprise as needed. The need to provide that type of education is increasing with SOSA Technical Standard adoption and more procurements embracing the SOSA Technical Standard, although as more folks are involved, we see the demand diminishing as the team that can educate grows. ■ Kirk Avery is a Lockheed Martin Fellow with over 30 years’ experience in architecting, designing, developing, integrating, and deploying system/software solutions for military/commercial fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft systems, ground systems, training systems, and simulation systems. Over the course of his career, Kirk has architected, developed, and provided leadership in the creation and deployment of many modular, open, flexible, scalable, and portable complex system/software solutions, platforms, products, and architectures. Kirk’s responsibilities include the implementation of the organization’s system/software engineering product-line strategy and is a subject matter expert in systems engineering, software engineering, open architecture, airworthiness/safety, and security. Kirk served as the FACE Consortium’s Technical Working Group chair or vice-chair for eight consecutive terms through June of 2019. Kirk currently serves as the SOSA Consortium’s Technical Working Group vice-chair.

Kirk also currently serves as Lockheed Martin’s Primary Steering Committee member for both the FACE and SOSA consortia, and is involved in multiple other open architecture efforts, including OMS and HOST.

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SOSA SPECIAL EDITION

ROUNDTABLE:

SOSA aligned products in demand, MOSA/SOSA misconceptions, future MOSA impacts

By John M. McHale III, Editorial Director

CLIF BASNIGHT

Vice President, Strategic Technologies, Ultra Intelligence and Communications

Now celebrating its 10th year, The Open Group Sensor Open Systems Architecture, or SOSA, Consortium has never been stronger, as products aligned to the SOSA Technical Standard grow in demand in military applications. I gathered a roundtable of SOSA Consortium members to discuss how the SOSA approach – an example of the modular open systems approach (MOSA) mandated by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) – is enabling commercial innovation in radar and electronic warfare (EW), examine some common misconceptions regarding SOSA and MOSA, and predict where MOSA strategies will have the most future impact.

Our SOSA Roundtable panelists are Clif Basnight, Vice President, Strategic Technologies, Ultra Intelligence and Communications; Nick Borton, Principal Embedded Engineer, Machine Intelligence Architect at SRC, Inc. and SOSA Consortium Steering Committee Vice-Chair; Jake Braegelmann, Vice President, Business Development, New Wave Design; Steve Edwards, Director, Secure Embedded Solutions, Technical Fellow, Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions; and Bill Pilaud, Chief Solutions Architect, LCR Embedded Systems.

NICK BORTON

Principal Embedded Engineer, Machine Intelligence Architect at SRC, Inc. and SOSA Consortium Steering Committee Vice-Chair

MCHALE: How does the SOSA Technical Standard enable commercial innovation in radar and electronic warfare designs?

BASNIGHT: The SOSA Technical Standard makes it easier to bring commercial tech into radar and electronic warfare systems (EW) by standardizing how components connect and communicate. That means companies can innovate faster, and the designs benefit because we can take the best-in-class radio or compute to run different algorithms to get what we need in that domain. The fight around EW is different than even two years ago, and this is how we’ll keep pace.

BORTON: [The] SOSA [approach] provides open interfaces for hardware, software, field-programmable gate array (FPGA) IP (in the near future), and functionality (data) to greatly speed the integration of radar and EW systems. These open SOSA aligned interfaces enable a market for not just whole radar and EW systems, but subcomponents ready for integration. With a market of subcomponents, system providers can innovate faster by quickly acquiring and applying different technologies and techniques packaged within SOSA [aligned] interface boundaries. This also enables organizations to focus more energy on their unique value add and purchase/team for the rest. That additional focus on unique value-add will further drive innovation even faster.

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BRAEGELMANN: The SOSA Technical Standard has succeeded in defining computing profiles (mechanical and electrical) narrow enough, and with enough rigor, to achieve interchangeable module design, while simultaneously leaving the functional/ performance decisions within the module to be designed by the diverse supply base.

This achievement is extremely beneficial to radar and EW designs in several ways.

First, the board-level electronics supply base can invest ahead in SOSA aligned plug-in-cards (PICs) with confidence; bringing best-in-class processor types, memory architectures, I/O topologies, and thermal properties to market as they become available – they don’t have to wait for a program to specially define modules. This brings schedule to the left for fielding capability.

Second, with a wide range of available modules, a new radar/EW program can select among different processing architectures (FPGAs, RFSoCs, GPUs, CPUs, etc.) without having to create the modules. This reduces cost and risk while increasing design options. These options can lead to more innovative architectures than could be achieved having to build all items from the start of the program.

JAKE BRAEGELMANN

Vice President, Business Development, New Wave Design

Third, since it is open standards-based, the program has confidence as new technologies become available, they can be inserted into the existing architecture without a complete redesign. This greatly reduces the lifetime cost of the system while accelerating the schedule of capability insertion to the field.

Lastly, and often missed in the discussions, this open system mindset also allows the entire ecosystem to focus on what a given organization does best. For example, an application-/algorithm-centric organization doesn’t also have to develop processing hardware to execute their algorithms. Instead, they partner with, and select among, a variety of processing options available in the market already aligned to the standards to host their application/algorithm.

EDWARDS: I don’t know if enabling is the correct term to use. I would say that [the] SOSA [approach] does not inhibit innovation, at least for hardware. It imposes requirements for PIC profiles (i.e. backplane pinouts, management, etc.), but does not impose requirements internal to the hardware, so vendors are free to implement the design in a way that makes sense to them and their market.

STEVE EDWARDS

Secure Embedded Solutions, Technical Fellow, Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions

PILAUD: This is a chicken-and-egg discussion question. It’s almost how radar and EW enables the SOSA [Technical Standard]. SOSA is a collection of standards to be used across the three services (Army, Navy, and Air Force). The selection of a subset of VITA hardware standards compelled the VITA community to settle on a few common SBCs [single-board computers], switches, FPGA, RF, and compute nodes – which is the basis of all C5ISR [command, control, computers, communications, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance] systems of which are radar and EW. Since 80% of the building blocks necessary for C5ISR are now SOSA aligned with regular technology updates, it’s really a question of when the radar and EW integrators pick and choose off-the-shelf components to build their radar and EW designs.

The challenge is to close EW and radar module and software needs to increase SOSA component adoption from 80% to 90%, and maybe 99%, SOSA compliance.

BILL PILAUD

Chief Solutions Architect, LCR Embedded Systems

MCHALE: In what application areas are you seeing requirements for SOSA aligned solutions?

BASNIGHT: I’m seeing a lot of demand for SOSA aligned solutions in crypto subsystems and electronic warfare – especially where rapid upgrades and modularity are key. Software-defined radio (SDR) waveforms and other communications down to the various chassis to fit on platforms across land, air, and sea are popping up more, because reducing the barrier to upgrade when the next threat comes is critical. www.opengroup.org/sosa

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SOSA SPECIAL EDITION

BORTON: The areas I have seen the most SOSA requirements is through the CMOSS Mounted Form Factor (CMFF) efforts. CMOSS has been steadily adopting more SOSA interfaces over time.

At this moment, I believe CMOSS has pulled in a subset of the SOSA Hardware interfaces and the SOSA System Manager Module interface. As SOSA continues to mature, I expect even more of CMOSS to become a down select of SOSA interfaces.

BRAEGELMANN: Within defense electronics we have seen SOSA aligned requirements across the Tri-Service community and across land, air, and sea domains. We also see requirements across many different application areas: sensor processing, mission computing, communications, etc. Mission computing and sensor processing applications seem to be most quickly adopting [the] SOSA [approach] and are strong candidates for success utilizing SOSA aligned architectures.

EDWARDS: Across all application areas – radar, SIGINT [signals intelligence], EW – … requirements are mainly focused on the hardware profiles today (which is the only mature area of the SOSA Technical Standard). I’ve mostly seen Air Force programs and a few Army programs requiring some level of SOSA [alignment].

PILAUD: I have not written a non-SOSA aligned C5ISR proposal in four years. I can safely say that I will never write nonSOSA [aligned] systems for most C5ISR applications.

MCHALE: What is the biggest misconception about the modular open systems approach (MOSA)/ SOSA within the military community?

BASNIGHT: The biggest misconception is that it is new. We have tried this with numerous programs and systems and it has always been a desired outcome, but the technology wasn’t there. Now we are here and there are real solutions

that can fit today and grow into future needs. It has to be done as a community because a single element leading the charge won’t get us across a finish line that is constantly moving.

BORTON: The biggest misconception I have come across is the “all-or-nothing” mentality. I often describe [the] SOSA [approach] as a toolbox for system designers. The designers of the system get to pick which of those tools (open standardized interfaces) add value to their system. Adding any SOSA/MOSA [content], no matter how small, moves the ecosystem forward in a positive direction.

BRAEGELMANN: I don’t know that there is a lot of misconception left around SOSA itself. My personal experience would say the SOSA Technical Standard is well understood now, at least at the PIC level. By that I mean the goals and benefits of SOSA aligned PICs are understood and the end customers through the supply base are avidly supporting.

MOSA Virtual Summit

Sponsored by Aitech, Abaco, Annapolis Micro Systems, Elma Electronic, LDRA, Lynx, New Wave Design, SV Microwave, RTI Powered by Military Embedded Systems, the MOSA Virtual Summit event aimed to drive awareness and thought leadership around MOSA initiatives like the Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA), the C5ISR/EW Modular Open Suite of Standards (CMOSS), and the Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE).

Covered subjects include the ways in which these initiatives impact signal-processing, software, hardware, AI, and RF designs.

(This is an archived event.)

Watch the sessions: https://tinyurl.com/2dbn4jcc

WATCH MORE WEBCASTS:

https://militaryembedded.com/webcasts/archive/ 22 | SOSA Special Edition 2025

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There are some misunderstandings around how [the] SOSA [approach] fits within MOSA, and the difference between MOSA and SOSA. The SOSA Technical Standard is a constituent piece of MOSA. Said another way, [the] SOSA [Technical Standard] is under the MOSA umbrella.

Specifically, [the] SOSA [approach] is a computer hardware architecture of open systems definition. [The] SOSA [standard] has technical definitions and alignment to those definitions can be assessed. MOSA, however, is not a specific technical definition; it is more an overarching philosophy than a technical definition. MOSA mandates a system have a mechanically/electrically modular makeup, with components being able to be added, removed, and replaced through the life cycle of the system.

MOSA also mandates the system have documented and standards-based interfaces, and MOSA mandates the software elements of the system be defined

and available for open interaction with other systems and subsystems. [The] SOSA [standard] is clearly a method of achieving MOSA in computer architecture. Achieving overall MOSA itself, however, is a bit of “you know it when you see it.” Or maybe even more apparent is “you know what isn’t MOSA when you see it.”

EDWARDS: The main thing I would highlight is that MOSA/SOSA does not solve every problem. For example, we have customers with extremely high-performance requirements who want more data pipes than a SOSA [aligned] profile offers.

DoD program managers need to understand the benefits and limitations of open architecture.

PILAUD: I have this discussion every day. [The] SOSA [approach’s] benefit is only realized if it is used. Dismissing the standard because it doesn’t meet 100% of the requirements is wrong. One percent SOSA [alignment] is better than none, 80% is better. [The] SOSA [approach] if anything is a supply-chain strategy to beat silicon obsolescence. As long as the SOSA interfaces are maintained there will be a form, fit, and function module replacement. As I always say, the program needs and requirement to counter threat or enable missions is the programs priority – everything else revolves around that mission – but even a little SOSA [aligned content] helps with that instance of supply-chain management strategy. So, extending mission service time or keeping up with next generation threats is addressed by utilizing [the] SOSA [approach]. The caution is that [the] SOSA [standard] doesn’t define the mission – the mission leverages the SOSA standard.

MCHALE: Looking forward, where will MOSA initiatives have the most impact in defense applications?

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SOSA SPECIAL EDITION

BASNIGHT: Looking ahead, I think MOSA will have the biggest impact where speed and adaptability are critical – like in the communications space. We are woefully tied to proprietary and vendor-locked solutions that can be modularized so that DoD can buy better and faster. Those areas evolve fast, and MOSA gives us a real shot at staying ahead without reinventing the wheel every time.

BORTON: Speed to field will be the greatest impact. As more MOSA aligned components come into the market, and more organizations make the shift in how they operate to participate in this new market, speed will increase. Right now, we have healthy momentum in the SOSA [aligned] hardware portion of the market. Hardware is a necessary foundation needed for the rest. Once software, FPGA IP, and capabilities/skills/functionality reach the same level of momentum in the market that we have with hardware now, system deployment speed will be at new levels.

24 | SOSA Special Edition 2025

BRAEGELMANN: Within defense applications I believe MOSA will have the biggest impact in electronic warfare applications. I say this because in no other domain is the landscape of operations changing at a more dramatic pace.

MOSA will make its greatest impact in the areas of greatest change at the most rapid pace.

At the heart of EW advancements is the need to rapidly design, test, and field available advancements in silicon, materials, structures, algorithms, software, techniques, and models. These advancements will not be made by one organization or group. Mission success will require the ability to incorporate changes from a variety of sources quickly.

EW systems that embrace MOSA will be able to incorporate advancements in all these areas as available, without wholesale changes to the system, regardless of source. [This will] ultimately lead to quicker fielding of capability, and speed is a necessity in electronic warfare.

EDWARDS: The goal of MOSA is true interoperability. Swap out one vendor’s board for another. Swap out one software module for another. We still have a long way to go, but if this is realized it will create (from a DoD perspective) more affordable systems and a faster path to implementing performance improvements via tech refresh. It should create a more competitive landscape between the primes and will flow down to their suppliers, like us.

PILAUD: All of them. With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), all military platforms (next-generation and legacy) will need AI. At this time AI needs and leverages GPGPUs, and the source of rugged military-grade GPGPUs are all SOSA aligned. Therefore, the cyclical argument is that all electronic systems will need AI enhancement going forward therefore SOSA [alignment] will play a big role in deploying those AI needs to the warfighter. ■

www.opengroup.org/sosa

SOSA SPECIAL EDITION

The SOSA impact on electronic warfare solutions

By Ian Beavers

The Sensor Open Systems Architecture, or SOSA, Technical Standard has made deployment of new electronic warfare (EW) solutions faster and more modular now that a standardized chassis hardware framework has been established. No longer will the entire EW system need to be captive to a single supplier.

The latest technology can now be released into the field without the need for new program specifications.

EW integrators and their suppliers can focus on their specific area of expertise among the major system component blocks: radio-frequency (RF) front end, digital processing, and algorithms. Platform re-use can be accomplished with one or more of these three major components upgraded to a new solution. Integrators can now provide focused refresh upgrades in a more timely fashion based on the advancements in just one of these areas, without waiting for a revision through an entirely new program.

As the Sensor Open Systems Architec­ ture, or SOSA approach, moves development away from a dedicated approach for a targeted electronic warfare (EW) or communications system, its modular approach enables updates of piecewise sections. Under this approach, open system architectures enable for repurposing for new use cases, while fixed radio configurations for radio-frequency (RF) bandwidths and postprocessing can now process different bands. For example, a system upgrade can now change the RF front-end module and keep the other incumbent hardware in place. Another example: A system that supported only a fixed observable

26 | SOSA Special Edition 2025

X-band can now be fitted for a wide 2-GHz to 18-GHz observation, along with digital filtering and frequency-hopping to stare at selectable swaths up to 4 GHz of bandwidth.

With only an RF front-end modification, an entirely new system capability can be achieved with only partial discrete changes. Integrators can also add incremental secondary feature sets like low-latency loopback paths, fractional sample-rate precision, and linear signal correction as part of the RF updates. The SOSA approach now enables EW providers to innovate at the speed of silicon advancements in incremental fashion with rapid deployments to the field.

Before: New requirements called for new systems

Historically, the specifics of an RF system would need a new system if new requirements emerged. A heterodyne architecture for an X-band radio would require fixed band filtering and amplifiers, a defined local oscillator, and dedicated processing within an 8-GHz to 12-GHz spectrum. When an updated requirement for a more agile EW system observing 2 GHz to 18 Ghz is established, this legacy system would need to be replaced in its entirety, as it would not be flexible enough to support other wider frequency bands. www.opengroup.org/sosa

SOSA SPECIAL EDITION

3UVPX

Ch. Density Module configurability within this area

Narrowband (<1GHz) High Perf (70+ SFDR) High Ch density

Wideband (4+GHz) Med Perf (55+ SFDR) High Ch density

IBW

SFDR

80dB+

*for given SWAP

8GHz+

Med BW (1GHz+) High Perf (70+ dB SFDR) Low Ch density

FIGURE 1 | Configurable 3U VPX SDRs enables more flexibility when compared to legacy closed systems.

for the 3U VPX module to change RF configurations.

Targeted upgrades of technology were not easily accomplished, as the inplace system components could not be swapped with another vendor’s using different instruction sets, connectors, and standards. This situation created unwanted complexity for field teams that wanted to adapt or upgrade their intelligence, as the ability to adapt components would have provided faster operational readiness to defend against evolving threats.

SOSA approach enables easier updates

As the SOSA approach enables modular hardware plug-in card profiles (PICPs), let’s modify this example: Instead of requiring a new full system of RF front end, digital processing, and algorithms, only the RF section needs to be replaced.

Moreover, this update can be performed in the field without sending the original unit back to its manufacturing location. A 3U VPX module supporting a wideband 2-GHz to 18-GHz radio can be used as the upgrade impetus for the new solution. A wideband direct-RF softwaredefined radio (SDR) could enable even more flexibility as an alternate solution www.opengroup.org/sosa

An SDR solution further enables full configurability for unique custom frequency bands of interest across a wide 2-GHz to 18-GHz range. A programmable filter within the RF signal chain allows for custom on-the-fly updates, while digital downconversion (DDC) in the digital domain provides further targeted filtering of noise. By targeting smaller bandwidths with digital filtering of wideband noise, the dynamic range is expanded approximately +6dB for each reduction in the bandwidth by a multiple of 4. A configurable SDR in the field realizes channel, dynamic range, and instantaneous-bandwidth performance tradeoff options that might not have been possible with legacy closed systems. (Figure 1.)

By leveraging a companion numerically controlled oscillator (NCO) within the DDC block, an effective digital local oscillator (LO) provides further sampling power. The NCO enables tuning of the decimated bandwidth to the specific frequency of interest using precise frequency-tuning words, while multiple banks of preset filter coefficients allow for fast frequency hopping (FFH) between observable bandwidths. Rapidly

6-18GHz from 0.1-18GHz from antenna Antenna

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RF Frequency (GHz)

DDC/NCO Fixed LO Downconversion

Downconversion

2

4

6 Fs/2

8

10

Fs

RF Frequency (GHz)

ADC

FIGURE 2 | The observation of multiple

bands within a wideband SDR using DDCs and NCO tuning.

changing NCO tuning words essentially permits observable bandwidths on demand. Digital-to-analog converter (DAC) transmit paths use the inverse digital up-conversion method, respectively, to achieve the same effect. Observation of multiple bands simultaneously within the SDR can be achieved using DDC filtering and NCO tuning. (Figure 2.)

The OpenVPX (VITA 65) and VPX (VITA 46) standards are fundamental to the technical success of both the U.S. Army’s Modular Open Radio Frequency Architecture (MORA) and the SOSA approach.

SOSA Special Edition 2025 | 27

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The VITA standards provide a highperformance computing architecture that can handle the demanding dataprocessing requirements of modern EW systems. The switched-fabric architecture of VPX also enables data transfer at higher rates and wider scalability when compared to incumbent bus-based systems of the past. This common framework is imperative for processing the large quantities of data generated in real time by EW RF sensors and their respective algorithms.

A module that conforms to the MORA 2.4 compliance standard – defined for SDR, tuner, and radiohead payloads – will be compatible in a VPX chassis. MORA creates a standard for the controlling aspects of the VPX RF payloads like bandwidth, gain, and frequency; without it, each piece of hardware would have a unique identifying aspect that would require custom hardware configuration.

With MORA compliant modules, the new SDR hardware can conveniently be

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a i r b o r n. c o m

controlled through a standard instruction set, as standardization enables rapid RF payload integration. System upgrades are also streamlined as new technology becomes available for installation. Deployment of many similar upgraded systems enables a common proliferation of instructions to field teams.

At the speed of progress

The slow-update limitations of legacy closed EW systems appear to be fading.

The SOSA Technical Standard and MORA framework enable faster technology updates at the speed of progress, rather than at the slow rate of closed-system programs. These approaches enable new pathways of flexible RF front-end changes for EW systems of the future.

A wideband direct-RF SDR offers several alternate RF processing solutions for the 3U VPX module to change RF configurations. Practically, real-world modules such as the ADSY1100 carry a wideband multichannel RF digitizer in a 3U VPX SOSA aligned format, featuring DAC sample rates up to 28 GS/sec and analog-to-digital (ADC) sample rates up to 20 GS/sec. RF personality cards customize the signal path observations.

With the help of standardization through the SOSA approach, MORA, and other compliance efforts, new EW capabilities will be able to catapult defense systems into the next g ­ eneration. ■ Ian Beavers is a Field Applications Engineer and Customer Labs manager for the Aerospace and Defense Systems team at Analog Devices in Durham, North Carolina. He has worked for the company since 1996 and has more than 30 years of experience in the semiconductor industry. Ian earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from North Carolina State University and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Readers may reach the author at Ian.Beavers@analog.com.

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SOSA SPECIAL EDITION

Q&A with Travis Slocumb, CEO of Pacific Defense

By John M. McHale III, Editorial Director

Travis Slocumb Leveraging open architecture designs for EW [electronic warfare], PNT [position, navigation and timing], and other applications, Pacific Defense is pushing innovation and adding to the momentum of the U.S. Defense Department’s (DoD’s) MOSA [modular open systems approach] mandate. In this Q&A with Travis Slocumb, co-founder and CEO of Pacific Defense, he elaborates on the benefits of MOSA and how 2025 will be a pivotal year for MOSA. Slocumb also covers the impact MOSA initiatives like CMOSS [C5ISR Modular Open Suite of Standards] and CMMF [CMOSS Mounted Form Factor] will have on military technology shares while also sharing Pacific Defense’s origin story. We also discuss how to speed up the DoD’s acquisition process and recruit engineering talent to the U.S. defense industry.

MCHALE: Please provide a brief description of your responsibility within Pacific Defense and your experience in the defense industry.

SLOCUMB: My responsibility is to create and lead a company strategy that meets, preferably exceeds, the needs of our customers and their ongoing missions in a dynamic geopolitical environment today, and for decades to come. The critical element is building a team and a culture that is aligned to these missions in a real sense, where every engineer in the company understands the “why” associated with the requirements we design and build to, and is empowered to seek faster and better with the process discipline required to successfully field new products and capabilities. We have spent about five years building what I believe to be “best-in-class” teams in engineering, manufacturing, program management, finance, etc., and now we are able to double down on our MOSA [modular open systems approach] technology base and drive much harder and faster than any traditional [U.S.] DoD [Department of Defense] program I have ever worked on. All of that said, my primary daily responsibility is to make decisions with the speed that our team needs and deserves without getting in their way, and to know and care about our people who are committed to our shared success and work very hard.

I have been fortunate over the past 40 years in the industry to get to know many very accomplished professionals and learned all I know from watching and listening to how they solved problems. In the early days it was technology development with the original radar innovators, like Fred Nathanson, Lamont Blake, etc. In the 1990s I worked as a contractor on a series of DARPA programs that were focused on a very real and problematic emerging global threat. Under the right circumstances – including PEO [Program Executive Office] and program engagement, focused FFRDC [Federally Funded Research and Development Center] performance, industry playing to their strengths and collaborating – this can be a very rewarding experience for an early- to mid-career engineer. A lot of learning across multiple disciplines. Finally, Raytheon was a step up to a C-level role in what

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SOSA SPECIAL EDITION

was, at the time, Space and Airborne Systems based in El Segundo. I somehow landed in the middle of a great team with a strong technology base that was on the precipice of having to compete on several new, large programs. That was serious fun, and we won a few of them, culminating in the Next Generation Jammer Mid-band program.

I had the unique experience of being the BD [business development] executive for the segment through the competitive process, then converting to the product line VP post-award on point for negotiating the EMD [engineering and manufacturing development] contract with a great Navy team, then saw it through CDR [critical design review] before moving on. Lots of exposure to lots of great people, like Bill Swanson, over the years, and for that I am grateful.

MCHALE: How has your Raytheon experience helped you now lead a supplier to companies such as Raytheon?

SLOCUMB: With the exception of a couple of programs, we aren’t really selling much to the large traditional primes currently. Most of our product sales volume is from smaller nontraditional direct suppliers, and most of our anticipated growth will likely derive from other sources over the next few years. We sell modular products to everyone, so it is certainly possible that these relationships could grow in the future. We put a high premium on technical support, getting our products to perform to customer expectations in their environment. We seek and generally get balanced terms on our contracts and purchase orders. At any larger company, you learn to hire the smartest, most experienced, and respectfully communicative contracts professionals you can find, and I believe at Pacific Defense we have done exactly that.

MCHALE: Please describe how Pacific Defense came to be; how Spectranetix, Spear Research, Perceptronics fit together; and the company’s mission within defense electronics.

SLOCUMB: The creation of Pacific Defense was inspired by lessons learned throughout my career, and particularly from the experience of running a sizable EW [electronic warfare] business at a first-tier supplier/integrator. This afforded a comprehensive view of the future threat environment and, as a supplier to both domestic and international 4th-gen fighters, provided lessons learned in rapidly evolving global operations, where legacy kit was steadily falling behind. There was, in 2019, a growing base of MOSAbased software-defined radio (SDR) and utility card technologies that, with additional investment and engineering leadership, could form the basis of a new generation of EW capability better suited to what has become a software-based fight. Spectranetix stood out as a clear leader in the field, and I was very fortunate to convince Rick Lu and team to jump on the bandwagon. To their credit, the Spectranetix engineers were thought leaders who had already spent several years working with Army C5ISR [command, control, computers, communications, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance] to bring high performance CMOSS [C5ISR Modular Open Suite of Standards] technologies to the EW portfolio.

Spear Research is our EW system center of excellence. We have had a lot of success integrating third-party applications like SCEPTRE and various government-owned frameworks, but [we] still see a need to design, rapidly implement, and verify organically created algorithms/techniques. We have a long-term capability roadmap maintained by the team in Nashua (New Hampshire) and El Segundo (California), and provide quarterly software drops to all of our customers who want them.

Perceptronics, our partner, is an innovative, pure-play AI/ML [artificial intelligence/ machine learning] research company with capabilities ranging from embedded applications like signal classification and RF signal anomaly detection to novel data fusion algorithms and advanced mission planning and support frameworks enabling trusted www.opengroup.org/sosa

autonomous operations. We realized early on that bringing our EW subject-matter experts and our data scientists together on one integrated team focused on system level performance on a sustained basis was the only way to credibly bring AI to the EW fight. For example, Perceptronics has delivered AI-based radio type recognition software that allows our EW systems to identify enemy and friendly radios quickly and accurately, a key requirement for modern spectrum warfare. In addition, we have integrated AI/ML techniques that include machine learning classifiers and Bayesian algorithms to improve detection performance, minimize false alarms, and reduce operator workload in our EW systems.

Though EW was a primary motivator to start the company, we rapidly realized that integrated communications and networking, A-PNT [assured position, navigation, and timing], cyber, and a variety of mission command applications were easily integrated and synergistic with the EW mission. Now we spend a lot of time bringing these capabilities together in a single chassis to support a variety of use cases, like networked EW in a dense UAS [uncrewed aerial system] threat environment.

Our company motto is “if it does not work in the field, it does not really work.” We participated in well over 100 live exercises over the past couple of years, and always bring back lessons learned that end up in our MOSA baseline.

Lastly, I cannot say enough about how powerful MOSA is once you fully embrace it with rigorous adherence to CMOSS, FACE [Future Airborne Capability Environ­ment], and SOSA [Sensor Open Systems Architecture] standards, and stick to it as an engineering discipline and a business model. I view it as a significant departure from the world I grew up in, and a game-changer for national security, especially winning the nonkinetic fight.

People often ask me, “what if the department backs away and does not require it?” My answer is that we still have, as a company, all of the benefits that matter in any competitive procurement … speed, maturity, affordability … and will never turn back.

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MCHALE: Pacific Defense is particularly focused on producing technologies based on MOSA strategies such as SOSA, CMOSS, and CMFF [CMOSS Mounted Form Factor]. Why does MOSA have so much momentum in the defense community right now and how does it benefit the warfighter?

SLOCUMB: I see increased momentum in senior leadership in the services, especially over the last year. Budgets are very tight, and we are spending a fortune to maintain an installed base that is aging out and is frankly not very capable. Our adversaries are putting technologies in place rapidly that are impactful globally, and our leadership knows that we have to radically change the way we do business. The open model is very intuitive – a dollar spent to mature the base benefits all customers. Once the base reaches an adequate level of technical maturity in industry, the ability to rapidly pivot to field new capability is unlimited, if we can collectively get out of our own way.

I am proud to have started a company that absolutely has proven, in a relatively short amount of time, that the model is viable and needs to be the way of the future, starting now. Frankly, I think some customers struggle to believe what we show them, but we will keep going to every live event we can and keep pounding the drum.

I think 2025 will be a pivotal year for MOSA. (Figure 1.)

Our warfighters are amazingly resilient and adaptive, but they still spend a lot of time planning, configuring, fixing, fat-fingering, and dealing with uncertainty about the environments they work in. The model of having multiwaveform-resilient comms, APNT, EW, signals intelligence, cyber, and robust mission planning all living on cards in one box, on a single backplane, enabled by some level of autonomous decision aids, is a gamechanger. The ability to focus on planning and managing the fight across many nodes on a battlefield with speed, certainty, and precision is the goal. There is still a lot of software to be written to meet this goal, but with a MOSA base [what is learned from] each use case, or deployment, are relatively easily feed forward into the next drop. We do this routinely, and work with industry partners to establish the tools and discipline to make

the model supportable, for example, continuous ATO [authorization to operate].

MCHALE: Some DoD leaders have called for more metrics on MOSA success to combat naysayers. How would one describe or measure the success of a MOSA initiative?

SLOCUMB: Well, you really can’t beat the “tried-and-true” schedule and cost to field a new capability, as well as mission-related performance metrics.

Many of the traditional “off-the shelf” proprietary products out there are not architected to support change or rapid third-party capability integration, and typically are not attached to a software factory. Stick with fixed price development, make schedule and cost your primary [evaluation] criteria, and you will likely get a MOSA-based approach. I like the “try before you buy model” where system level capability is evaluated by a government-sponsored third party, and the ability to [leverage] plug-and-play capability, hardware or software, is rigorously assessed. The only naysayers we see are those with long-standing equities that are threatened by the model, no need to elaborate here.

FIGURE 1 | Shown: The “Ares” integrated system demonstration vehicle from Pacific Defense, equipped with Sensor Open System Architecture (SOSA)/C5ISR/EW Modular Open Suite of Standards (CMOSS) multifunction RF systems, antennas, and operator terminals.

32 | SOSA Special Edition 2025

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SOSA SPECIAL EDITION

Success equals a satisfied user, and a system that gives our warfighters a sustainable advantage at a very reasonable cost. This is doable.

MCHALE: Aside from MOSA, what are the types of design requirements are you seeing from your customers?

SLOCUMB: The usual performancebased specifications: environmental, SWAP [size, weight, and power], legacy interfaces, etc., most of which do not relate to MOSA. There are several positive trends that are synergistic with MOSA, including a renewed interest in model-based system engineering and new UX/UI [user experience/user interface] technologies that address intuitive system management and real-time optimization. The ability to give a young operator a new system that is intuitive to use, requiring a minimal amount of training to get up and running is highly valued. Our industry segment has traditionally struggled with putting sufficient emphasis on UX development and refinement. Rightly so – we put a lot of energy into system engineering and system-level validation. I am constantly pushing my team to put that level of energy into UX refinement as well. Candidly, we are not there yet, but this is a priority going into 2025.

MCHALE: MOSA initiatives enable more commercial technology to get into military systems; that said, does the DoD acquisition process need to speed up to truly take advantage of commercial innovation? If yes, how so?

SLOCUMB: From a legal perspective, the DoD opened the door to speed several years ago with OTA [Other Transaction Authority] and MTA [MiddleTier Acquisition] contracting. We view disciplined adoption of MOSA by DoD and industry as an excellent complement to the legal remedy to get to the commercial timelines desired. We are involved in a current competition where vendor solutions are undergoing environmental qualification prior to selection for contract award. This is unprecedented in the legacy model, and a great www.opengroup.org/sosa

THERE ARE SEVERAL POSITIVE TRENDS THAT ARE SYNERGISTIC WITH MOSA, INCLUDING A RENEWED INTEREST IN MODEL-BASED SYSTEM ENGINEERING AND NEW UX/UI TECHNOLOGIES THAT ADDRESS INTUITIVE SYSTEM MANAGEMENT AND REAL-TIME OPTIMIZATION. example of a government team that has absolutely found the recipe and done the disciplined work over the past year to succeed in breaking new ground.

In addition to our growing modular product portfolio, we are planning to launch several system-level products for commercial sale next year, where the customer can cut a purchase order for the product and solicit ongoing engineering support to evolve the product to user needs, including integration of emerging third-party capabilities to counter rapid changes in the threat environment. Additionally, this installed base will have access to quarterly capability drops already on our roadmap. A bit further out, but under consideration internally, is a service-based model for EW, comms, A-PNT, etc. More to come on the service-based model over the next year.

MCHALE: Pacific Defense recently announced the team for the CMFF program, which includes Thales Defense & Security Inc., BAE Systems, as well as Regal Technology Partners, Palantir, and STC. What makes this team ideal for CMFF and how is Pacific Defense leading it?

SLOCUMB: Teaming, partnering, collaborating with industry and government partners is the heart and soul of our company. Between plug-in cards and software applications we have integrated with well over 30 partner companies, mostly in public settings. We are already working closely with our CMFF partners on related development efforts and have great relationships at the working level; this team is already fully functioning. Our partners are very good at what they do and are well-established, and they clearly see the transformational potential of a MOSA-based approach to rapidly deploying new capabilities like CMFF. I don’t really need to explain why this group is ideal … their reputations speak for themselves.

How do we lead it? We put a thoughtful, compliant, affordable plan on the table, solicit feedback, and manage to the plan. Fun fact: We have a very experienced program-management team in the company, perform quarterly EACs [estimates at completion] on all programs, and generally hold across the portfolio, quarter after quarter. We are fair, communicative, and respectful … which goes a long way.

MCHALE: What other disruptive technology or innovation do you see being a game-changer in the defense electronics arena? Predict the future.

SLOCUMB: Once programs like CMFF, HMIF [human-machine integrated formation], and CCA [collaborative combat aircraft] are fully configured and in the hands of our soldiers we will likely see very powerful ways to leverage the network that we can currently only imagine. These architectures will enable automated decision support across domains and give our team the speed needed to stay way ahead of our adversaries. Clearly the addition of large numbers of low-cost unmanned network nodes will change the game. We will always see a trend toward lower-SWaP-plus-cost systems, especially on platforms that attrit at some rate.

We also observe that successful use of AI in the commercial market relies on powerful, centralized processing to train and update models. Defense missions, however, must adapt quickly in environments without access to such computational power. Working SOSA Special Edition 2025 | 35

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with Carnegie Mellon University, we are developing innovative approaches to use AI directly at the edge of conflict.

MCHALE: The defense industry is embracing new technologies and methods, but some corners wonder if the same is being done with new engineering talent. There seems to be a lot more gray hair at military shows like AUSA and Sea Air Space than at non-defense trade shows. Does the military-electronics industry have a talent recruitment challenge on its hands? If so, how can it be solved? How does Pacific Defense recruit engineering talent?

SLOCUMB: Maybe, but we certainly do not see this trend. We seek energy, passion, and commitment, and we see this at all ages from our interns to our octogenarians who frankly are still kicking it. Our team runs fast and hard, and we have had had to “grow up” very rapidly, which creates a fair amount of natural attrition, but we see no age trends relating to this. I’m guessing we are a young team compared to peer companies … our lead engineer is in his early 40s, and we have key engineering leadership roles filled by very talented individuals in their 20s and 30s.

I am the “recruiter-in-chief,” probably the most important aspect of the role. It’s all about the network. I have worked with some people in this company for decades. We also have seven locations across the country, each with a fully functioning networked Software Integration Lab [SIL], and we seek the top talent in each area. We have a robust summer intern program (my favorite by far). These “kids” are amazing, and we hire many of them. We had one intern that we could not place, but he kept coming to work at intern wages, learning and doing a great job. You cannot beat that kind of commitment, and, yes, we ultimately hired him. ■

Travis Slocumb is CEO of Pacific Defense and worked with Emerald Lake Capital to found the company in 2020. He has experience as a product line general manager, strategist, business development leader, and chief technology officer.

Prior to his role as CEO of Pacific Defense, Travis launched and led the Electronic Warfare Systems (EWS) business unit at Raytheon Technologies, including programs like Next Generation Jammer, ALR-69A, ALR-67-V3, towed decoys, EWPMT, and several strategic classified efforts. He also served as VP of Business Development and Strategy for Raytheon’s Space and Airborne Systems segment. Travis earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the College of William and Mary in Virginia.

Pacific Defense https://www.pacific-defense.com/

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SOSA SPECIAL EDITION

SOSA approach using VITA form factors in ATR, SAVE, or rackmount enclosures: The MOSA strategy in support of U.S. warfighters

By Bill Pilaud

When designing integrated systems in ATR [air transport rack], SAVE [standardized A-kit vehicle envelope], and 19-inch rackmount enclosures using VITA form factors within the Sensor Open Systems Architecture, or SOSA, framework, the Air Force, Army, and Navy benefit from a superior electronics form factor for all platforms across the U.S. arsenal. The VITA ecosystem offers a wide range of vendors providing CPU, switch, FPGA [field-programmable gate array], GPGPU [general-purpose graphics processing unit], power, RF digitizers, and up-/down-converter solutions. This approach enables systems integrators to develop any C5ISR [command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance] system by selecting off-the-shelf VITA plug-in cards (PICs) and pairing them with the appropriate enclosure for deployment on military platforms. This flexibility makes SOSA/VITA subsystems the optimal choice for implementing MOSA – the modular open systems approach.

The Open Group Sensor Open Systems Architecture, or SOSA, consortium was formed in 2017 as a collaboration of U.S. armed service, tier-one defense primes, academia, and open systems providers with the charter of developing a consensus-based, company-neutral open standard. The SOSA Technical Standard (ratified in fall 2021) was bolstered by the 2019 Tri-Service memorandum on the modular open systems approach (MOSA), in which the secretaries of the Navy, Army, and Air Force Service

38 | SOSA Special Edition 2025

Acquisition Executive and Program Executive Officers mandated MOSA as a requirement for all future weapons systems for warfighters’ success1.

For the last 40 years, VITA ecosystem providers have been developing components that have increasingly been deployed in embedded systems with a solid track record of performance with optimized size, weight, and power (SWaP). The ecosystem is so pervasive that nearly every platform in the U.S.

arsenal has VITA subsystems in one form or another. The SOSA approach, which leverages open standards including VITA form factors, is enabled by enclosure types like SAVE [standardized A-kit vehicle envelope] for Army ground mobile platforms; ATR [air transport rack] for Air Force, Navy, and Army airborne platforms; and 19-inch rackmount for Navy ships and subs.

SOSA or VITA plug-in cards (PICs) are available that meet the operational www.opengroup.org/sosa

SOSA SPECIAL EDITION

system communications by defining MIL-STD-1560 connectors, as well as defining pin definition to further improve system integration.

The SOSA Consortium vision is to solve a common challenge faced by military platforms: the difficulty of integrating electronic systems that currently rely on different architectures. These challenges include high costs, complex maintenance, and limited industry-wide support for stovepiped solutions. In keeping with MOSA, the SOSA approach seeks to ensure upgradability, interoperability, and interchangeability across all branches of the DoD. Each single electronic subsystem function – including crew display, APNT [assured positioning, navigation, and timing], and 360-degree situational awareness – is a different electronics subsystem and a potentially different base architecture type.

Similarly, the communication radios and the electronic warfare (EW) protection subsystems using similar antenna or sensor arrays cannot swap components and are then single points of failure. Even if these subsystems have the same mount points to the equipment bay, the field-replaceable units (FRUs) in each subsystem are rarely interchangeable. For example, power supplies from one system can never be used in another, so therefore the logistics depot must stock individual systems and FRUs to maintain the platform.

The SOSA approach has standardized on an electronics form factor that has the capability to move electronics subsystem mission into a single or combination of VITA PICs. These VITA PICs are generic but are adapted to mission based on software load.

Therefore, an APNT subsystem can be hosted in a single VITA APNT PIC and cabled to other subsystems based on SOSA defined interfaces. A combination of PICs can be hosted on a backplane to SWaP-optimize electronics deployment. (Figure 1.) requirements of any C5ISR application and are intended for these enclosure variants which fit into existing equipment bays. The result is that SOSA/VITA PIC combinations are the optimal logistics solution and offer the best time-totheater for the U.S. arsenal. Therefore, the SOSA/VITA combination is the best strategy to deploy MOSA electronic subsystems.

What is the SOSA Consortium?

The SOSA Consortium is made up of industry and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) representatives tasked with providing the best open standard to meet the mission needs of the warfighter with the quickest time-to-theater. By leveraging existing standards like MIL-STD, VITA, VICTORY [Vehicular Integration for C5ISR/EW Interoperability], and the Future Airborne Capability Environment, or FACE, Technical Standard, the SOSA Consortium downselects PIC profiles to expedite source selection of plug-in cards. The SOSA approach further improves system-to-sensor or system-towww.opengroup.org/sosa

SAVE chassis

Eventually, for Army platforms, the system integrator can host all electronic subsystems functions of the platform in SAVE, and the system is not only SWaP-optimized but also cost-effective due to minimal logistics cost. SAVE defines the size, weight, power, environmental requirements, connector requirements, and electrical interfaces for C5ISR systems installed in ground combat vehicles.

The SOSA Technical Standard is, however, an 80% specification. Not all innovations, sensors, or deployed systems can be implemented with 100% SOSA aligned components. An example of components not SOSA aligned are backplanes, which can have more than 8 million permutations. The bulk of backplane interconnects, however, such as PIC-to-PIC (slot-to-slot) communication paths are defined via backplane channels such as the data plane, expansion plane and control plane. System-to-system (chassis-to-chassis) connectivity is accomplished via SOSA defined 38999 connectors and pinouts.

The SOSA Consortium has selected three different form factors from VITA: 3U and 6U VPX (VITA 46) and VNX (VITA 90). Moreover, the consortium is looking to new VITA standards to better support next-generation technologies.

What is VITA/VPX?

VITA (VMEbus International Trade Association, https://www.vita.com/) was created in 1984 as the VMEbus industry trade association. The VME standard is a form factor adopted by markets including military, aviation, telecommunications, medical, and industrial manufacturing. VITA would then accredit its standards into the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). In 2003, VPX (VITA 46, 48, 65, 66, and 67) was initiated with the advent of serialized or point-to-point (not bused) technologies. VPX helped define architectures to implement serial fabrics such as RapidIO, PCI Express, SOSA Special Edition 2025 | 39

SOSA SPECIAL EDITION

and Ethernet as board-to-board communications paths between PICs. VPX quickly became one of the more popular open form factors for military applications, with the result that many major C5ISR subsystems for the Navy, Army, and Air Force use the VPX form factor today.

The reason the system integrators chose VPX over any other open standard was the quick time-to-theater it promised and the fact that the systems were built with ruggedization in mind. REDI [Ruggedized Enhanced Design Implementation, or VITA 48.0] defined mechanical standards for air cooling (48.1), conduction cooling (48.2), air-flowthrough (48.8), and air-flow-by (48.7, sealed air cooling). Perhaps even more innovative is that VPX also defined liquid-flow-through cooling in VITA 48.4.

Perhaps the most compelling arguments for VPX are the service features: By combining the different mechanical form factors to adapt the PICs to different platforms, the cards can be built to Level 2 maintenance capability, meaning that these modules can be serviced with protective gloves in the field rather than transported to a maintenance depot. If a module fails, the brigade or platform could maintain a few generic PIC spares to replace failed PICs in-theater. In short, with VPX the subsystem mission electronics can be easily maintained while large, heavy enclosures remain in place.

Repair/replace service time savings is substantial. For example, the time required to service the F-18 radar would go from approximately 18 hours for repair-depot servicing down to 1 hour to perform the service in the field.

Moreover, under VPX there exists an electronics PIC for every mission function.

VPX providers have built SBCs [singleboard computers], DSPs [digital signal processors], GPGPUs [general-purpose graphics processing units], FPGAs [fieldprogrammable gate arrays], RFSOC [radiofrequency system on a chip], RF up- and down-converters, Ethernet switches, and a multitude of input/output (I/O) carriers.

Every processing capability, analog digitization, signal processing, storage, or human-machine interface has a VPX PIC from multiple vendors.

Further improving RF serviceability is in the adoption of blind-mate VITA 66/67 backplane connections that enable easier servicing of analog backplane interconnects. These backplane-cabled connections eliminate front-panel cabling which can otherwise complicate PIC removal and insertion.

FIGURE 1 | A combination of PICs can be hosted on a backplane (center) to optimize SWaP in electronics deployment. Images courtesy LCR Embedded Computing, Wolf Advanced Technology, and U.S. Army.

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www.opengroup.org/sosa

The SOSA Consortium has additionally improved PIC logistics by settling on subsets of the VITA specification with select 3U and 6U PIC profiles. (See https://www.opengroup.org/sosa.) This reduction in the number of PIC profiles is intended to simplify backplane interconnect options without reducing system design options. The 8 million variants of backplane choices number somewhat less now.

The SOSA Technical Standard has also defined a subset of VNX (VITA 90) for similar reasons. VNX – currently in the early stages of definition and ecosystem availability – is targeted to be the form factor for cubesats, manpacks, and small-diameter aerial and other platforms.

Enclosures for SOSA/VPX

SAVE: Standard A Kit Enclosure (SAVE)2 describes the size and shape for a standard mounting location and physical interfaces for C5ISR equipment specifically for ground mobile vehicles. SAVE is a subset of the overall PEO GCS common infrastructure architecture.

SAVE enclosures enable the deployment of systems adhering to the VICTORY standard: SAVE specifies the enclosure envelope to be 9.3 inches high (H) by 15.9 inches wide by 16.1 inches deep inclusive of mounting trays, handles, and connectors. LCR has adapted SAVE to host VPX, which makes SWaP-optimized, VICTORY-enabled CMOSS [C5ISR/Electronic Warfare Modular Open Suite of Standards] subsystems possible. SAVE defines and adapts mounting bolt patterns for mounting equipment into existing Army platforms.

Airborne Transport Rack (ATR): Aeronautical Radio Incorporated (ARINC) was established in 1929 and later sold to Collins Aerospace, which is now part of Raytheon. The ATR ARINC 404 standard3 establishes a method of mounting enclosures on to airframes and has nomenclature defining ½ (4.88-inch), ¾ (7.5-inch) and full (10.12-inch) as well as long (19.53-inch) and short (12.52-inch) lengths at a standard (7.62-inch) or tall (10.625-inch) height. Because of the I/O, fan, and electronics bay mounting, an ATR is ideal for most airborne platforms, although many airborne systems tweak dimensions due to pod or nose cone constraints. The mounting subsystems are maintained to improve system serviceability. Nearly all new and emerging systems intended for ATR chassis are designed using the SOSA/VPX architecture. (Figure 2.)

Rackmount: Rackmount systems, a standard 19 inches, have long been the chassis/ packaging-level solution for defense, data centers, industrial control centers, broadcasting, enterprise IT, and other applications. Rackmount systems protect electronics from harsh environments and are deployed in most U.S. naval applications. Rackmount systems are comprised of interconnected individual 19-inch chassis, each of which is often based on different electronics system architectures. This setup can lead to a disparate array of electronic systems that are difficult to maintain.

If the U.S. Navy were to standardize on 6U or 3U VPX SOSA systems, these 19-inch rack systems could be SWaP-optimized to maximize processing and sensor digitization as well as reduce the Navy’s logistics costs. In short, the benefits of the SOSA/ VPX modular architecture would carry over to rackmount systems. The sister division of LCR Embedded, Electromet, designs and manufactures rugged 19-inch rack mount enclosures.

VPX backplane common to all platforms

What ties all these enclosure form factors together? The VPX backplane is the communications component for optimal PIC-to-PIC communication. Currently, VPX is capable of 100 Gbit/sec communications in the dataplane designation of the VPX PIC profile.

With pulse amplitude modulation 4 (PAM4), SERDES [serializer/deserializer] backplane bandwidth could be improved to 200 Gbit/sec. Perhaps with PAM8 this could be pushed www.opengroup.org/sosa

FIGURE 2 | Shown: A 10-slot/8-PIC slot/ 2-power supply ATR.

FIGURE 3 | Shown: A VPX backplane – used for PIC-to-PIC communication.

to 800Gbit/sec. The standard is evolving with VPX100 where pin density doubles as well as baud rate, making 1.6 Tb/sec backplanes possible. This capability would set up current and existing SOSA aligned VPX PIC enclosures for many future system upgrades with next-generation technology. Combining the VPX backplane with the platform-specified enclosure makes SOSA/VPX the most compelling and cost-effective architecture for deployment to the system integrator. There is a PIC or combination of PICs that can do most any C5ISR electronic function.

(Figure 3.)

Why SOSA VITA? Logistics!

According to the Congressional Research Service, the U.S. government employs 80,000 people and spends $35 billion per year to repair and maintain equipment, but the condition of facilities and equipment is described as “fair to poor.”4 The number of different types of electronics subassemblies and the sheer amount of aging or poorly maintained equipment will exacerbate the national problem of defense and what technologies come next. Many of these platforms are unable to succeed in-theater due to obsolescence in components and technology and are unable to host the latest SOSA Special Edition 2025 | 41

SOSA SPECIAL EDITION

commercially developed software. Standardizing on one type of electronic form factor like SOSA/VPX for all of the platforms in the national arsenal would greatly improve this situation. In short, subsystems used in U.S. Navy platforms can be adapted for Army platforms by simply changing the software because the PICs are essentially the same for EW, electronic attack (EA), radar, or surveillance systems.

Another example: Artificial intelligence (AI) compute systems hosted in an Air Force uncrewed aerial system (UAS) could be repurposed for Army communication, EW, surveillance, weapons control, navigation, and other systems needed in the field, using the most current silicon systems at the time of need.

The U.S. warfighter need not go into the fight with 20- or 30-year-old electronic components because the backplane interface is standardized; as long as the PIC is backwards-compatible, the new systems can be changed at deployment time. If there ever was a time for the U.S. military to migrate to the MOSA approach using the latest technology, it is now, as the global threat level continues to increase. ■ Notes

R. Spencer, M. Esper, H. Wilson https://www.dsp.dla.mil/Portals/26/Documents/ PolicyAndGuidance/Memo-Modular_Open_Systems_Approach.pdf , January 7, 2019.

2 PEO GCS, PL CTPI Detroit Arsenal, MI https://www.highergov.com/document/save-idddistroa-v1-0final-22-2-22-pdf-a08c96/ , February 22, 2022.

3 ARINC 404A 1974 Edition https://global.ihs.com/doc_detail.cfm?document_ name=ARINC%20404A&item_s_key=00011257 , March 15, 1974.

4 Congressional Research Service Defense Primer: Department of Defense Maintenance Depots, https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11466 , December 30, 2022.

1

Bill Pilaud, Chief Technologist at LCR Embedded Systems, has 35 years of experience in the embedded computing industry and is a recognized expert in open architecture systems design. He has worked in variety of roles at Mercury, Motorola, Curtiss-Wright, Concurrent, Vicor, and Abaco. During his career, Bill has held positions as a line engineer and field applications engineer as well as roles in sales, product marketing management, product line management, and general management. Bill holds a BS in computer engineering from Clemson University (S.C.) and an MBA from Northeastern University in Boston.

LCR Embedded Systems www.lcrembeddedsystems.com/

Engineered to be Open Our portfolio of secure, high-performance, interoperable compute building blocks are aligned to the SOSA® Technical Standard to make system design quicker and easier: n Digital signal processing engines powered by Intel® data center processors n GPU coprocessing engines powered by NVIDIA® GPUs n SBCs powered by Atom® and Intel processors n IQ-Core® Software for unified network management across platforms, form-factors, and domains n PCIe® and Ethernet switches n Pre-integrated systems and development starter kits n Assured positioning, navigation, and timing solutions for trusted information while operating in limited or denied GPS/GNSS conditions

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SOSA SPECIAL EDITION

Think tanks: How smarter vehicle electronics are enabled by open architectures

By Dan Taylor

An M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle assigned to 2nd Squadron, 13th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, engages a target during a Bradley Table VI active crew evaluation at McGregor Range, New Mexico. U.S. Army photo by Spc. David Poleski.

Imagine a battlefield where tanks predict enemy movements, armored personnel carriers self-diagnose mechanical issues, and infantry fighting vehicles automatically adjust their defensive systems based on incoming threats. Thanks to advancements in vehicle electronics – or vetronics – and open architecture initiatives like CMOSS [C4ISR/EW (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance/electronic warfare) Modular Open Suite of Standards] this vision is closer to reality than ever before.

In the span of a generation, military vehicles have evolved from relatively simple mechanical beasts to rolling supercomputers. Today’s combat vehicles pack more processing power than entire command centers did just a few decades ago.

be easily upgraded as technology inevitably marches forward? These are the issues the defense industry must focus on in 2024 and beyond.

This exponential growth in capability brings with it a host of new questions: How do you keep these complex systems secure? How can you ensure they work seamlessly with older equipment?

Perhaps most crucially, how do you design vehicle electronics (vetronics) to

One solution that enables vetronics systems as a way to get new technology integrated into vehicles more quickly is the C4ISR/EW [command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance/electronic warfare] Modular Open Suite of Standards (CMOSS). The standard addresses long-standing issues of interoperability and life cycle costs in military vehicle electronics. CMOSS is designed to streamline the integration of various subsystems and make future upgrades more cost-effective.

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Open architectures enabling vetronics innovation

One way to solve these challenges is to leverage a modular open systems ap­proach (MOSA) and develop open architecture solutions that meet open standards.

www.opengroup.org/sosa

SOSA SPECIAL EDITION

FIGURE 1 | Curtiss-Wright’s VPX3-1262 is a rugged 3U OpenVPX single-board computer designed for high-performance processing systems aligned to the Sensor Open Systems Architecture, or SOSA, Technical Standard. using their technology to implement our vehicle management systems and hosts for the required network-centric warfare applications used by our soldiers.”

Brinkman adds that while the full benefits of CMOSS are yet to be realized, they are expected to pay off in the future, particularly when dealing with subsystem obsolescence issues.

CMOSS aims to establish an open standard-based architecture for C5ISR/EW systems (with the extra C standing for “cyber”), says Shaun Fischer, division vice president for business development at Abaco Systems (Huntsville, Alabama).

This approach has multiple benefits, including reducing size, weight, and power (SWaP) requirements; increasing interoperability; and accelerating the insertion of new technologies.

“Traditionally, they are all different subsystems with limited interoperability off the shelf,” Fischer explains. “Significant time and cost are spent to integrate such subsystems into a platform, and even more time and costs are typically required to add or change these subsystems after integration.”

CMOSS addresses these points by defining a reference architecture and set of standards. This standardization www.opengroup.org/sosa

maximizes interoperability between subsystem components and enables upgrades without significant impact on other components.

John Ormsby, director of business development at Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions (Ashburn, Virginia), highlights the cost-saving aspect of this approach.

“CMOSS mitigates expensive replacement costs and the logistical impact of upgrades to resolve obsolescence and meet security and performance requirements to defeat the ever-changing threats U.S. ground forces are facing on the battlefield,” he says. (Figure 1.)

CMOSS has been a requirement on BAE Systems Army programs for some time, notes Mark Brinkman, director of sustainment, BAE Systems (Falls Church, Virginia). “We have embraced this as a platform solution and engaged with industry leaders such as Curtiss-Wright,

This approach has benefits beyond just the U.S. military, says Paul Mehney, vice president of strategy and communications at Thales Defense & Security (Clarksburg, Maryland). “We are embarking on efforts to develop technology that may be applicable to NATO and foreign security partner use as we see demand signals from coalition countries for CMOSS capability.”

Virtualizing radio capability through CMOSS will address SWaP challenges in both manned and unmanned platforms, he adds. Moreover, it will enable network transport security upgrades without requiring expensive hardware changes.

Implementation hurdles

While CMOSS promises significant benefits for military vehicle electronics, its implementation is not without obstacles.

Industry experts point to several key aspects that must be addressed for the standard to reach its potential.

Managing cost is always problematic with any new technology implementation.

“The upfront cost of hardware that fits inside a common architecture approach is always the challenge,” Brinkman says.

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LEVERAGING AI FOR VETRONICS SYSTEMS Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) solutions are rapidly becoming integral components of military vetronics systems, offering new capabilities and enhancing existing ones across many aspects of military vehicle operations.

“AI/ML technologies are critical for implementing and enhancing autonomous and semi-autonomous capabilities in nextgeneration vehicles,” says John Ormsby, director of business development at Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions (Ashburn, Virginia). “[The technology] must support manned, optionally manned, and fully autonomous platforms all working in sync.”

The integration of AI/ML is driven by the need for faster and more efficient data processing, says Shaun Fischer, division vice president for business development at Abaco Systems (Huntsville, Alabama).

“AI/ML offers a potentially exponential acceleration in data processing at significantly higher volumes,” he says. “More sensors on a vehicle … require more processing at the edge where timing is critical and you can’t afford cloud-­computing latency.” [Sidebar Figure 1] Fischer points out that at present, the primary applications of AI/ML in vetronics focus on threat recognition, tracking in weapons systems, active protection systems, and autonomy features like obstacle avoidance in uncrewed systems. He also highlights the importance of sensor fusion, where AI/ML plays a crucial role in integrating data from multiple sources.

Sidebar Figure 1 | The Abaco Systems SBC3513 single-board computer, aligned with the SOSA Technical Standard, is designed to increase processing perform­ ance and bandwidth for command, control, communications, computers intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) applications.

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“Ultimately, the goal [of AI/ML] is to aid in decision-making by reducing the irrelevant data and focusing on the more critical data given the current contextual environment,” Fischer states.

Advancements in computing power have made it possible to implement ML algorithms directly in vehicle-mounted sensors, says Mark Brinkman, director of sustainment, BAE Systems (Falls Church, Virginia). “That means when we get a high-end sensor to integrate, such as a Teledyne FLIR EO/IR [electro-optical/ infrared] sensor, it has enough compute power in the sensor to run aided target recognition (AiTR) algorithms at or near the sensor, where those algorithms belong and not after the image has been compressed for distribution,” he explains.

This speed-up can make a big difference in battle situations, “effectively reducing the kill-chain timing from minutes to seconds,” Brinkman adds.

Looking to the future, Brinkman says he sees the potential for AI and large language models to support advanced logistics systems. He also emphasizes the growing importance of AI in uncrewed systems: “The speed and effectiveness of low-cost unmanned/remotely manned effectors necessitates an absolute need for an agile machine-in-the-loop algorithm to create an effective layered defense.” (Sidebar Figure 2.)

Such technology is enabled by better graphics processors (GPUs), Ormsby says: “[GPUs] are using a combination of AI/ML, image processing, and high-performance graphical generation in a high-density cost/power-efficient package.”

Paul Mehney, vice president of strategy and communications at Thales Defense & Security (Clarksburg, Maryland) points out a practical application of AI in vetronics: allowing vehicles to monitor themselves and adjust power distribution loads as capabilities are turned on and off. This capability demonstrates how AI can optimize vehicle performance and power management in real time.

Real-world sensor applications are already taking advantage of this technology. “BAE Systems, in cooperation with KDA [Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace], can link and share sensor video streams, metadata, target information, slew-to-cue commands, and much more across a mobile ad hoc network (MANET) for a platoon (or higher) of vehicles and command operation centers – all in a matter of days,” Brinkman says.

“Significant amounts of vehicle data are being processed for predictive maintenance as well as sensor fusion for functions like threat identification, autonomy, etc.," Abaco's Fischer says. “In order to support the rapid evolution of such technologies, open standards are needed to create commonality and interoperability and enable rapid tech insertion at the subsystem level with minimal impact to other subsystems.”

Sidebar Figure 2 | A screenshot of Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace’s Integrated Combat Solution (ICS) software, which enables BAE Systems to integrate multiple sensors and effectors in its vehicles. www.opengroup.org/sosa

Fischer agrees, noting that “the biggest challenge will be funding, as with most paradigm shifts.”

Cyber defense is an ongoing concern as well. “One of the major challenges is the implementation of certified cyber­security enhancements to protect the computing and networking systems from emerging threats,” Ormsby says.

SDRs

The transition to software-defined radio (SDR) solutions is yet another element facing open architecture designers, Fischer adds. While running RF waveforms on open standards computing cards is relatively straightforward, he says that the real challenge lies elsewhere: “It’s connecting that card into the open standards architecture with the power amplifiers and radio heads – where the RF signals are transmitted and received – that still needs work,” Fischer says. He adds that Ethernet-based radio components, which form the backbone of CMOSS architectures, are still catching up in terms of robustness.

FIGURE 2 | Pacific Defense’s SX-3000 CMFF system. Thales collaborates with Pacific Defense and other providers as part of a CMFF team.

Mehney points out the complexity involved in CMOSS card development, particularly when it comes to porting advanced secure waveforms. “Working with the government to define and prioritize requirements is key to delivering the right capability at the right time,” he says.

CMOSS and CMFF will play an important role in consolidating mounted missioncommand solutions for the Army, particularly in upcoming combat platforms, Fischer predicts. “Common computing solutions based on open standards will become more prevalent in the newer combat platforms,” he says.

CMFF chassis development

Those behind the CMOSS standard are also designing new ways to fit advanced electronics into vehicles, Mehney says. Thales is investing in CMOSS technology, with a focus on developing advanced secure CMOSS Mounted Form Factor (CMFF) card waveform technology for U.S. Army and Marine efforts, he notes.

“The government is actively designing and programming space in modernized tactical and combat vehicles to accept the CMFF chassis,” he says, noting that this approach makes it easier to upgrade vehicles without needing to completely overhaul their electronics. “The success of CMFF in part hinges upon not requiring expensive and complex vetronics upgrades.” (Figure 2.)

The Army created CMFF as way to reduce SWaP in vehicle systems. “[CMFF] capability is governed by the CMFF Reference Architecture which is guided and derived from technical requirements found in the CMOSS Interoperability Requirements Specification (IRS), specifically including the Sensor Open System Architecture (SOSA), Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE), Vehicular Integration for C4ISR/EW Interoperability (VICTORY), and the Modular Open RF Architecture (MORA),” according to the Leonardo DRS website. “CMFF systems and their payload cards are planned to be simple and

intuitive to install, operate, and maintain by soldiers, and be resilient, reliable, and available to operate in all operational air and ground environments.”

Mehney expects a “gradual potential reduction in size and power needs on the chassis, delivering a phased approach, gradually improving performance while reducing SWaP.” He also foresees the development of advanced waveforms for card integration, with a focus on NATO and coalition waveforms to enhance multinational interoperability.

He says he also believes there will be “continued development of advanced vehicle power and network management systems to better take advantage of CMOSS backplane capability.” ■

TSN AND VETRONICS Time-sensitive networking (TSN), a more deterministic version of Ethernet, is helping designers of avionics, communications, and vetronics applications speed up data processing for real-time performance.

TSN is a particularly promising development, says Shaun Fischer, division vice president for business development at Abaco Systems (Huntsville, Alabama). With this technology, multiple subsystems at varying levels of safety and mission criticality can coexist on the same Ethernet network, greatly simplifying the network architecture and necessary equipment – “kind of a layer cake of transformation,” he says. www.opengroup.org/sosa

“TSN is a collection of IEEE standards,” according to a DornerWorks white paper titled “Time-Sensitive Networking: Transforming Military Networks for Enhanced Performance and Reliability.” “As the various TSN standards are ratified, many of them get added to the next version of IEEE 802.1Q. TSN updates to 802.1 are pending, and this is pivotal as it specifically addresses network management and Ethernet-based communication protocols. For example, IEEE 802.1Qbv enhances Ethernet by enabling time-sensitive networking, crucial for deterministic data transmission.”

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SOSA SPECIAL EDITION

Managing the data deluge: How military radar systems are getting smarter

By Dan Taylor

An E-2D Hawkeye attached to Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW-120) takes off on Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). The E-2D carries AN/APY-9 radar, radio suite, mission computer, integrated satellite communications, and updated flight management system. The APY-9 radar features active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, which employs electronic scanning to the mechanical rotation of the radar in its radome. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class August Clawson.

Every second, military radar systems collect terabytes of data about potential threats in the skies above. But having data isn’t the same as having intelligence. In an age of information overflow, the U.S. Department of Defense faces a new kind of challenge: turning this tsunami of radar data into actionable battlefield insights.

The military stakes couldn’t be higher: Air and missile defense systems must detect, track, and respond to threats in real time. With hypersonic missiles, drone swarms, and other sophisticated threats becoming increasingly common, radar operators need to process and analyze massive amounts of data faster than ever before. A delay of even a few seconds in converting raw radar data into actionable intelligence could mean the difference between a successful intercept and a catastrophic failure.

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Data deluge

Today’s military radar systems collect enormous amounts of data. Sorting through this mountain of information quickly enough to be useful in combat is the big problem facing industry.

The first hurdle is simply moving all this information around. “With direct digitization and wide bandwidth sensors, radar front-ends are producing more data that needs to be communicated to the back-end processor,” says Matt Alexander, chief engineer for sensor systems at Mercury Systems (Andover, Massachusetts). “This is driving the need for high-speed fabrics such as 100/400 Gbit Ethernet over fiber.”

Traditional processing power just isn’t enough anymore. “Even traditional radar ­processing becomes more computationally complex due to the increase in data,” www.opengroup.org/sosa

SOSA SPECIAL EDITION

FIGURE 1 | Raytheon’s Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) radar features three arrays that can detect and track multiple aerial threats simultaneously, including hypersonic weapons. (Image courtesy Raytheon)

high-performance data compression, and cloud integration for managing massive real-time data flows.

The role of artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly becoming a useful tool for turning all this radar data into useful battlefield information. By processing information faster than humans and spotting patterns that might otherwise be missed, AI is changing how military forces collect and analyze radar data.

One of the big ways AI can help is that it is capable of spotting things that traditional processing methods might miss, Alexander says.

he continues. “This is driving the need for the highest-performing processors.”

Carl Nardell, principal engineering fellow at Raytheon (Tucson, Arizona), says that while radar systems generate massive amounts of data, “most of this data is not very useful.” The solution?

Process it immediately, he says. “The more we can process data at the point of collection, the more tractable the problem becomes.” (Figure 1.)

Industry is racing to develop smarter ways to handle this information. Dr. Justin Pearson, senior director of archi­tecture and business growth in aerospace and defense at Wind River (Alameda, California), says that the most promising technology includes edge computing, www.opengroup.org/sosa

“AI has the ability to improve sensor effectiveness by leveraging the increase in data and by exploiting features in data not exploitable by conventional processing techniques,” he says.

He points out that AI could help with several key tasks: better filtering out enemy jamming, identifying the difference between real threats and false alarms, identifying what kind of object it’s seeing, and keeping track of targets in confusing situations and cluttered environments.

The crucial advantage of AI systems is speed. Nardell notes that “a single graphics processing unit (GPU) can perform millions of times more analysis operations than a human.” This amped processing power means faster decision-making in critical situations.

“By using AI, we can automate intelligence analysis to provide useful insights in seconds rather than hours, days or weeks,” he adds. “AI has the ability to massively scale up human operations. AI can help process reams of data into actionable intelligence and accurate targeting information at speed and scale in high-risk environments.”

However, there are limits to how AI can be used in military systems. Pearson notes that it’s still early days for AI, and it can’t be used yet in safety-certified elements. However, AI can still be helpful by helping radar systems work in difficult conditions, he says.

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“[AI can] recognize and classify targets using image recognition and radar signal processing, with deep learning models identifying objects like vehicles, aircraft, or drones even in degraded environments such as heavy jamming or low visibility,” Pearson explains.

AI is also proving valuable in countering enemy actions. “AI will be able to more effectively make use of multifunction apertures,” Alexander says. “Dynamic scheduling of sub-apertures is a complex problem that AI will be able to optimize.”

Other data processing solutions

FIGURE 2 | The Mercury Systems HDS6605 is a 6U OpenVPX server blade featuring Intel’s 2nd-generation Xeon scalable processor for edge-processing applications. (Image courtesy Mercury Systems)

“While digital signal processing remains a foundational component to radars, novel photonic and analog processors are being developed to process – on operationally relevant timescales – large quantities of data,” Alexander says. “We are seeing an increasing interest in photonic interconnects and inclusion of photonic processors.”

Local storage systems are also important when communications are cut off.

Pearson points to promising new tech like distributed storage systems with local caching that enable offline access during disruptions, as well as ruggedized tablets and augmented-reality goggles that can provide real-time mission insights. (Figure 3.)

While AI currently gets most of the attention, defense industry engineers are looking at other new ways to handle the massive amounts of radar data produced every day.

One promising approach involves using light instead of electricity to process data.

Combining data from multiple sources is another strategy. “Data fusion, particularly across multiple platforms and multiple sensor types, assists in reducing false alarms and discriminating decoys,” he explains. (Figure 2.)

The challenge is similar to those faced in other technological areas, Nardell says.

“Electronic warfare and sensor data analysis are fundamentally becoming big data problems,” he says. “The data is simply too large and complex to manage or process using traditional methods.”

Nardell believes traditional computer science offers some solutions to the data glut, pointing to relational databases, parallel compute techniques, and edge processing as tools that could help with the data-processing challenge.

High-performance computing is another important tool, Pearson says, as it can perform large-scale data processing through parallel computing, accelerating simulations, real-time decisions, and predictive modeling (such as in combat scenario planning).

Delivering intelligence to the battlefield

Edge computing is particularly promising. Processing data near the battlefield slashes latency and bandwidth needs, allowing for real-time analytics even in remote environments, Pearson says, noting that radar systems are able to analyze data locally “to trigger alarms without waiting for centralized systems.”

Raytheon is working to deploy GPUs at the point of intelligence collection to enable important, useful data to be refined and routed to the warfighter quickly, Nardell says.

“We now have the ability to process data at the point of collection with compute power that had only been available in a datacenter, mainframe, or server,” he says.

The goal is to reduce large amounts of data into useful information that can be easily shared, which “allows a very small amount of transferred data to impact the OODA [observe, orient, decide, and act] loop of an adjacent platform or even commander,” Alexander says.

The military can test these systems during training to ensure they work in combat.

“Agreeing on what data and insights must be shared can be proven out in training exercises and thus ensure a robust networked effect during a future conflict,” Alexander adds.

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The role of open standards

Open standards like the Sensor Open Systems Architecture, or SOSA, Technical Standard are changing how the defense industry approaches radar system development and procurement, making it easier to integrate new technologies and work with multiple vendors.

“Open standards widen the pool of candidate technology and capability providers,” Alexander says. “For instance, some open standards allow for the insertion of 3rd-party radar modes. This type of model enables dozens of organizations to develop and integrate radar mode IP in addition to the radar OEM [original equipment manufacturer], making the radar a best-of-breed system.”

Software containers have been particularly helpful in implementing these standards.

“Containerized software has been the biggest enabler for drawing upon the best AI capabilities from any source,” Nardell says. “The standardization of hardware has commoditized compute capability such as GPUs, enabling the latest and best hardware to be applied to this area without updating algorithmic software.” www.opengroup.org/sosa

OPEN STANDARDS LIKE THE SENSOR OPEN SYSTEMS ARCHITECTURE, OR SOSA, TECHNICAL STANDARD ARE CHANGING HOW THE DEFENSE INDUSTRY APPROACHES RADAR SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT AND PROCUREMENT, MAKING IT EASIER TO INTEGRATE NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND WORK WITH MULTIPLE VENDORS. At the end of the day, using SOSA aligned parts just makes it easier for systems to work together, Pearson says.

“The SOSA [approach] provides welldefined, standardized interfaces that enable seamless integration of hardware and software components from different vendors, ensuring that radar, sensor, and computing systems can exchange data securely and operate collaboratively, reducing proprietary lock-ins,” he says.

FIGURE 3 | Local collection, processing, and storage systems can be deployed to deliver intelligence to the edge. Stock image.

The modular nature of parts aligned with the SOSA Technical Standard also makes it easier to upgrade systems. “SOSA encourages modular components that are easily upgraded or replaced, allowing new capabilities like advanced data encryption modules, AI accelerators, or storage systems to be integrated without redesigning the entire system,” Pearson continues.

Adherence to open standards also helps the industry in another major way – saving money.

“Open standards lower development costs and extend system lifespan by allowing easy replacement or upgrading of components without requiring overhauls,” Pearson says. “A radar system with SOSA compliant components can receive upgrades to processors or storage modules without major redesigns.” ■

THE CHALLENGE OF SECURING THE VAST VOLUME OF RADAR DATA The capability to process military radar data is one thing – protecting it is quite another. A security breach could have major consequences for military operations, so the defense industry is building protection into systems from the ground up rather than adding it later.

“Security must be built in, not bolted on as an afterthought,” says Matt Alexander, chief engineer for sensor systems at Mercury Systems (Andover, Massachusetts), noting that Mercury Systems uses various methods to protect sensitive information, including FPGA [field-programmable gate array]-based cryptography, root of security, secure boot, sensors, fingerprinting, and physical protections against system infiltration.

While the amount of data has increased dramatically, the fundamental security challenge remains familiar. Carl Nardell, principal engineering fellow at Raytheon (Tucson, Arizona), does not believe the industry will have trouble solving it.

“Data security is not a new problem, and [it’s] one that simply is compounded by the increased flow of data between sensors and consumers of data,” Nardell says. “While data security requires a certain amount of overhead, both in terms of data volume and processing, this does not represent a new or limiting challenge.”

When it comes to radar data, Dr. Justin Pearson, senior director of architecture and business growth in aerospace and defense at Wind River (Alameda, California), says good security practices include using “end-to-end encryption protocols like AES-256, TLS, and VPNs; applying zero-trust security models with continuous verification; and implementing strong key management systems.”

Physical protection is just as important as digital security. Alexander points out that advanced protection technologies “can mitigate reverse engineering” and “safeguard confidential data and IP against adversarial threats even when a system has been compromised.”

Regular testing and training are also essential parts of data protection. Pearson emphasizes the importance of conducting regular security audits and training personnel on cybersecurity best practices. www.opengroup.org/sosa

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SOSA SPECIAL EDITION

How the SOSA standard is defining the software framework for deployed applications

By David Tetley

The Sensor Open Systems Architecture, or SOSA, Technical Standard not only defines the software platform on which applications must run and how they interact, but it also defines the framework for system management. The successful implementation of the standard can provide a platform for truly “plug-and-play” applications. For widespread adoption, however, alignment with the SOSA approach needs to be affordable and have minimal impact on schedule. Plug-in-card (PIC) vendors, system integrators, and software vendors can provide building blocks that satisfy key elements of the software aspects in the SOSA standard.

While open standards architectures have historically focused on system hardware, the importance of software infrastructure within embedded systems has been growing.

The appearance of the VMEbus standard in the 1980s, and subsequently OpenVPX in 2010, led to The Open Group’s Sensor Open Systems Architecture, or SOSA, Technical Standard that was proposed in 2019 to become a “standard of standards.”

SOSA standard ups the open standards game

The SOSA approach’s early goal was to define a technical standard from a system perspective and tighten what was a broad OpenVPX hardware specification. The first technical standard snapshot was released two years later, in 2021.

Today, the focus is on “plug-and-play,” where any vendor’s cards matching a slot profile could be interchangeable. The standard also extends beyond the plug-in card (PIC) to the chassis, backplane, and associated infrastructure, including chassis management.

Significant progress through plugfest events are enabling multiple vendors to bring along SOSA aligned hardware PICs and infrastructure elements as well as test interoperability, with results showing that we are getting much closer to the true plug-andplay concept at the hardware level.

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Why software matters in SOSA aligned systems

True plug-and-play also requires interoperability at the software level, and that has been the focus of a lot of effort these last few years in the SOSA Working Groups.

Key aspects of the software infrastructure defined by the SOSA Technical Standard include: › The software platform running the application modules and services via the run-time environment (RTE) profile definition. › The management framework of the hardware infrastructure and application modules via the system management definition. www.opengroup.org/sosa

SOSA SPECIAL EDITION

of the definition of the receiver/exciter and emitter collector modules.

Given the known hardware interoperability milestones, how do we then accelerate development on the software modules to more quickly deploy systems for a given program?

The definition of these modules and the interface and interactions between them establishes the key foundation for the “plug-and-play” concept at the software layers.

The SOSA definitions of run-time environment

SOSA defines three standard run-rime environments (RTEs): (Figure 1)

› The coordination of mission operations via the task management definition.

The SOSA approach also defines how applications should be architected in terms of module partitioning and the software interfaces and interactions between these modules – one example being the adoption of the MORA (Modular Open Radio Frequency Architecture) standard. Designed to be an open, modular, and scalable architecture that can be easily adapted to meet the needs of a wide range of radiofrequency RF systems, MORA addresses the RF aspects of a sensor system by way

1. The Future Airborne Capability Environment, or FACE, Technical Standard operating system segment (OSS) RTE profile is the standard RTE and leverages the multiple FACE profiles as well as POSIX and ARINC 653. The FACE approach is a software standard that provides an open systems approach for military aviation solutions, but it is also being adopted for other military platforms.

2. The container RTE profile provides a mechanism for supporting a variety of operating environments.

A container could be used to virtually wrap a legacy capability, making it appear as a SOSA aligned module, and hide the software dependencies. A container could also be used to wrap additional programming languages and dependencies used in SOSA aligned modules that could not align with the FACE OSS profiles.

3. The virtual machine RTE profile supports additional or legacy operating systems, programming languages, and dependencies that do not align with the FACE Technical Standard. It also allows for the use of a “Type 1” bare metal hypervisor for safety-critical partitioning.

These RTE profiles define constraints and dictate the interfaces that application developers must adhere to in the creation of highly portable SOSA aligned modules The defined RTEs provide a tightly defined platform for SOSA aligned sensor applications and support applicationfocused frameworks including Big Iron and CAIOS for electronic warfare (EW) and REDHAWK for software-defined radio (SDR).

SOSA Technical Standard aligned system management

Underscoring its importance, system management encompasses more than 10% of the overall language in the SOSA standard, and is partitioned into a functional group hierarchy, as depicted in Figure 2.

Each functional block in Group 3 then breaks down into specific functions with defined interactions.

The overall system manager architecture is a client/server architecture, made up of agents (the servers) that provide the services for these functional groups, and managers (the clients) that interact with these agents and are responsible for the management of that sub-function.

FIGURE 1 | Shown: SOSA aligned operating system, container, and virtual machine run-time environments. www.opengroup.org/sosa

SOSA Special Edition 2025 | 53

SOSA SPECIAL EDITION

The defined interactions between clients and servers follow the OpenAPI specification (OAS) and use the REST [Representational State Transfer)]-style APIs for communication over the SOSA message interconnect using standard internet protocol.

The SOSA Technical Standard defines system-management interfaces for the following six SOSA aligned elements: › › › › › ›

Generic SOSA aligned module System manager Chassis manager Security devices Plug-in card (PIC) Run-time environment (RTE)

Each managed SOSA aligned element requires an agent or group of agents, known as in-band system management (IBSM) agents, to support these interactions by providing REST APIs (via RESTful end points).

Across these six elements, there are more than 250 software interactions between agents and managers defined in the standard – that’s a lot of APIs to develop and maintain.

Opportunity for modularized software

Sensor developers, generally the primes and their partners, want to focus software resources on developing their core IP – the application modules – and not the supporting infrastructure.

This reality provides an opportunity for infrastructure suppliers and system integrators to add value by supplying SOSA software modules that couple to the hardware elements they supply. (A diagram showing all the SOSA software modules and their top-level relationship to one another can be found in the SOSA Technical Standard, Fig, 4.2-1.)

Taking system management as an example, there is an opportunity to supply the array of agents and managers required to support the defined SOSA aligned interactions. Other opportunities exist to provide software components supporting task management, intermodule interactions, and supporting services.

Case study: U.S. Army and CMOSS

FIGURE 2 | The graphic depicts SOSA System Manager Module Functions (SvcV-4 as per Table 6.1.1-1 in SOSA Technical Standard).

To highlight the importance of MOSA, and provide an example of the adoption of SOSA, we can look at the U.S. Army C5ISR/EW Modular Open Suite of Standards (CMOSS) initiative that was developed to bring the following attributes into new sensor system developments: › Open: Vendor- and platformagnostic, conformance and compliance with MOSA strategies › Standardized: Software, hardware, mechanical › Harmonized: Leverage existing and emerging open standards › Aligned: In concert with ongoing service objectives › Adaptable: Rapidly responsive to user change requirements › Cost-effective: Affordable & reusable

FIGURE 3 | Typical SDR subsystem architecture shows how modular SOSA aligned and MORA compliant firmware and software elements map to the associated PICs.]

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This has culminated in the CMFF [CMOSS Mounted Form Factor] standard that defines a VPX chassis platform suitable for deployment on a wide variety of www.opengroup.org/sosa

military land vehicles to support an array of missions.

This standard dictates alignment to the SOSA and MORA standards to satisfy the core CMOSS goals: open, standardized, harmonized, aligned and adaptable.

However, affordability is the challenge.

The paradigm shift from legacy stovepipe solutions, along with the perceived complexity of providing system management and aligning with MORA, could lead to prohibitive software costs, unless modular, third-party solutions are provided.

Sensor system developers want to focus their software resources on IP development and not have to start from scratch with the SOSA software infrastructure. Focusing on reducing these aspects of cost and risk for users will be the key to adoption. ■ David Tetley is Director, Embedded Solutions, Elma Electronic.

Prior to Elma, he held several positions at Abaco Systems, including Director of High Performance Computing and Systems and Director of Software Architecture. David also worked at GE Intelligent Platforms, Radstone Technology, and DERA Malvern.

He graduated from University of Bath (U.K.).

Elma Electronic SEA-25325 SOSA Ad.pdf https://www.elma.com/en 1 3/25/25 3:22 PM

Intentionally and Openly Engineered

Modular software elements can reduce cost and risk

A typical sensor application that would be hosted by a CMFF system is an SDR that provides radio communication (Figure 3). The blocks in blue show software modules that could be provided by third-party software vendors and easily integrated with the core SOSA aligned application modules, which are the sensor developers’ core IP. The interoperability and reusability of these software modules can greatly reduce cost over the life cycle of a program. Their availability as reusable, off-the shelf modules that effectively plug-and-play with other SOSA aligned software modules minimizes development and integration effort and reduces schedule risk.

Cost-effective software for SOSA aligned systems

The SOSA Technical Standard not only defines the software platform on which applications must run and how they interact, but it also defines the framework for system management. The successful implementation of the standard can provide a platform for truly plugand-play applications. For widespread adoption, however, alignment with SOSA needs to be affordable and have minimal impact on schedule. PIC vendors, system integrators, and software vendors can provide building blocks that satisfy key elements of the software aspects in the SOSA Technical Standard. www.opengroup.org/sosa

Sealevel is the leading designer and manufacture of industrial computers, Ethernet serial servers, USB serial, PCI Express and PCI bus cards, and software for critical communications. We deliver proven, COTS, mission-ready products and customized solutions to wide-ranging industry leaders and every major US and Allied nations military contractor.

Complete compatibility. Defined form factor. Long-term availability.

Open standards make it possible.

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QUESTION: How does the Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA® Technical Standard and a modular open systems approach (MOSA) benefit the warfighter?

How SOSA standardization provides serious tactical advantage for warfighters

By Kevin Roth, Product Director, Alpha Data For decades, the warfighter has been hindered by a defense industry that has drifted deeper into the muddy waters of proprietary systems and vendor lock. This delays the delivery of new technologies, increasing costs and limiting the implementation and rollout of new capabilities. The advent of the Sensor Open Systems Architecture, or SOSA, Technical Standard, is working to mitigate these challenges, unlock opportunities and improve our nation’s defenses.

The SOSA Standard targets the fundamental causes of these issues, targeting the hardware fabric of new defence systems (VPX). By standardizing power delivery, system monitoring, data delivery, and sideband signalling, the SOSA approach pushes organizations to produce innovative product solutions through competition. This enables leaner, more agile vendors, like Alpha Data, to compete more broadly with larger companies that have driven up costs with unnecessarily unique hardware designed into large programs.

Increased competition lowers prices, enhances choices, improves customer experiences, and drives innovation. By removing unnecessary complexities of hardware interoperability, SOSA’s standardization is poised to reverse the trend of rising costs, slower design cycles, and vendor lock. Agile companies like Alpha Data are now providing the latest products to a wide community.

Alpha Data has proven itself by being first to market with the latest AMD FPGA and Versal™ Adaptable SoCs, allowing defence organizations and system integrators to rapidly access and leverage the most advanced computation circuits in the world and latest AMD technology, equipping our warfighters with powerful technological advantages.

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QUESTION: How does the Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA® Technical Standard and a modular open systems approach (MOSA) benefit the warfighter?

MOSA and the SOSA Technical Standard enable agile warfighter systems

By Ryan Fisher, Group General Manager, Amphenol North American Military Group The SOSA Technical Standard and a modular open systems approach (MOSA) benefits the warfighter by enabling faster innovation, streamlined integration, and rapid deployment of advanced technologies. This approach also provides the warfighter a system that is easier to repair in an austere environment given the focus on modularity and standardization of components. At Amphenol, we’ve supported open architecture systems for nearly two decades – and Open.Tech is our latest effort to accelerate that mission.

Open.Tech is a centralized platform built to simplify the design and procurement process for SOSA aligned technologies. It consolidates Amphenol’s wide-ranging portfolio – like RF solutions from SV Microwave and fiber optics from Amphenol Fiber Systems International – into one dynamic resource. In an organization as decentralized as Amphenol, where each business drives its own development. Open.Tech connects the Open Architecture dots. It helps engineers and procurement teams move faster by eliminating the need to search across multiple sites and product lines.

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The Open.Tech platform connects users directly to a broad network of Amphenol experts – application engineers, product specialists, and field support staff – ready to answer questions, provide design insight, or offer deeper technical guidance.

Whether you’re troubleshooting a design challenge or exploring system-level architecture decisions, Open.Tech ensures you’re not navigating alone. Even in a standardized world, we believe great systems are built through expert collaboration.

As threats evolve, the systems protecting the warfighter must be scalable, interoperable, and rapidly upgradeable. MOSA and the SOSA standard lay the foundation for that agility. Open.

Tech is the tool that brings the solutions to the market that help our customers design, source, and deploy faster than ever.

Build it at www.Open.Tech.

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QUESTION: How does the Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA® Technical Standard and a modular open systems approach (MOSA) benefit the warfighter?

SOSA Standard Drives Innovation, Including Versal™ & 64 GS/s Direct RF Capability

By Noah Donaldson, CTO of Annapolis Micro Systems The SOSA Technical Standard and MOSA benefits the warfighter in two primary ways: 1. Ensuring interoperability

2. Accelerating innovation

Both of these benefits deliver better performance and improved functionality to the warfighter’s mission.

Interoperability is ensured due to the SOSA Consortium use of existing standards (OpenVPX, FACE, etc.) while further narrowing and defining requirements.

Equally important is the SOSA standards’ enabling of innovation.

The SOSA standard effectively addresses electrical and mechanical interfaces, but it doesn’t limit performance and capability within a module. That’s how our focus on being the first to integrate the newest and highest-performing FPGAs and other components has really paid off.

It has allowed us to partner with Intel Altera and Jariet Technologies to offer 64 GSps Direct RF capability in SOSA aligned 3U/6U VPX (see WS3AE1) and small form factors (see WSSAF1). These are targeted at demanding C5ISR edge applications requiring direct

www.AnnapMicro.com

sampling frequency coverage anywhere from 0.1 to 36 GHz, and/ or wide instantaneous bandwidths.

We are also a pioneer in integrating powerful Versal Premium FPGAs into SOSA aligned Plug-In Cards (PICs). Customers pair any of these three (with four more in development) Versal boards with next-gen LVDS-based and HSS-based Mezzanine Cards for very low latency or very high bandwidth performance.

Naturally, this huge leap in front-end bandwidth performance requires an upgrade in backplane bandwidth as well. Once again, SOSA is a key enabler by incorporating high-density (HD) backplane Switch connectivity. Our WP3E20, WP3P20, and WP3H20 Switches feature VITA 91 backplane connectors that double the available density of a 3U VPX switch slot. Two HD switch slots in our 13-slot WC31DH Chassis enable it to handle all Data and Control Plane Ethernet via one slot, with the second switch slot dedicated to the expansion plane – 100Gb Ethernet, Gen4 PCIe, or LVDS. Or use just one switch per eight payload slots, versus four previously.

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Expediting new capabilities to the warfighter with the SOSA Technical Standard

By Brian Perry, Senior VP/GM Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions

The MOSA design philosophy, which relates to hardware, software, and system architectures, increases warfighter effectiveness by simplifying the deployment of new capabilities. Using standard interfaces speeds technology development by reducing the work and cost required to plug-in new applications.

The ideal is for new capabilities to become as simple to introduce as it is to download a new app to your iPhone. The SOSA Technical Standard applies the modular open systems approach embracing specific VPX standard profiles. This allows for rapid and more cost-effective upgrades of hardware over time.

For example, SOSA aligned cards can be upgraded with a new board with more capabilities, further reducing SWaP and increasing reliability, without having to replace the entire system. www.opengroup.org/sosa

As a result, the warfighter benefits from increased mission readiness thanks to the improved ease of maintenance and upgrades. By defining hardware and software standards, the SOSA approach encourages the participation of industry, resulting in more capabilities and options for the warfighter.

Ultimately, standards like the SOSA Technical Standard expedite delivery of the latest technology to the warfighter, ensuring that we always have the upper hand in the battlefield.

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QUESTION: How does the Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA® Technical Standard build on open standards?

Pick one and explain: OpenVPX, HOST, FACE, CMOSS, RedHawk, other.

Streamlining OpenVPX Profiles & Protocols Expedites SOSA Aligned System Development

By David Tetley, Director, Embedded Computing, Elma Electronic While the OpenVPX (VITA 65) standard solved a lot of problems and brought high speed serial switched fabrics into a rugged open standard form factor, it also created a significant interoperability problem. The standard accommodated many vendors’ existing IO pin-outs and protocols on VPX Plug-In Cards (PICs), leading to 93 different OpenVPX profiles being defined – 63 of these being 3U VPX profiles.

and risk in the design effort, as the complexity of designing a multi-slot, high-speed backplane supporting 100G on the Data Plane and PCIe Gen 4 on the control plane is significant.

This led to every system design needing a custom backplane topology to facilitate the inter-card interconnect and provide to IO to the chassis connectors.

Success with testing these backplanes with a variety of vendors PICs in conjunction with Elma’s VITA 46.11 Tier-3 chassis manager at SOSA “plug-fest” events has shown that true “plugand-play” for standards based rugged embedded computing is becoming a reality.

With a goal of consolidating the number of profiles and protocols and to make the concept of “plug-and-play” a reality, the SOSA approach focused on a solution using VPX PICs. The result is a reduction to nine 3U and five 6U slot profiles. This greatly facilitates the creation of standard backplane topologies that can be used across a variety of applications. This reduces cost

This has allowed Elma to build a portfolio of 100G capable backplanes aligned to the SOSA Technical Standard that support a range of PIC topologies, providing solutions to a wide range of applications including Radar, EW, Comms and EO/IR processing.

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QUESTION: How does the Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA® Technical Standard and a modular open systems approach (MOSA) benefit the warfighter?

Building the Future of Defense with a complete SOSA Technology product range offering

By Lionel Provost, Development & Marketing Vice-President, Interface Concept The Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA, Technical Standard and the Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) are revolutionizing defense systems by enabling rapid integration, reducing costs, and ensuring long-term adaptability. For the warfighter, this means faster access to mission-critical technologies, greater system resilience, and the agility to operate effectively across dynamic environments.

At Interface Concept, we are proud to contribute to this transformation by offering a comprehensive and field-proven portfolio of SOSA aligned solutions. Our wide range of products addresses most system’s key functions – from mission computing to high-speed networking – enabling defense integrators to build modular, scalable, and future-ready platforms.

Our offer includes Intel®-based SOSA aligned SBCs for high-performance mission computing, ARM®-based modules for energy-efficient embedded control, and Versal™-based FPGA boards designed for real-time AI acceleration and ultra-low latency processing. These computing solutions are

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seamlessly integrated with our ComEth line of SOSA compliant Ethernet and PCIe switches. Interface Concept provides an unrivalled offering of SOSA/OpenVPX switches including Giga to 100G single Plane Ethernet switches but also Dual Plane Ethernet and Hybrid (Ethernet/PCIe) solutions, available with optical options. This comprehensive range reduces integration risks, shortens development cycles and guarantees long-term system evolution.

At Interface Concept, we are committed to delivering rugged, high-performance technologies that support today’s most demanding missions – and anticipate tomorrow’s defense challenges.

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QUESTION: In what defense applications will the Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA® Technical Standard have the most impact and why? Electronic warfare? Radar? Mission computing? Other?

Civil Roots, Tactical Reach: Bringing Proven Communications to SOSA® Systems

By Zack McGrath, Defense Product Portfolio Manager Of all the domains where the SOSA Technical Standard is gaining traction, communications may see the most significant impact – not only because it’s foundational to every mission, but because it’s evolving faster than traditional system design can keep up.

Today’s defense communications systems rely on edge-deployed servers to support private 5G, real-time sensor networking, tactical cloud services, and high-bandwidth, low-latency data exchange.

These platforms demand scalable compute, open interfaces, and rugged reliability – all in a modular form factor. SOSA alignment delivers by standardizing the backplane and hardware interfaces while leaving room for innovation at the functional level.

This balance is key. It means companies like Kontron with deep communications experience beyond traditional defense – areas like commercial aviation connectivity or telecom infrastructure – can now offer market-proven designs and expertise in a VPX form factor without excessive design overhead. For Kontron, this means more time to build a one-stop-shop of VPX system-essential products and US-based EMS capabilities so our partners can focus on what they do best.

SOSA alignment creates a broader vendor base, accelerates deployment, and fuels better interoperability for integrators. And as the defense world shifts toward collaborative combat, where platforms must dynamically share data and coordinate across domains, the need for fast, adaptable, SOSA aligned communications hardware becomes even more critical.

Meeting that need takes more than compliance – it takes experience. The strongest partners will be those who can translate expertise across domains, reduce integration complexity, and deliver performance that’s mission-ready from day one.

There’s the SOSA standard – and then there’s the standard of execution behind it.

That’s where Kontron comes in.

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QUESTION: How does the Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA® Technical Standard build on open standards?

Pick one and explain: OpenVPX, HOST, FACE, CMOSS, RedHawk, other.

The SOSA Technical Standard Refines and Elevates OpenVPX

By Shan Morgan, President & General Manager, LCR Embedded Systems The ongoing evolution of the SOSA Technical Standard has led to significant advancements and wider acceptance of OpenVPX. While OpenVPX defines the physical, mechanical, and electrical interfaces for VPX-based systems, SOSA alignment builds upon these principles by standardizing both hardware and software module interoperability, ensuring seamless multi-vendor compatibility across platforms.

On the hardware front, SOSA alignment addresses critical concerns related to OpenVPX plug-in cards and their profiles. In a prime example of “addition by subtraction,” SOSA alignment narrows down the vast array of OpenVPX plug-in card profiles to a select few. These carefully chosen profiles strike a balance between maintaining true modularity and meeting the diverse needs of defense applications. Board products adhering to SOSA compliance must align with one of these defined profiles.

The SOSA Technical Standard further enhances OpenVPX by aligning with the Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA), extending its scope to define not only slot profiles but also data transport methods and power distribution. This evolution is www.opengroup.org/sosa

crucial for supporting high-speed, mission-critical applications, including C5ISR, electronic warfare (EW), and radar. By specifying 3U and 6U formats, the SOSA Technical Standard ensures scalability while adhering to VPX and CMOSS requirements.

A significant innovation within the SOSA Technical Standard is is its focus on standardized I/O, Ethernet-based data transport, and RF interfaces, optimizing OpenVPX for sensor-driven applications. Building on VITA standards 46, 48, and 65, SOSA alignment further enhances power efficiency, cooling methods, and backplane connectivity. The reduction in the number of plug-in card profiles also leads to fewer backplane interconnect profiles, simplifying system design.

By refining interoperability and scalability within the OpenVPX framework, the SOSA Technical Standard accelerates system development, reduces costs, and extends system lifecycles. In essence, SOSA alignment transforms OpenVPX into a more modular, adaptable, and future-proof standard for defense applications. www.lcrembeddedsystems.com SOSA Special Edition 2025 | 59

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QUESTION: In what defense applications will the Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA® Technical Standard have the most impact and why? Electronic warfare? Radar? Mission computing? Other?

Maintaining Technology Overmatch through Powerful Mission Computing

By Bradley Bruce, Director of Program Management, Mercury Systems The Sensor Open Systems Architecture, or SOSA, aligned mission computer is set to revolutionize the industry far beyond the advancements seen with radar and electronic warfare (EW) open systems. While open systems frameworks in radar and EW have paved the way for interoperability and modularity, the inte­ gration of SOSA aligned principles within mission computing marks a fundamental shift in how these critical systems are archi­ tected and deployed.

Mission computers are essential to modern defense systems, controlling critical functions such as mission execution, weapon deployment, and navigation. Historically, mission computing has been dominated by proprietary systems – closed frameworks designed to meet specific functionalities but lacking flexibility, scalability, and a collaborative ecosystem. These constraints have created vendor lock­in, cost billions of dollars in procurement and maintenance, and slowed the rollout of new capabilities.

The SOSA aligned mission computer offers a standardized framework that encourages interoperability and competitive

innovation across vendors, enabling seamless integration and resulting in cutting-edge capabilities entering the field at an accelerated pace. Software partners can focus on creating spe­ cialized applications for specific mission needs without being constrained by rigid hardware dependencies, and system com­ ponents can be upgraded or replaced independently as tech­ nology evolves.

These mission computers will be able to evolve in step with rapidly advancing technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and edge computing. By integrating advanced sensors and delivering real­time data processing, they will give warfighters accurate and timely information in dynamic and potentially hazardous environments. Overall, the shift to SOSA aligned mission computers will not only outpace the impact seen with radar and EW open systems but will also redefine the role of mission computing in advancing military and aerospace capabilities. www.mrcy.com

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QUESTION: In what defense applications will the Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA® Technical Standard have the most impact and why? Electronic warfare? Radar? Mission computing? Other?

Decoupled Sensors & Processors: Unlocking Advanced Sensor Processing with Open Standards

By Ryan Jansen, VP of Technology The SOSA Technical Standard is enabling a paradigm shift in next-generation sensor processing architectures. The ability to build multi-function sensor systems with components and algorithms supplied by many different vendors is having a positive impact across sensor domains. The result is a more capable, flexible system that can adapt to the task at hand.

processors is essential, allowing for independent upgrades and technology insertions from a variety of vendors without wholesale system overhauls.

We are moving away from stove-piped systems designed for a single processing domain towards unified architectures capable of spanning vast portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The SOSA architecture provides the well-defined interfaces, and modular blocks necessary to run diverse applications on common mission computing hardware.

Furthermore, the SOSA architecture provides a mechanism for development and deployment of novel algorithms that can leverage the wealth of sensor data being generated. As new threats emerge and technological advancements occur, we can rapidly adapt our capabilities, ensuring our systems remain at the cutting edge. The modular and interoperable nature fostered by the SOSA Technical Standard provides a mechanism to build adaptable and flexible multi-function sensor systems for the future.

This fundamental change means that the same sensor can contribute data to multiple traditional sensor domain applications – whether it’s detecting threats in the EW spectrum or providing targeting information for radar. Similarly, the same processing hardware can be dynamically allocated to execute algorithms for various functions. This decoupling of sensors and

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QUESTION: How does the Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA® Technical Standard and a modular open systems approach (MOSA) benefit the warfighter?

Elevating Defense: How Open Systems transform the battlefield

By Matt Renola, Sr. Director Global Business Development – Aerospace and Defense, Vicor The Sensor Open Systems Architecture or SOSA, Technical Standard and a Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) benefit the warfighter in several ways: 1. Faster Deployment of Advanced Capabilities • By using Open standard architecture approach, the military can rapidly integrate and field new sensors, mission systems, and computing capabilities without the delays of proprietary systems and hardware requirement.

• This ensures warfighters have access to the latest technologies faster so that they can have the equipment and systems they need in deployment.

2. Interoperability Across Platforms • The SOSA Technical Standard and MOSA promote standardized interface (3U/6U) plug in cards that fit in a common chassis, allowing sensors, software, computing and power modules to be easily shared across different platforms (e.g., ground vehicle, aircraft and shipboard.

• This interoperability enhances joint operations and multi-domain capabilities.

www.vicorpower.com • The modular design of SOSA aligned and MOSA systems makes it easier for warfighters to learn and operate new systems. This reduces the training requirements and enables warfighters to quickly adapt to new systems.

3. Reduced Costs • By adopting a modular, open systems approach, warfighters can avoid the high costs associated with proprietary systems.

The SOSA Technical Standard and MOSA enable the use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components like Vicor, which are often less expensive than custom-built systems.

4. Increased System Resilience and Adaptability • Systems built using the SOSA Technical Standard and MOSA principles can quickly adapt to new threats by integrating updated sensors, AI algorithms, and electronic warfare capabilities without extensive redesigns. Having plug in cards that fit in a common form factor allows for faster time to market and benefits the warfighter.

• This ensures warfighters can maintain a technological edge in rapidly evolving battlefields.

EXECUTIVE SPEAKOUT

ADVERTORIAL

QUESTION: In what defense applications will the Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA® Technical Standard have the most impact and why? Electronic warfare? Radar? Mission computing? Other?

Electronic Warfare: Winning at the Edge with WOLF and the SOSA® Standard

By Greg Maynard, Chief Technology Officer, WOLF Advanced Technology The Sensor Open Systems Architecture, or SOSA, Technical Stan­ dard is poised to have its greatest impact in electronic warfare (EW) applications. EW environments are dynamic and contested, requiring rapid response to evolving threats across the spectrum of EW applications. Traditional stovepipe systems limit adaptability and interoperability – challenges that the SOSA approach directly addresses by promoting modular, open­architecture solutions.

The SOSA approach enables faster integration of cutting­edge technologies like AI, machine learning, and advanced signal processing. This reduces development time and cost, while also allowing EW systems to scale and adapt without full system rede­ signs. As threats become more sophisticated and time­sensitive, this flexibility is mission-critical. Open architectures also support rapid field upgrades, and rapid integration of new technologies, enabling EW systems to adapt swiftly to evolving threats without overhauling entire platforms.

Wolf Advanced Technology’s SOSA aligned products are specifi­ cally built to meet these needs. Rugged 3U and 6U VPX modules, www.opengroup.org/sosa

such as the VPX3U­BW5000E­CX7 (WOLF­163L) and VPX3U­ ORIN­CX7­HPC (WOLF­14TZ), integrate the latest NVIDIA® GPUs and high-bandwidth networking capabilities – ideal for real­time spectral analysis, electronic attack/defense, and machine-speed signal classification. These modules provide the high­performance embedded computing (HPEC) neces­ sary for real­time signal processing and AI­driven threat anal­ ysis in EW applications. By adhering to the SOSA Technical Standard, WOLF’s solutions ensure seamless integration and scalability, aligning with the push for modular open systems.

By aligning with the SOSA Technical Standard, Wolf ensures that its products are interoperable, easily upgradable, and future-proof – critical attributes in the rapidly evolving landscape of electronic warfare. WOLF’s solutions not only accelerate system development but also empower defense integrators to outpace threats for winning at the edge. www.wolf-at.com SOSA Special Edition 2025 | 61

SOSA Special Edition Profiles

2025 PROFILES 3U Plug In Cards (PICs): Payload Profiles – Compute-Intensive (SBC, FPGA, etc.)

Abaco Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

66 Curtiss-Wright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

63 EIZO Rugged Solutions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

74 Kontron. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64-65 Mercury. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

67 New Wave Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

65 3U Plug In Cards (PICs): Payload Profiles – I/O-Intensive (SBC, GPGPU, etc.)

Acromag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Wolf Advanced Technology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

63 68

3U Plug In Cards (PICs): Chassis Manager Pixus Technologies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

64

3U Plug In Cards (PICs): Power Supplies Kontron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Vicor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

66 69

3U Plug In Cards (PICs): RF & SDR Herrick Technology Laboratories (HTL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Epiq Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

70 72

3U Plug In Cards (PICs): Switch Profile Alpha Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Interface Concept. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Open.Tech by Amphenol. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

70 72 71

6 U Plug In Cards (PICs): Power Supplies AirBorn Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

73

6 U Plug In Cards (PICs): Chassis Manager Dawn VME Products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

73

Backplanes (3U & 6U) Kontron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

75

Connectors & Cabling: Cable & Cable Assemblies Huber+Suhner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Teledyne Storm Microwave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

76 79

Connectors & Cabling: Board Level Connectors (“VITA 66, 67, …” or “Optical, RF”) Smiths Interconnect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

77

Enclosures: Development/Test Annapolis Micro Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Atrenne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elma Electronic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

78 81 82

Enclosures: Deployable Atrenne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

LCR Embedded Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Pixus Technologies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

79 80 81

Services and Tools: Integrated PIC Sub-Systems Elma Electronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

82

62 | SOSA Special Edition 2025

www.opengroup.org/sosa

VPX3-536 Adaptable Processor Card The VPX3-536 from Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions is a 3U VPX FPGA rugged, high-performance, adaptable real-time processing board featuring an AMD Versal™ Premium VP2502 with AI cores and high-density fiber optic backplane I/O. Delivering a groundbreaking new AI-enabled accelerated compute architecture, 400 Gbps high-speed crypto engine, and up to 28 backplane fiber optic links, the VPX3-536 can handle secure ingest, processing, and egress of 784 Gbps of optical sensor or Ethernet data in each direction simultaneously, all aligned to the Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA® Technical Standard.

This powerful 3U OpenVPX form factor FPGA plug-in card (PIC) harnesses the performance and flexibility of the Versal Premium Adaptive System-onChip (ASoC) heterogeneous architecture. This combines conventional FPGA programmable logic and Arm™-based Scalar Engines, plus a new DSP Engine architecture and AI engines that allow users to efficiently run artificial intelligence (AI) models and split signal processing workloads between the DSP and AI engines to improve overall performance.

FEATURES Ą Developed in alignment with the SOSA® Technical

Standard

Ą 3U VPX form factor

Ą AMD Versal Premium VP2502 Adaptive SoC device with

AI Engines

Ą VPX Data Plane: 100 Gbps and 10G/25 Gbps Ethernet

ports

Ą VPX Expansion Plane: 2 x 8-lane or 1 x 16lane PCIe Gen4

Ą 28 lanes of VITA 66 backplane fiber optic I/O direct to the

ASoC, each supporting up to 28 Gbps/direction

Ą Fabric100™ product family

https://www.curtisswrightds.com/products/computing/fpga-cards/vpx/vpx3-536

Curtiss-Wright

www.curtisswrightds.com





ds@curtisswright.com www.linkedin.com/showcase/curtiss-wright-defense-solutions/

3U Plug In Cards (PICs): Payload Profiles – I/O-Intensive (SBC, GPGPU, etc.)

VPX7600 3U VPX SBC with Intel Tiger Lake-H Xeon W CPU Acromag’s new VPX7600 is a Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or or SOSA® Technical Standard aligned I/O Intensive single board computer.

This SBC features Intel’s 11th Generation Tiger Lake-H Xeon W-11000E Series processor. The high-performance 8-core processor supports up to 32GB of dual-channel, soldered-down DDR4 ECC memory. It also contains an integrated Intel Gen12 UHD Gfx-32 graphics engine. A wide variety of I/O peripherals are supported. The XMC expansion site enables advanced computation capabilities with plug-in mezzanine modules. A DisplayPort 1.4 interface on the backplane with HBR3 data rates supports 4K resolution. NVME SSD on-board storage holds up to 1TB of data. Other peripheral interfaces include a 2.5GBASE-T port, USB 3.2, USB 2.0, SATA III, 4x GPIO, and an RS422 or dual RS232 ports. Air-cooled and conduction cooled versions are available. Board support packages facilitate use with Microsoft Windows®, Linux®, and VxWorks™ operating systems.

Acromag

www.acromag.com www.opengroup.org/sosa

FEATURES Ą Intel 11th Gen Xeon-W Tiger Lake-H 8-Core CPU Ą 32GB of dual channel DDR4 SDRAM with ECC Ą Up to 1TB NVMe SSD on-board storage Ą 100Gb Ethernet Data Plane Ą 10Gb Ethernet Control Plane Ą x4 PCIe Gen3 Expansion Plane Ą IPMC VITA 46.11 Tier-3 System Management

 solutions@acromag.com

 www.linkedin.com/company/acromag

https://www.acromag.com/vpx7600

 877-295-7088 @acromag SOSA Special Edition 2025 | 63

SOSA Special Edition Profiles

3U Plug In Cards (PICs): Payload Profiles – Compute-Intensive (SBC, FPGA, etc.)

SOSA Special Edition Profiles

3U Plug In Cards (PICs): Chassis Manager

SHM300 SOSA® Aligned Chassis Manager, Mezzanine, Tier3 The Pixus SOSA® Aligned chassis manager is a mezzanine-based solution that affixes to the rear of an OpenVPX backplane so that you don't consume a slot. The compact Pixus solution can fit in smaller ATR or rackmount enclosures. The proven chassis manager has been deployed in systems that have gone through full MIL qualification testing.

With a PolarFire FPGA, the SHM300 is highly versatile. It allows a wide array of GPIO, MP port, and other pin options along with a KX/BX port, Base-T port, and other interfaces. The SHM300 features 100% USA based software and firmware.

Contact Pixus to discuss your application today!

Enclosure Systems

Backplanes

FEATURES Ą Three versions available:

1) mezzanine-based (so you don't consume a slot) 2) 3U slot pluggable 3) Lab/test version for easy and cost-effective development Ą 100% USA based software & firmware Ą Proven in MIL rugged deployed systems Ą RESTful API interface, versatile configurable design with PolarFire FPGA Ą Compact size Ą Readily available www.pixustechnologies.com

Chassis Managers

Pixus Technologies

www.pixustechnologies.com

 sales@pixustechnologies.com

 916-297-0020 USA

 519-885-5775 Canada

3U Plug In Cards (PICs): Payload Profiles – Compute-Intensive (SBC, FPGA, etc.)

VX307H: SOSA® Aligned 3U VPX PIC Introducing the Kontron VX307H Computing Node, the ultimate Sensor Open Systems Architecture, or SOSA, Aligned Architecture Booster: Offering best-in-class performance and XMC support on VITA 48.8 Air Flow Through (AFT) models, this rugged 3U embedded server card redefines the SWaP-C limits and enhances the capabilities of your HPEC architectures.

Powered by the Intel® Xeon® D-2700 Platform, the VX307H is offered with a 12, 16, or 20-core processor with features like 100Gb Ethernet, PCIe gen4, and an on-chip DMA engine. AVX-512 VNNI support is engineered for AI, signal processing, and cryptography, offering double the performance over previous generations for critical applications like computer vision and media processing.

The VX307H is available in VITA48.8 AFT and conduction-cooled versions, operating in extended temperature ranges and aligned with industry standards. Unleash the potential of your engineering projects with the SOSA™ Aligned Architecture Booster – Kontron VX307H Computing Node.

Contact us to learn more.

FEATURES Ą Intel® Xeon® D-2700 HCC processor with 100Gb

Integrated Ethernet

Ą From 12 to 20 processing cores to be adapted to SWaP-C

applications Ą Enhanced instructions for Artificial Intelligence and Signal processing (Intel AVX-512, VNNI) Ą Up to 64GB DDR4 memory with ECC Ą New VITA48.8 AFT (Air Flow Through) and VITA47 CC3 (Conduction-Cooled) support Ą XMC support on VITA48.8 AFT versions Ą Long term availability with 10-years of typical lifecycle

https://www.kontron.com/en/products/vx307h/p171195

Kontron

www.kontron.com

64 | SOSA Special Edition 2025

 info.americas@kontron.com

 619-995-2227

 www.linkedin.com/company/kontron-north-america/ www.opengroup.org/sosa

VX3060-S2 – Rugged. Reliable. Ready.

Assembled in the USA with Secure EMS in Huntsville, Alabama The VX3060-S2 is available with U.S. assembly through Nextek, a Kontron company, offering secure, fast EMS services in Huntsville, Alabama. Developed in alignment with the Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA® Technical Standard, it features Intel® 10nm SoC SKUs with quad-core units available, long lifecycle support, and advanced AI and signal processing capabilities (VNNI, AVX-512). Integrated Intel® Xe graphics deliver 96 EUs with GPGPU support via OpenCL. Two network variants ensure compatibility and performance: one with three rear Ethernet BaseT, another with dual 10GBase-KR. Pinout aligns with VITA65 OpenVPX profiles.

Get the full specs and start your evaluation today.

FEATURES Ą 11th Gen Intel® Core™ processor for AI, CVGIP, Graphics,

and DSP workloads

Ą 12-28 W Quad Core™ processor, Enhanced AI, AVX-512,

32 GByte w ECC Ą 8k Multi-Head display from Gen12 / 96 EUs high End GPU Ą Versatile I/O: USB-C, M.2 sockets, XMC option Ą 1G/10G Ethernet Multi-port with 2.5G, 25G and TSN capability Ą 15-year availability, PBIT, CBIT, SEC-Line support

https://www.kontron.com/en/products/vx3060-s2/p160535

Kontron

www.kontron.com

 info.americas@kontron.com

 619-995-2227

 www.linkedin.com/company/kontron-north-america/ 3U Plug In Cards (PICs): Payload Profiles – Compute-Intensive (SBC, FPGA, etc.)

V6067 3U VPX Versal® Premium ASoC+Ethernet NIC The V6067 is a next generation high-performance embedded computing 3U VPX module featuring the Xilinx® Versal® Premium Adaptive System-on-Chip (ASoC), the NVIDIA® Mellanox® ConnectX®-7 (MC-X7) network interface device, rugged optical and electrical I/O and Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA® Technical Standard aligned profile options. This module was specifically designed for applications that require a combination of high-speed data interfaces, network protocol offloads, onboard processing resources and optional data distribution to system-adjacent processing resources. The V6067 includes hardware offloads for UDP, TCP, RoCE v2, DPDK, GPUDirect and NVMEoF, among other protocol stacks. The combination of the MC-X7 and the ASoC devices allows for system designers to leverage the off-the-shelf, world-class Ethernet performance of the MC-X7 while deploying unique data processing and security algorithms in the ASoC device. This combination maximizes the effectiveness of the deployed applications and reduces the development timeline.

FEATURES Ą Xilinx® Versal® Premium ASoC (FPGA): VP1502/VP1702 Ą NVIDIA® Mellanox® ConnectX®-7 Network Interface Device, Hardware

offloads for UDP, TCP, RoCE v2, DPDK, GPUDirect, NVMEoF, +more Ą Up to twenty four (24) 1G to 25G optical ports via MPO front panel I/O or VITA 66 optical backplane I/O Ą 3 banks of 16GB (48 GB total) up to 1866MHz/3733Mbs LPDDR4 SDRAM Ą PCIe Gen4 support Ą Hard silicon MACSEC & IPSEC implementation in the device Ą VITA 93 QMC site

https://newwavedesign.com/products/vpx/v6067-3u-vpx-versal-premium-asoc-fpga-ethernet-offload-optical-i-o-module/

New Wave Design

www.newwavedesign.com www.opengroup.org/sosa

 info@newwavedesign.com

 952-224-9201

 www.linkedin.com/company/new-wave-design SOSA Special Edition 2025 | 65

SOSA Special Edition Profiles

3U Plug In Cards (PICs): Payload Profiles – Compute-Intensive (SBC, FPGA, etc.)

SOSA Special Edition Profiles

3U Plug In Cards (PICs): Payload Profiles – Compute-Intensive (SBC, FPGA, etc.)

VP231 with FMC300 The Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA® Technical Standard aligned VP231, featuring AMD’s popular Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC, brings Abaco’s pedigree of field-proven ruggedization in a mixed-signal RF+FPGA solution that delivers high-performance while optimized for overall system efficiency. Available as a standalone 3U VPX carrier or integrated with Abaco’s FMC300 based on ADI’s AD9082 multi-channel ADC and DAC, VP231 simplifies system development and accelerates time-to-deployment in a costeffective package.

VP231 offers integrated dual Arm cores, low-latency FPGA programmable logic, high-speed data transfers through 100G Ethernet, and DDR4 with ECC for reliable data integrity. FMC300 is a low-noise, high-resolution, high sampling rate wideband RF transceiver, with either 2-or-4-channel ADC and 4-channel DAC on a single FMC+.

With AMD’s announcement for long-term availability & support of their UltraScale+ FPGA family until 2045, developers can leverage their extensive library of proven IP blocks with confidence.

Abaco Systems

www.Abaco.com

FEATURES Ą AMD / Xilinx Zynq™ UltraScale+™ MPSoC ZU11EG,

17EG or 19EG for scalable performance

Ą 100G Ethernet for high-performance data I/O Ą 12GB DDR4 with ECC

Ą AD9082 multi-Channel Wideband 7GHz FMC with

up to 6GSPS 12-bit RF ADC and up to 12GSPS 16-bit RF DAC Ą Conduction-cooled and conformal-coating options Ą Ruggedized to operate in harsh environments across extreme temperatures Ą 20+ year product life support

 Abaco.Sales@ametek.com

 866-652-2226

 www.linkedin.com/company/abaco-systems-embedded-solutions 3U Plug In Cards (PICs): Power Supplies

SOSA™ Aligned VPX360DMS – 600W / 3U Power Supply Kontron VPX power supplies are commercial off-the-shelf (COTS), rugged, conduction cooled, single stage converters according to the ANSI/ VITA 62.0 specification. Perfectly designed to power a VPX chassis, these units seamlessly fit within the VITA 48.0 specification envelope.

Using state-of-the-art switching power technology combined with sophisticated multi-stage input filtering, they offer a wide input voltage range and superior efficiency for challenging environments.

The new 600W VPX360 series is compliant with MIL-STD-461, 704 and 1275 as per VITA 62. Featuring an embedded microprocessor, it supports monitoring and control capabilities with I2C bus (IPMI) and USB interfaces.

The VPX power supply mechanical dimensions are 3U x 5HP (1" slot) and includes connectors, keying and alignment mechanisms as per VITA 62.

The VPX360DMS version provides 12V/80A and 3.3V/20A and IPMC for system management integration.

Discover our cutting-edge VPX power supplies today.

FEATURES Ą Outputs: 12V main / 2 x 40A, 3.3Vaux / 20A Ą High efficiency, 12V-peak > 90% Ą Wide input voltage range: 11 V … 70 V DC (nominal 28V or

48V), reverse polarity protection

Ą Voltage sense controlled, Over Voltage, Under Voltage,

Over Current, Over Temperature protection

Ą Microprocessor controlled, with I2C bus / IPMB for

VITA48.11 system management, USB port Ą MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-704, MIL-STD-1275 compliance as per VITA 62, ruggedized to MIL-STD-810 Ą No liquid / wet / aluminum electrolytic capacitors

https://www.wiener-d.com/product/vpx360-high-power-vpx-power-supply/

Kontron

www.kontron.com

66 | SOSA Special Edition 2025

 info.americas@kontron.com

 888-294-4558

 www.linkedin.com/company/kontron-north-america/ www.opengroup.org/sosa

ROCK3 SOSA® Aligned Mission Computers, BuiltSAFE The first Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA® Technical Standard aligned open-software tested, 3U OpenVPX mission computers on the market with safety-certifiable, Intel® Core™ i7 processing, ROCK3 delivers up to 20X more performance than PowerPC® based aircraft computers and supports future fleet technology architectures.

FEATURES Ą MOSA/SOSA Technical Standard architecture tested with

open applications

Ą Intel® Core™ i7 safety certifiable processing up to DAL-A Ą Board support packages to achieve FAA CAST-32A

objectives

Ą Rugged, compact and low power form-factors Ą Avionics I/O such as ARINC-429, discrete, MIL-STD-1553,

RS-485, and CAN

Ą 32 GB DDR4 with ECC, 64 MB FLASH, 64 GB M.2 SSD

storage

Ą DO-254 hardware and DO-178 software Ą Avionics and mission computing applications

mrcy.com/rock3

Mercury Systems www.mrcy.com www.opengroup.org/sosa

 sales@mrcy.com

 978-967-1401

 www.linkedin.com/company/mercury-systems

@MRCY

SOSA Special Edition 2025 | 67

SOSA Special Edition Profiles

3U Plug In Cards (PICs): Payload Profiles – Compute-Intensive (SBC, FPGA, etc.)

SOSA Special Edition Profiles

3U Plug In Cards (PICs): Payload Profiles – I/O-Intensive (SBC, GPGPU, etc.)

VPX3U-BW5000E-CX7 (WOLF-163L) The VPX3U-BW5000E-CX7 HPEC module includes an NVIDIA® RTX™ 5000 Blackwell embedded GPU and a ConnectX SmartNIC. The NVIDIA RTX 5000 Blackwell embedded GPU provides the advanced processing capabilities for high performance embedded computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) processing. The ConnectX®-7 provides the Ethernet and PCIe connectivity needed to move large datasets efficiently.

The NVIDIA Blackwell architecture includes CUDA cores for HPC, and 5th generation Tensor cores for AI and data science computations. The Blackwell GPU has an improved architecture which provides increased efficiency. The module also supports 24GB of GDDR7 memory which provides over 50% higher bandwidth compared to the previous generation.

The GPU supports PCIe Gen5, providing a fast data transfer path to/from the module.

The NVIDIA ConnectX-7 SmartNIC provides PCIe and Ethernet connectivity. ConnectX-7 is ideal for the high-speed, secure, data transfer capabilities required for data-heavy tasks such as sensor data processing and other C5ISR tasks. The ConnectX-7 also provides support for RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE), enabling the fastest method for transferring data across the network to the GPU.

FEATURES Ą NVIDIA RTX 5000 (GB203) GPU with 10496 CUDA

Cores, 320 Tensor Cores

Ą 5th Gen Tensor Cores with new data precisions

(new: FP4 and FP6, FP8 Gen2) Ą NVENC (9th Gen) and NVDEC (6th Gen) with up to 8K video encoding and hardware decoding support Ą NVIDIA ConnectX-7 provides the module with up to 100GbE Ethernet and a configurable PCIe switch Ą PCIe configurable switch Ą Switching is offloaded from the CPU to the ConnectX with NVIDIA ASAP2 technology Ą Support for 40/100GBASE-KR4 protocols Ą 24 GB GDDR7 256-bit VRAM with ECC support Ą 10/25GBASE-KR Data and Control planes Ą GPUDirect RDMA and RoCE support Ą SOSA™ Aligned slot profile: 14.6.11-0 or 14.6.13-0

https://wolfadvancedtechnology.com/products/vpx3u-bw5000e-cx7-wolf-163l/

Wolf Advanced Technology www.wolf-at.com

68 | SOSA Special Edition 2025

 sales@wolf-at.com

 www.linkedin.com/company//wolf-at

 800-931-4114 @WolfAdvTech www.opengroup.org/sosa

SOS028H3U800 The VIcor Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA® Technical Standard aligned power supply is a COTS power supply that is designed for 3U Open VPX systems that are developed to the SOSA™ Technical Standard.

The module utilizes Vicor proprietary technology to enable high efficiency and power density for this highly rugged, conduction-cooled model.

Up to four power supplies can be paralleled to increase the output power capability of the +12V main and +3.3V auxiliary outputs with proprietary wireless current sharing. The need for conventional current share pins is eliminated. The current share accuracy is ±2A.

FEATURES Ą Open VPX – VITA 62 Ą 18 -45V input voltage range Ą 800W output power Ą 3U Open VPX power supply Ą Conduction cooled Ą Input voltage reverse-polarity protection Ą Remote voltage sensing for +12V and +3.3V auxiliary Ą Parallel operation capable with proprietary wireless current sharing Ą Overcurrent, overvoltage and overtemperature protections Ą Enable, inhibit, system reset and power fail controls Ą Tested and meets military standard compliance: MIL-STD-704F,

MIL-STD-461G, MIL-STD-810G, MIL-STD-1275E, RTCA/DO-160G

https://www.vicorpower.com/mil-cots/power-systems/sosa

Vicor

www.vicorpower.com www.opengroup.org/sosa

 custserv@vicorpower.com

 800-927-9474

 www. linkedin.com/company/vicor-corporation SOSA Special Edition 2025 | 69

SOSA Special Edition Profiles

3U Plug In Cards (PICs): Power Supplies

SOSA Special Edition Profiles

3U Plug In Cards (PICs): RF & SDR

HTLv-43Q, HTLv-53Q Introducing the HTLv-43/53Q product family: The HTLv-43Q is a single-slot 4 channel RF Up and Down converter. Each channel supports 1.5 GHz of Instantaneous bandwidth (IBW) over the input frequency range of 20 MHz to 20 GHz. The HTLv-53Q is a single-slot 4 channel SDR (converter and FPGA) providing 1.5 GHz IBW per channel with an aggregate IBW of 6 GHz. Both are aligned with Sensor Open Systems Architecture, or SOSA® Release 2.0 Technical Standard Technical Standard and are designed to work together as a SOSA aligned integrated module with many modes of operation including: (1) Four channel independently or coherently tuned receiver; (2) Four channel independently or coherently tuned exciter; (3) Two receive and two transmit channels which can be used to provide two 1.5 GHz IBW DRFMs. Contact HTL to learn how our newest 3U VPX SOSA aligned modules are ideal solutions to support your EW applications and program requirements.

Herrick Technology Laboratories, Inc. (HTL) www.herricktechlabs.com/

FEATURES Ą RF overview: 4 channels – each can be dynamically configured

as Tx or Rx in 20 µs. Frequency range: 20 MHz to 20 GHz, 1.5 GHz instantaneous BW per channel. Phase coherent or independent tuning per channel. Phase coherency extensible to multiple HTLv-43Q modules and/or HTLv-53Q modules Ą Integrated high-performance processing node. DSP/FPGA (1400k LE’s) and Four ARM Cortex-A53 cores. 6.8 TFLOP processing, PDW generation and LPI analysis. Ą Standardized I/O with Ultra-High-Speed Ports. Data Plane: 100 GigE + 1Gig. Control Plane: 1 GigE. 128 Gbps PCIe Gen4 x8. Ą Open Architecture Standards: 3U VPX Open System Architecture, or SOSA, aligned modules. VITA 49.2, MORA, VICTORY interfaces.

IPMI module management. Ą Security: Hardware enforced Non-Volatile Memory Read Only (NVMRO)  marketing@herricktechlabs.com

 301-972-2037

 www.linkedin.com/company/herrick-technology-laboratories-inc./ 3U Plug In Cards (PICs): Switch Profile

ADM-VA740: SOSA® aligned 3U VPX platform The ADM-VA740 is a Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA® aligned 3U VPX platform, featuring the AMD Versal Premium XCVP1402. As an embedded ethernet smart switch, this FPGA processor is designed for the development and deployment of compute-intensive applications. It delivers reliable performance even during the most demanding tasks, including data encryption, digital signal processing, image and video processing, and machine vision.The board adheres to the Open VPX 14.8.7-n switch profile and can be paired with an I/O mezzanine card to support various rear aperture and front I/O options.

Alpha Data Inc delivers modified COTS solutions and leverages its history of collaboration with AMD as an AMD Adaptive Computing Elite Certified Partner, ensuring that their Versal™ Premium offers a perfected reconfigurable and customizable processing performance. This partnership provides access to the most innovative engineering, combined with Alpha Data Inc 30+ years of technical heritage packed into ruggedized, radiation-resilient, interoperable components that ensures rapid time to market.

FEATURES Ą SOSA Aligned I/O and System Monitor Ą AMD Versal™ Premium VP1402 Ą 24GB in 3 Banks of LPDDR4 Ą I/O mezzanine slot for optical engines & 4x 400G high-speed

crypto engines

Ą 6x MRMAC Ethernet Cores (4x10/4x25/40/100G each) Ą 2x PCI Express Gen5 cores, 2x ARM Cortex-A72 & 2x Cortex-R5

MPCores™ Ą 6x 100G Multirate Ethernet MAC (MRMAC)

https://alpha-data.com/product/adm-va740/

Alpha Data

www.alpha-data.com/

70 | SOSA Special Edition 2025

 sales@alpha-data.com

 303-954-8768

 www.linkedin.com/company/alpha-data-parallel-systems-limited/ www.opengroup.org/sosa

RaptorLink 64x50 SOSA® Aligned Ethernet switch Amphenol’s next-generation 3U VPX Ethernet switch, the RaptorLink 64X50, is SOSA aligned and features VITA-91 connectivity, offering double density with support for speeds of up to 50G per lane on the backplane. The switch operates with 64 individual channels, supporting speeds of 1G, 10G, and 25G in NRZ mode, and 50G in PAM-4 mode. Additionally, it supports multiple ganged protocols, including 40Gx4, 50Gx2, and 100Gx4 in NRZ mode, and up to 400Gx8 in PAM-4 mode. This makes the Ethernet switch highly adaptable for future backplane architectures. All boards are built with Amphenol MILHD2 SOSA/VITA 91 and/or R-VPX Evolution series connectors.

Management is handled by two on-board quad-core ARM processors, each with ample memory for complex networking applications. The switch includes a full suite of SOSA aligned IPMI status functions for various chassis manager requirements. In summary, the RaptorLink 64X50 integrates two managed 32-channel, 50G Ethernet switches into a single, 3U SOSA aligned, VITA-91 VPX board.

Several versions of the RaptorLink switch are available with 50G PAM-4 and NRZ connectivity configurations. Each model includes a comprehensive management software suite with features such as MACsec, Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN), and a 60-second boot time. The switches are offered in the following configurations: • Dual 64x50G switch – SOSA aligned VITA-91 double density and speed connectors • Single 32x50G switch – SOSA aligned VITA-91 double density and speed connectors • Single 40x50G switch – SOSA aligned VITA-91 double density and speed connectors • Additionally, a single 32x50G switch is available with legacy RVPX SOSA aligned connectors.

To meet the demands of applications requiring low power consumption and fast boot times (under 10 seconds), several configurations of the switch are available with up to 25G NRZ speeds and lightweight management software. These options include:

FEATURES and benefits Ą Dual 32-channel Ethernet switch chips, capable of

speeds up to 50G PAM-4 and NRZ speeds up to 25G.

Ą Support for multiple speeds: 1G, 10G, 25G, 40G, 50G,

100G, and 400G (PAM-4 and NRZ formats).

Ą Layer 2 and Layer 3 network management capabilities,

including support for time-sensitive networking (TSN), MACsec, and advanced routing applications. Ą Dedicated management interfaces via dual RS-232 and 1GBase-T. Ą SOSA-aligned 12V power input with a full IPMI controller for chassis management. Ą Powered by dual quad-core ARM CPUs with DDR4-SDRAM, flash memory, and EEPROM. Ą Linux OS with comprehensive network management software.

RUGGEDIZATION Ą Fully ruggedized to withstand extreme environmental and

EMI/EMP conditions.

Ą Interfaces for power diagnostics and more. Ą Meets the following environmental specifications: Ą Operating Temperature: -40ºC to 85ºC while operating. Ą Storage Temperature: -55ºC to 125ºC. Ą Humidity: 0-100% non-condensing humidity during

operation. Ą Vibration: 10g peak, 5-2,000 Hz sine vibration, and 40 G peak shock cycles. Ą Altitude: -1,500 to 60,000 ft with rapid depressurization. Ą EMC: Designed to comply with MIL-STD-461E.

• Dual 64x25G switch – SOSA aligned VITA-91 double density and speed connectors • Single 32x25G switch – SOSA aligned VITA-91 double density and speed connectors • Single 32x25G switch (with legacy RVPX SOSA-aligned connectors) Along with the switch and processing infrastructure available in many different configurations, the RaptorLink 64X50 has a VITA46.11 Tier 1 compliant IPMI solution for sensor, link state, health, BIT, and other reporting to chassis managers. It also supports redundant IPMB interfaces and IPMB fast modes. https://open.tech/raptorlink-64x50-sosa-ethernet-switch

Open.Tech

www.open.tech www.opengroup.org/sosa

 sales@open.tech

 561-515-2550

 www.linkedin.com/company/101690501/ SOSA Special Edition 2025 | 71

SOSA Special Edition Profiles

3U Plug In Cards (PICs): Switch Profile

SOSA Special Edition Profiles

3U Plug In Cards (PICs): Switch Profile

ComEth4690e 3U VPX SOSA® aligned 100GbE Switch The ComEth4690e is a 3U VPX 100 Gigabit Ethernet Level 2/3 switch aligned with the SOSA Technical Standard, compliant with the SLT3-SWH6F1U7U-14.4.14 profile. It features two separate on-board Ethernet switch matrices, each of them being managed by its own ARM processor, thus completely isolating the Control plane from the Data plane of the 3U VPX system to provide the highest security level ever. It offers 31 SerDes (DP 24 + CP 7) routed to the rear VPX connectors and 9 Serdes (DP 8 + CP 1) to the front panel. It takes advantage of the modularity of the Ethernet matrices to configure each Serdes (or group of Serdes) individually in 1G-KX, 10G-KR, 25G-KR, 40G-KR4 or 100G-KR4 Ethernet mode on the rear and 1/10/25GBASE-SR or 40/100GBASE-SR4 fiber optic ports (MPO connector) on the front. This switch is remotely configurable via the Switchware web interface, SNMP or CLI. The ComEth4690e is available in conduction-cooled grade. Others cooling method are possible. Contact us to find out more.

FEATURES Ą Switching for 2 independent domains

Ą VITA 65.0 SLT3-SWH-6F1U7U-14.4.14 Ą Up to 40 ports

Ą 1/10/25GBASE-SR, 40/100GBASE-SR4 (front)

Ą 1GBASE-KX, 10/25GBASE-KR, 40/100GBASE-KR4 (rear) Ą Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) Ą Aligned with the SOSA Technical Standard

www.interfaceconcept.com/products/ethernet-switches-and-routers/cometh4690e/

Interface Concept

www.interfaceconcept.com

 info@interfaceconcept.com

 www.linkedin.com/company/interface-concept/ 3U Plug In Cards (PICs): RF & SDR

NDR585 3U High Performance 18 GHz Tuner The NDR585 is a 4 channel, 3U Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA® compliant VPX microwave tuner platform that provides frequency coverage from 20 MHz to 18 GHz. The NDR585’s impressive channel density minimizes system level SWaP. Each of the 4 channels provides a 1 GHz analog IF output with a 500 MHz instantaneous bandwidth.

Each channel can tune both independently and phase coherently and multiple modules can be synchronized for phase coherent operation.

The unit incorporates a super-heterodyne RF conversion architecture to minimize spurious products and yield high dynamic range performance. The fully integrated synthesizers provide fast tuning, low phase noise and tuning flexibility. The NDR585 includes an internal 100 MHz OCXO and accepts a 10 MHz reference input.

FEATURES Ą Single slot Ą 4 channel

Ą Phase-coherent or independent tuning Ą 20 MHz to 18 GHz

Ą 500 MHz instantaneous bandwidth per channel Ą 48W power consumption Ą Better than 90 dB SFDR

https://epiqsolutions.com/products/crs/ndr585

Epiq Solutions

www.epiqsolutions.com

72 | SOSA Special Edition 2025

 info@epiqsolutions.com

 847-598-0218

 www.linkedin.com/company/epiq-solutions www.opengroup.org/sosa

AirBorn’s Mighty VPX Power Supply The VPX Power Supply is a 2300W+, 6U solution offering industry-leading power density and efficiency. Built to meet VPX and VITA 62 open architecture standards, it delivers rugged, high-performance power in a modular design.

With an impressive 95% efficiency, it provides nearly twice the output of traditional 6U power supplies, enabling customers to meet the rising power demands of modern defense applications – without increasing unit size.

The VPX Power Supply also features conducted EMI emissions well below VPX requirements, delivering significant cost and space savings over competing solutions.

Engineered for modern defense applications, AirBorn’s VPX Power Supply is a smart, adaptable power solution. Its embedded intelligence enables flexible power distribution, dynamically managing voltage, current balancing, and temperature across multiple units. Additionally, system designers can leverage a dual data bus communication, allowing a system controller or chassis manager to monitor input voltage, output loads, temperature, and other critical data– helping to predict and prevent potential failures.

FEATURES Ą Auxiliary DC Output: +3.3V/60A Ą Peak Efficiency of 95% Ą Input-Output Isolation 2100VDC Ą Main DC Output: +12V/180A Ą Overvoltage, Overload, & Overtemperature Protection Ą Programmable Regulated Current Limit Ą VITA 46.11 System Management

https://www.airborn.com/6u-vpx-power-systems/power-blade-vpx-power-supply/product/vpx-power-supply

AirBorn Inc.

www.airborn.com

 hovdestadj@airborn.com

 512-863-5585

 www.linkedin.com/company/airborn-inc/mycompany 6U Plug In Cards (PICs): Chassis Manager

SOSA® aligned version ITM-6976 6U Intelligent VPX Test Module SOSA aligned version 6U Dawn Intelligent VPX Test Module, also system monitor and load board. Feature packed. 3U version available. 6U version available.

6U SOSA aligned Version VPX Test Module performs a wide variety of functions and applications.

Intelligent VPX Test Module, also System Monitor and Load Board. Feature packed.

Performs an amazing range of applications, and tests such as OpenVPX Rule Compliance testing and certification, system design validation and characterization. Doubles as an important monitoring, data logging, and reporting device when included within deployed systems. Can data log and time stamp extraordinary events such as shock and vibration, operation outside of normal thresholds.

FEATURES Ą Compliance testing of VITA Rules for OpenVPX

conduction cooled systems.

Ą Design Validation of systems based on Power and

Thermal simulation of deployed board set.

Ą Emulate system operating current profile based on

multiple current image mapping of actual modules. Ą Measure power supply hold up time of voltage rails under various loads. Ą Measure Peak-to-Peak noise on each voltage rail. Ą Design Validation of planned deployed system. Ą System Characterization of new products.

https://www.dawnvme.com/shop/accessories-vpx-accessories/sosa-version-itm-6976-6u-intelligent-vpx-test-module/

Dawn VME Products www.dawnvme.com www.opengroup.org/sosa

 sales@dawnvme.com

 510-657-4444

SOSA Special Edition 2025 | 73

SOSA Special Edition Profiles

6U Plug In Cards (PICs): Power Supplies

SOSA Special Edition Profiles

3U Plug In Cards (PICs): Payload Profiles – Compute-Intensive (SBC, FPGA, etc.)

Condor GR5SL-B5000 The Condor GR5SL-B5000 is a compute-intensive embedded 3U OpenVPX video graphics and GPGPU card built with the advanced NVIDIA RTX PRO™ 5000 Blackwell GPU. The Condor GR5SL-B5000 features 24 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit memory interface and a PCI Express Gen 5 native interface, delivering significant advancements in memory and data transfer speeds compared to previous generations. The NVIDIA Blackwell architecture also includes Multi-Instance GPU (MIG) and vGPU support for the first time in an embedded GPU offering, unlocking higher flexibility to virtualized environments and multimodal workloads.

FEATURES Ą NVIDIA RTX PRO™ 5000 GPU with 24 GB of GDDR7 graphics memory Ą 10,496 CUDA cores, 320 Tensor Cores (5th Generation), and 80 Ray

Tracing (RT) Cores (4th Generation) Ą PCI Express Gen 5 Ą NVIDIA GPUDirect® Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) Ą Support for Multi-Instance GPU (MIG) and vGPU Ą H.265 (HEVC) / H.264 (MPEG4/AVC), AV1 video Codec engines Ą SOSA™ aligned with support for 14.6.11 or 14.6.13 payload profile

The thermal and mechanical design of the Condor GR5SL-B5000 was engineered to significantly improve overall thermal efficiency, reduce throttling, and enable consistent performance at extended temperature limits. The graphics card is available in both conduction-cooled (CC) [VITA 48.2] and Air Flow Through (AFT) [VITA 48.8] variants to address various environments and performance needs.

https://www.eizorugged.com/products/graphics-video-capture-cards/condor-gr5sl-b5000/

EIZO Rugged Solutions www.eizorugged.com

74 | SOSA Special Edition 2025

 rugged@eizo.com

 407-262-7100

 www.linkedin.com/company/eizoruggedsolutions/ www.opengroup.org/sosa

SOSA® Aligned BACKPLANE Kontron’s Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA, Technical Standard aligned BACKPLANE embodies exceptional high-speed performance and unparalleled flexibility. As a central connection element, the backplane is crucial for the performance of the overall system. Kontron has equipped this backplane, tailored for compute-demanding tasks, with significant capabilities, including lightning fast 100 Gigabit Ethernet transmission.

Its remarkable 100 Gbit/s speed performance has been validated through rigorous independent tests. The backplane’s seven-slot architecture allows for extensive functional integration. Drawing from extensive customer feedback, comprehensive expertise, and analytical insights, Kontron has incorporated a specific configuration for this backplane. Yet, it retains a flexible design ecosystem, welcoming custom adjustments to meet customer-specific requirements at any time.

Ready to experience Kontron’s high-performance solution? Contact us today to learn how our SOSA aligned BACKPLANE can transform your operations.

FEATURES Ą High speed design for 100 Gbit/s Ethernet (100GBase-KR4) Ą 7 Slots VPX, 1 SBC, 1 Switch, 1 Clock, 4 Payload Slots Ą Payload and clock slots can optionally be equipped with

coaxial modules as per VITA 67.3C

Ą Featuring MULTIGIG RT 3 connectors Ą Max. Input current per backplane VS1:VS2:VS3 = 120A :

90A : 90A Ą Flexible keying and alignment mechanism Ą Custom assembly or modification on request

https://www.hartmann-electronic.com/product/3u-6u-sosa-aligned-vpx-backplanes/

Kontron

www.kontron.com

 info.americas@kontron.com

 888-294-4558

 www.linkedin.com/company/kontron-north-america/

SOSA in use: Radar, Electronic Warfare, Communications Applications Sponsored by Epiq Solutions, New Wave DV, and Wolf Advanced Technology

Military applications are already requiring SOSA aligned products in systems for radar, electronic warfare, communications, and more.

Open architecture approaches like SOSA have changed the way defense electronics designers build tomorrow’s military platforms.

This webcast will detail how SOSA aligned products can make an impact on designing and specifying critical defense platforms.

(This is an archived event.)

Watch the webcast: https://tinyurl.com/3hf8wv8y

WATCH MORE WEBCASTS:

https://militaryembedded.com/webcasts/archive/ www.opengroup.org/sosa

SOSA Special Edition 2025 | 75

SOSA Special Edition Profiles

Backplanes (3U & 6U)

SOSA Special Edition Profiles

Connectors & Cabling: Cable & Cable Assemblies

High Performance SOSA® Aligned RF Cable Assemblies HUBER+SUHNER’s revolutionary MINIBEND® solderless connector attachment technology has provided the A&D market with the industry’s most capable flexible cable assemblies for over 30 years. With the launch of HUBER+SUHNER’s SOSA aligned RF interconnect portfolio powered by MINIBEND®, engineers now have access to high performance coaxial cable options featuring the industry’s smallest bend radius immediately behind the RF contact, enabling extremely tight routing without sacrificing durability or performance.

Designed as a drop-in replacement for traditional preformed semi-rigid coaxial connections, MINIBEND® assemblies deliver superior reliability and ease of installation as a MIL-PRF-39012 qualified COTS portfolio. Solderless MINIBEND® connector terminations enable the industry’s tightest 90° bends immediately behind the connector junction (up to 30x ±90°) and eliminates failure-prone solder joints from the cable assembly, saving valuable space, improving reliability, and eliminating installation-related failures

FEATURES Ą Complete VITA 67.3 RF connectivity portfolio featuring SMPM, SMPS,

and NanoRF interfaces delivered as drop-in assemblies from a single source, including hybrid RF/fiber optic configurations

Ą The largest portfolio of cable and connector options for PCB and

chassis connectivity, including high frequency D38999 contact options up to 65 GHz, ensures application-tailored interconnect solutions are selected at design-in

Ą Low loss .047- and .086-size cable options available Ą All assemblies manufactured in accordance with IPC/WHMA-A-620

Class 3

Ą Dedicated express production line provides made-to-order VITA 67.3

assemblies in as little as 4 weeks

Ą Drop-in VITA 66.5, J4, J14, and J15 assemblies available with

various termini/ferrule options supporting lensed and physical contact connections

Ą Rugged drop-in SOSA aligned I/O harnesses (RF, fiber optic,

and power/signal) available from a single source for inside- and outside-the-box installation

HUBER+SUHNER has supported the global Aerospace and Defense industry with high performance, high reliability connectivity solutions for over half a century. As a proud member of The Open Group’s SOSA Consortium and VITA Standards Organization, we firmly believe that standardization and innovation can (and should) coexist. We strive to provide system engineers with tradeoff-free connectivity solutions that enable maximum possible SWaP optimization for next-generation mission platforms.

https://www.hubersuhner.com/en/openvpx-compliant-solutions

HUBER+SUHNER Inc.

www.hubersuhner.com 76 | SOSA Special Edition 2025

 news.industry@hubersuhner.com

 704-790-7300

 www.linkedin.com/company/hubersuhner/ www.opengroup.org/sosa

SpaceABLE® 28G SL Series 4TRX, 12TX, and 12RX The SpaceABLE® 28G SL Series radiation resistant transceivers are in service on GEO and LEO satellites at the highest Technology Level Readiness level of TRL 9.

The SpaceABLE 28G SL Series low profile screw-in module mounts to the board via an LGA connector (interposer).

It is offered as either a (4+4)-lane transceiver (100G full-duplex) or as separate 12-channel transmitter and 12-channel receiver modules (300G half-duplex, as a pair) that operate at up to 28 Gbps per channel over a recommended operating temperature range of –40 ºC to 85 ºC at ultra-low bit error rates of 10-9.

FEATURES Ą Small: less than 6 mm high (module and interposer) Ą Rugged: withstand radiation doses >100 krad (Si) and

qualified per MIL-STD 883 shock and vibration

Ą Expected life: up to 20 years Ą Performance: up to 28 Gbps/channel over a recommended

operating temperature range of –40 ºC to 85 ºC

Ą Low power consumption: 160 mW/channel (<6 pJ per bit) Ą Link budget: >7 dB with BER 10-9 (measured at 25.7 Gbps) Ą High-throughput communication satellites, GEO satellites,

LEO satellite constellations

www.smithsinterconnect.com/products/optical-transceivers/embedded-transceivers/spaceable-28g-sl-series-4trx,-12tx,-and-12rx/

Smiths Interconnect

www.smithsinterconnect.com/

 focom.uscsr@smithsinterconnect.com

 813-901-7200

 www.linkedin.com/company/smiths-interconnect/

 @smithsinterconn

Connectors & Cabling: Board Level Connectors ("VITA 66, 67, …" or "Optical, RF") category

LightCONEX® LC Series The LightCONEX® series of optical plug-in and backplane module connectors for OpenVPX systems is Smiths Interconnect's answer to the stringent SWaP requirements of today’s defense applications in which fiber optics are replacing high bandwidth copper interconnects.

This series of active, blind-mate optical interconnects offers flexibility, light weight, very high bandwidth, and forward compatibility.

The LightCONEX active blind-mate optical interconnect is a revolutionary solution for OpenVPX systems that includes a fixed, plug-in module connector and a floating backplane connector compatible with VITA 66.5 and aligned to the Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA, Technical Standard.

FEATURES Ą Increases volumetric density of 3U and 6U high-speed switch and

processor boards by integrating optical transceiver into plug-in connector

Ą Intermateability with OpenVPX 66.5-defined backplane connectors

enables multiple sources and drives faster design cycles

Ą Reduces SWaP with rugged MIL-STD qualified, edge-mounted, optical

interconnects Ą Enables ultra-high port bandwidth density of up to 720 Gbps full-duplex in a half-width slot Ą Simplifies OpenVPX board assembly and rework by eliminating fiber pigtail on edge-mount transceiver Ą 10G and 28G per channel datarates in TRX, TX-only, and RX-only configurations Ą OpenVPX single board computing, C5ISR embedded systems

ttps://www.smithsinterconnect.com/products/optical-transceivers/vpx-optical-interconnects-en/lightconex-lc-series/

Smiths Interconnect

www.smithsinterconnect.com/ www.opengroup.org/sosa

 focom.uscsr@smithsinterconnect.com

 813-901-7200

 www.linkedin.com/company/smiths-interconnect/

@smithsinterconn

SOSA Special Edition 2025 | 77

SOSA Special Edition Profiles

Connectors & Cabling: Board Level Connectors ("VITA 66, 67, …" or "Optical, RF")

SOSA Special Edition Profiles

Enclosures: Development/Test

100GbE SOSA® Aligned Development Kit Includes Versal™ and 64 GS/s Direct RF Options This next-generation 3U OpenVPX Benchtop Development Platform (WS3A01-Sx) is both SOSA aligned and 100Gb Ethernet capable, and is designed from the ground up to economically speed development of 100GbE applications that are aligned with The SOSA™ Technical Standard.

OVERALL SYSTEM FEATURES • Front-loading, air-cooled system with conduction-cooled boards • Seven 3U OpenVPX slots with SOSA aligned backplane profiles – One 14.6.11 Payload – Three 14.6.11 Empty Payload (for expansion) – One 14.2.16 I/O-intensive SBC – One 14.4.14 100GbE Switch – One VITA 62 Power Supply – 12V-Heavy • 25 Gbps Line Rates on Data and Expansion Planes – 25/40/100Gb Ethernet – SDR/DDR/QDR/EDR InfiniBand – Gen 3/4 PCI Express – Custom protocols up to 25Gbps per lane • 66.5C and VITA 67.3C for payload slots • Four MIL-DTL-38999 SOSA aligned circular connectors with 19 RF connections, and one MIL-DTL-38999 Cable • Multiple levels of hardware and software security 100Gb ETHERNET SWITCH • 40/100Gb Ethernet Data Plane Switch – 6.4Tb/s switching capacity – Industry-leading, true cut through latency • 1/10/25/40/100Gb Ethernet Control Plane Switch • Two Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoCs (XCZU5EG)

CHASSIS MANAGER • VITA 46.11 compliant • Enables control, maintenance, and security functions • One Xilinx Zynq® UltraScale+™ MPSoC (XCZU5EG) FPGA PROCESSOR • Processing Option #1: Virtex™ UltraScale+ FPGA • Processing Option #2: Versal™ Premium FPGA • Processing Option #3: Agilex™ 9 Direct RF-Series FPGA I/O • ADC/DAC Option #1: Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ Gen3 RFSoC – ADC: 4 Channel, 5.0+GSps Sample Rate, 14 bit Resolution – DAC: 4 Channel, 10.0+GSps Sample Rate, 14 bit Resolution • ADC/DAC Option #2: Jariet Technologies Electra-MA – ADC: 2 Channel, 64.0GSps Sample Rate, 10 bit Resolution – DAC: 2 Channel, 64.0GSps Sample Rate, 10 bit Resolution • ADC/DAC Option #3: Agilex 9 Direct RF-Series – ADC: 8 Channel, 64.0GSps Sample Rate, 10 bit Resolution – DAC: 8 Channel, 64.0GSps Sample Rate, 10 bit Resolution SINGLE BOARD COMPUTER (SBC) • Intel® Xeon® E-2176M • Up to 32 GB DDR4 at 2,400 MT/s with ECC • Up to 256 GB high-performance NVMe onboard storage APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT • Standard support delivered with all systems • Optional full Board Support Package – Enables customization of Zynq PS, PL for security – Provides fast and robust HDL-based environment

For a virtual or in-person Demo, contact us.

MADE IN

U. S. A.

https://www.annapmicro.com/products/WS3A01-S1/

Annapolis Micro Systems www.AnnapMicro.com 78 | SOSA Special Edition 2025

 marketing@annapmicro.com

 www.linkedin.com/company/annapolis-micro-systems

 410-841-2514 @Annapolis_Micro www.opengroup.org/sosa

SOSA® aligned NanoRF SMPM and SMPS Cable Assemblies Teledyne Storm Microwave offers a versatile array of cable types to suit any application. For flexible and durable solutions, the Storm Flex® family of cables sets a new standard. Featuring NanoRF SMPM and SMPS contacts that exceed the VITA 67.3 standards, these cables are frequently utilized within the Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA, consortium. The combination of high-performance contacts and industry-leading rugged cables has never been more compelling.

Our online cable builder includes all contact types, allowing you to design your cable and receive a drawing with mechanical and electrical specifications in minutes. Our application engineers are available to assist with any custom connectors or cable requirements you may have. Contact us to see how quickly we can deliver these cables to you.

As an active member in the SOSA consortium, Teledyne Storm Microwave continues to support open standards. We look forward to providing high quality solutions that promote interoperability as directed by the Department of Defense.

Teledyne Storm Microwave

www.teledynestorm.com/en-us

FEATURES Ą SOSA aligned VITA 67.3 NanoRF, SMPM, SMPS and VITA 66.5 fiber optic. Ą Quick ship (3 weeks ARO) available on all VITA 67.3 NanoRF & SMPM

cable assemblies.

Ą When paired with the Storm Flex® 086, 047 and 034 cable creates

unparalleled mechanical and electrical performance.

Ą Standard MIL-STD-348 SMPM interface. Ą Exceeds the VITA 67 minimum operation frequency of 26.5 GHz. Ą Teledyne Storm Microwave’s PCB connector solutions, along with its full

suite of VITA 67.5 qualified components, form a complete connectivity ecosystem from PCB to sensor.

www.teledynestorm.com/en-us/products_/Pages/VITA_67.aspx

 TSM-Technical_Inquiry@Teledyne.com

 630-754-3300

 www.linkedin.com/company/teledyne-storm-microwave Enclosures: Deployable

SOSA® Aligned – Air Flow Through Chassis – 48.8 Air flow through (AFT) cooling is among the most reliable active cooling techniques available for systems with high power densities. Leading high-performance embedded computer (HPEC) platform is the 719 series AFT chassis.

Because of its designed thermal route structure, Atrenne’s AFTcooled 48.8 chassis can handle thermal loads of up to 150W per system slot. Advanced CPUs running at ideal performance levels with higher dependability can be achieved by means of innovative cooling.

FEATURES Ą ATR based is designed to meet VITA 48.8 requirements (SWaP-C) Ą Application-specific 3U Ą 11- slot SOSA aligned backplane Ą 9 x 3U SOSA aligned payload slots Ą 2 x 3U MIL-STD-704F application-specific power supply slots Ą 28 VDC DC/DC converter provides regulated fan voltage for optimum

cooling performance

Ą Application-specific I/O panel CCA – I/O panel CCA with rugged –

I/O connectors and signal conditioning

https://www.atrenne.com/products/air-flow-through-chassis/

Atrenne, A Celestica Company www.atrenne-cs.com www.opengroup.org/sosa

 sales@atrenne-cs.com

 508-588-6110

 www.linkedin.com/company/atrenne-integrated-solutions SOSA Special Edition 2025 | 79

SOSA Special Edition Profiles

Connectors & Cabling: Cable & Cable Assemblies

SOSA Special Edition Profiles

Enclosures: Deployable

Rugged Test and Deploy Systems for VPX and SOSA™ Aligned Payloads Part of our emerging AR0 product family of ATR style chassis, RTS rugged test and deployment systems mesh development and test activities in rugged chassis that are deployment capable.

The extensible design addresses payload slot count ranges from 2 through 16 in horizontal and vertical load formats.

At LCR, our experienced and engaging engineering team will work with you to ensure mission success and our program managers are industry professionals who provide highly effective management from program start to finish.

Unique to the AR0 family is the capability to serve as a development / demonstration / deployment chassis as developers walk through the system realization process. The demonstration and test stage is made possible by the modular design of the chassis that enables access for iterative backplane profile and I/O configuration testing. In this lead up to the final backplane and I/O panel, the Meritec cabling system is put to use for data flow configuration testing which can be performed on the target vehicle / platform. At test completion after the backplane profile and I/O arrangements have been determined, fabrication of the committed backplane and I/O panel can begin in preparation for the next round of testing.

FEATURES

Intended for functional testing and demonstration at or near application-level environments, the ARO family allows integrators to move system development efforts from the lab to the field quickly. Fully supports 3U OpenVPX and Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA, aligned board architectures and as such it advances the MOSA (modular open systems approach) directive from the United States Department of Defense. The base section of the chassis is designed to meet full mil specifications for deployed air and ground assets. It is an air over conduction cooled design intended for VITA 48.2 conduction cooled modules. It is designed to meet MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461, and MIL-S-901D environmental standards – capabilities field proven through installed equipment performance using the LCR ATR line.

Ą Enables vehicle mount testing Ą Supports rapid reconfiguration for multiple test phases Ą Facilitates iterative backplane profile and I/O

configuration testing Ą Meshes development activities with a deployment capable design Ą Rapid I/O panel and backplane customization Ą Systems for 2 through 16 payload slots plus VITA 62 PSU Ą VITA 48.2 conduction cooling for extended temperature TDP systems Ą Designed to meet MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461, and MIL-S-901D environmental standards

https://www.lcrembeddedsystems.com/products/rugged-test-systems/

LCR Embedded Systems

www.lcrembeddedsystems.com 80 | SOSA Special Edition 2025

 sales@lcrembedded.com

 610-278-0840

 www.linkedin.com/company/lcr-embedded-systems-incwww.opengroup.org/sosa

SOSA® Aligned Enclosures, Backplanes, & Chassis Managers Pixus offers various MIL rugged and COTS enclosure solutions for 3U or 6U OpenVPX boards. There are several SOSA aligned slot profiles to choose from, with backplane designs to PCIe Gen4, 100GbE, and High Density 56Gbaud/s speeds. The company also has quick-turn SOSA aligned backplanes in chassis in dozens of SOSA aligned slot profile configurations.

The MIL rugged ATRs utilize a modular design tailored to a customer’s specific application based on proven standard base platforms. Our ATRs come in conduction-cooled, airflow over fins in sidewalls, and liquid through sidewall configurations.

Contact Pixus for Air Flow Through (AFT) and Air Flow By (AFB) designs. All Pixus chassis come with the option of our SOSA aligned Tier 3+ chassis hardware manager in a SlotSaver mezzanine format that fits behind the backplane.

Pixus Technologies

FEATURES Ą Pixus offers various MIL rugged COTS enclosure solutions for 3U and

6U OpenVPX / SOSA aligned boards

Ą Backplane design expertise up to and above 100GbE speeds, vast array

of SOSA aligned slot profile options

Ą SlotSaver mezzanine-based SOSA aligned chassis hardware manager,

Tier 3+, 100% USA software/firmware

Ą Conduction-cooled, airflow through sidewalls, and liquid cooled through

sidewall configurations

Ą Quick-turn prototyping and accelerated project development options Ą Pixus USA is a proud member of the SOSA Consortium

https://pixustechnologies.com/products/category/openvpx  sales@pixustechnologies.com

www.pixustechnologies.com

 916-297-0020 Enclosures: Development/Test

524 Series SOSA® Aligned Development Systems The 524 Open Series development system from Atrenne Computing Solutions offers a feature-rich design that combines functionality and flexibility with aesthetic detail. Designed with the engineering developer in mind, the 524 Open Series development system incorporates a 9 slot OpenVPX Backplane (9 payloads + 2 power slots) with profiles aligned to the Sensor Open Systems Architecture™ (SOSA) Technical Standard and C4ISR/EW Modular Open Suite of Standards (CMOSS) initiatives. Unobstructed accessibility to cards under test is enabled for probe access with intelligent system monitoring capabilities.

The front of the 524 Open Series development system chassis is configured with LEDs for each voltage and a corresponding test jack for ease of monitoring DC voltages and probing. An AC on/off switch and a system reset switch are also accessible via the front panel.

FEATURES Ą Open frame for easy card access. Ą Maximum unrestricted airflow and cooling for high-powered cards. Ą 3U/6U 9 slot payload + 2 power slots OpenVPX backplane with slot

profiles aligned to the SOSA™ Technical Standard. Ą Available for 3U or 6U x 160mm modules. Ą Supports air-cooled modules using IEEE 1101.10 card guides. Ą Supports conduction-cooled modules using VITA 48.2 aluminum slot guides. Ą DC voltage test jacks for SOSA Aligned 12V and 3.3 Aux. DC Voltages.

https://www.atrenne.com/products/524-series-development-chassis/

Atrenne, A Celestica Company www.atrenne-cs.com www.opengroup.org/sosa

 sales@atrenne-cs.com

 508-588-6110

 www.linkedin.com/company/atrenne-integrated-solutions SOSA Special Edition 2025 | 81

SOSA Special Edition Profiles

Enclosures: Deployable

SOSA Special Edition Profiles

Enclosures: Development/Test

AI-Optimized SOSA Development Platform Elma’s AI-optimized CompacFrame test and development chassis is a next generation portable test platform designed to accelerate development and test of GPU focused applications. The chassis is aligned with the Sensor Open Systems Architecture™, or SOSA, Technical Standard.

FEATURES

The platform includes a 3U 7-slot backplane aligned to SOSA which supports 6 OpenVPX plug-in cards (PICs) and 1 VITA 62 power supply module. The chassis includes a VITA 46.11 chassis manager and a maintenance port aggregator along with front panel test points.

Ą OpenVPX backplane with 6 PIC slots & 1 VITA 62 PSU slot

features two GPU slots supporting 2 SBC/GPU pairs

Ą Routed expansion plane links support PCIe Gen 4 data rates Ą Supports 100GBASE KR dual domain Ethernet switch

Ą X16 PCIe connection between slots 5 & 6 on expansion plane

This chassis and backplane support 100GBASE-KX/40GBASE-KX4 Ethernet and PCI Express Gen4 for maximum speed and throughput, providing a comprehensive platform for AI focused application development. Full details including the datasheet are available on our website.

with GPU

Ą VITA 46.11 Chassis Manager fully aligned with the SOSA

Technical Standard

Ą Supports both air- and conduction-cooled plug-in cards

Ą Maintenance port aggregator from all slots accessible via

USB rear chassis port

https://bit.ly/CF-development

Elma Electronic www.elma.com

 sales@elma.com

 510-656-3400

 www.linkedin.com/company/elma-electronic

@elma_electronic

Services and Tools: Integrated PIC Sub-Systems

FlexVNX+ Development Platform Elma’s all-new FlexVNX+ Test and Development chassis is the next generation portable test platform designed to accelerate development and test of VNX+ plug-in cards (PICs) aligned to the SOSA® Technical Standard and VITA 90.

FEATURES

The FlexVNX+ features an 8-slot backplane supporting 4 types of VNX+ card size variants (see Features). The 320pin variants support the hybrid aperture connectors.

Ą Supports VNX+ Card Sizes: 19mm x 320pin, 19mm x 400pin,

The chassis includes a VITA 46.11 chassis manager and maintenance port aggregator along with extensive front panel I/O. This chassis supports 10GBASE-KX/40GBASE-KX4 Ethernet and PCI Express Gen4 for maximum speed and throughput.

Ą 8-slot backplane includes 6x Payload slots, 1x Switch slot and

1x PSU slot

39mm x 320pin, and 39 x 400pin

Ą Supports modules with or without their metal enclosures

Ą Directed airflow at each slot cools without conduction cooling

thermal paths.

Ą "Kitchen-Sink" I/O provides a wide range of I/O connectivity for

card development and testing

Ą The card cage in the platform is tilted upwards by 5° for easier

https://bit.ly/VNX-Dev

Elma Electronic www.elma.com

82 | SOSA Special Edition 2025

card access. Ą Suitable for various applications from small UAVs to larger autonomous systems.  sales@elma.com

 www.linkedin.com/company/elma-electronic

 510-656-3400 @elma_electronic www.opengroup.org/sosa