General Dynamics chooses rugged servers from Crystal for Prophet signals intelligence vetronics
HIAWATHA, Iowa, 16 Oct 2014.Vetronics designers at General Dynamics C4 Systems in Scottsdale, Ariz., needed rugged computer servers for a combat vehicle signals intelligence (SIGINT) system. They found their solution from Crystal Group Inc. in Hiawatha, Iowa.
General Dynamics is using the RS112 1U rugged server from Crystal Group on a project to integrate and upgrade the U.S. Army Prophet program, which enables tactical commanders to detect, identify, locate and deter a wide range of signal emissions on the battlefield.
The Prophet system is comprised of electronic components that are vehicle-mounted or soldier-transportable. Prophet offers a near-real-time picture of the battlespace through SIGINT sensors and high-performance computing.
Related: Rugged computer that weighs 3.8 pounds introduced by Crystal for avionics and vetronics
The program is structured with the ability to incorporate new technologies as they become available, including Crystal Group's RS112 1U rugged server, Crystal officials say.
The Crystal Group server is relatively small, lightweight, and power-efficient, yet rugged enough to withstand the environmental rigors of vehicular electronics on the battlefield, where equipment is subject to high levels of shock and vibration, temperature extremes, dust, dirt, and other contaminants.
"Crystal Group delivered 100 percent of their commitments on-time and with superior quality," says Terance Winn, the Prophet program manager at General Dynamics. The Crystal servers are part of Prophet upgrade stages spiral 1, and Prophet Enhanced – POR-A, POR-B) for its superior ruggedness, configuration management capability, compute density dependability and the company’s customer responsiveness.
Related: Crystal Group offers 1U servers for extreme temperatures, shock, and vibration
The rugged server is hard mounted in Prophet vehicles or can be packaged in transit boxes that allow for quick installs. "Crystal Group was the spark behind our up-gunned server and server capability module upgrade,” Winn says. “This capability has had a very positive impact on our system performance and more importantly, our customer relationships with the Army.
For more information contact Crystal Group online at www.crystalrugged.com, or General Dynamics C4 Systems at www.gdc4s.com.
John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
