SDL’s C4ISR Support Hardware Branch offers design and development hardware solutions for use in intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance applications. Whether implementing COTS system configurations for data processing and imagery viewing application or developing custom hardware solutions for data transmission and data compression applications, the Support Hardware team consistently delivers state‐of‐the‐art robust products for command, control, communications, and computer needs. The Support Hardware Branch provides an in‐depth understanding of integrated ISR systems coupled with a sophisticated configuration management scheme to deliver a first‐rate source for hardware maintenance and support services.

The Support Hardware Branch consists of the following five thrust areas:

Ground Station Hardware

SDL has designed and built a variety of Ground Display Stations to provide rapid screening of digital tactical imagery data. Ground Display stations include both hardware and software components and have been installed in laboratories, aircraft carriers, manned aircraft, and mounted in HMMWVs. Built with COTS hardware and loaded with SDL’s Vantage software suite, Ground Display Stations are available in a variety of configurations. Providing ground stations to the Navy, Air Force and Marines, SDL looks to the future through the advancement system capabilities and the design of smaller more portable systems. (Place ground station image here)

Future direction for imagery ground stations will address three objectives: increased technical interoperability across various platforms, smaller footprints, and motion imagery processing and screening capability. SDL’s latest ground station product, the NADSI Download Workstation or the NDW, is a hardware solution designed to address the first two objectives of interoperability and size. Using a small rugged portable COTS computer platform that provides a host of network connections and SDL‐developed software, this ground station supports data transfers to and from any NATO STANAG‐4757 compliant removable memory module.

Data (image and video) Compression

SDL has developed field algorithm and compression systems with compression ratios ranging from 2:1 to 250:1 for customers such as NASA, the Air Force, Army and MDA. SDL’s Support Hardware Branch has developed a completely hardware‐based JPEG 2000 solution that outputs a JPEG 2000 byte stream for 8‐ and 12‐bit grayscale images. Another product is the Advanced Reconnaissance Compression Hardware (ARCH) suite, a NITF‐compliant, near real‐time image compression solution for the transmission of tactical reconnaissance images from an aircraft to a command and control system. SDL’s future focus will be on developing a hardware‐based motion video compression module that conforms to STANAG‐4609 standards.

Data Transmission and Interfacing

CIB – Common Data Link Interface Box

INSIGHT – Integrated SHARP Imagery Gigabit etHernet Tool

SDL offers a variety of products that provide quality data transmission and interfacing hardware solutions. These products include Ethernet‐enabled sensors and Gigabit Ethernet (gigE) transmission equipment. SDL’s most requested system is the Common Data Link (CDL) Interface Box, or CIB, a cross platform datalinking solution that interfaces between the Department of Defense’s CDL hardware and gigabit Ethernet hardware. SDL has also developed hardware that translates RACEway high‐speed backplanes to a gigabit Ethernet format. (Place CIB image here)

With the proliferation of various sensor and ground stations systems in the past several years, the primary objective for the Support Hardware Branch is to increase the interoperability between air and ground assets by creating data transmission systems that follow NATO standards.

Custom Test Systems and Technology Insertion

Leveraging its experience in complex integrated systems, SDL has developed hardware solutions for the operational analysis of data compression and transmission subsystems. The Integrated SHARP Imagery Gigabit etHernet Tool, or INSIGHT, is a stand‐alone hardware unit designed for testing and troubleshooting various hardware components of the Shared Reconnaissance Pod, including the sensor, the digital storage system, the common data link, and the ARCH compression hardware. Capabilities for INSIGHT include simulating sensor imagery as well as capturing raw camera raster NITF and compressed CSS and CDL data for format, and timing validation.

Understanding complex systems extensively has naturally led the Support Hardware Branch down the path of providing product re‐development services for technology insertions. Here, the Support Hardware Branch re‐engineers obsolete or hard to test designs to implement a form/fit/function part or system replacements. The result is the development of prototype and final product and a complete documentation package that includes specifications, drawings, and procedures.

ATDP – advanced threat detection processor

Real Time Data Processing

Recognizing the increasing threat to tactical aircraft from infrared (IR) guided surface‐to‐air missiles and using technologies developed and refined in SDL’s tactical sensor programs, the Support Hardware branch has embarked on a mission to further advance IR Counter Measures capabilities through the development of an advanced threat detection processor (ATDP) missile warning system. SDL is developing or procuring all the processing cards to support the system sensors, control indicator, platform inertial navigation system, multi‐function displays, radio frequency warning system, multi‐band laser, flare dispenser, data recorder, and platform mission computer.

Related Programs

Related Information

Support Hardware