Navy shops for 1553-to-Ethernet interface boxes for Marine UH-1Y and AH-1Z helicopters
PATUXENT RIVER NAS, Md. 16 March 2015. U.S. Navy avionics experts are reaching out to industry to find interface boxes that convert MIL-STD-1553 signals to Ethernet for use aboard the Marine Corps UH-1Y utility helicopter and the AH-1Z attack helicopter.
Officials of the Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., issued a sources-sought notice (H1PROGRAMMILSTD1553) to find companies able to provide off-the-shelf 1553-to-Ethernet avionics databus interface boxes for these late-model helicopters that Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, Texas, is developing for the Marine Corps.
Navy experts are trying to identify candidate 1553-to-Ethernet boxes that monitor 1553 data from the aircraft and convert it to an Ethernet interface for use with other aircraft systems.
The databus interface boxes are to be part of the H-1 Upgrade program, which is replacing aging Bell model AH-1W and UH-1N helicopters with upgraded UH-1Y and AH-1Z rotorcraft to enhance commonality, reliability, and maintainability.
Candidate databus interface boxes must be at Technology Readinesss Level 9, which means they must be actual systems proven through successful mission operations; Navy experts are not interested in developing new technology.
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Interface boxes should have at least one dual-redundant MIL-STD-1553 interface, as well as 10- and 100-megabit-per-second Ethernet with eight individual connections. Boxes should have at least four discrete outputs controlled via the Ethernet bus.
For demonstrations, Navy experts want 26 interfaces boxes, with the first one deliverable within 30 days of an initial order, five more delivered no later than 1 Sept. 2015, and 20 more delivered no later than 1 Jan. 2016.
Ultimately Navy officials are asking industry to be ready to produce these interface boxes in quantities sufficient to equip as many as 50 helicopters per year.
Boxes should be able to operate with MIL-STD-704D-compliant 28-volt DC power supplies; have provisions for vertical or horizontal mounting; measure no larger than 5.7 by 7.5 by 2.7 inches; weight no more than 4.5 pounds; use MIL-STD-38999 interface connectors; and consume no more than 30 Watts of power.
The boxes should not require external cooling, and be able to operate in temperatures from -40 to 55 degrees Celsius; use at least 65 megabytes of RAM solid-state memory; and meet MIL-STD-461F, MIL-STD-810, and MIL-STD-704; demonstrate 300,000 hours mean time between failures; be able to monitor and report internal operating temperature; and monitor and report internal built-in-test results.
Companies interested should email 10-page capabilities statements no later than 23 March 2015 to the Navy's Walt Smith at [email protected]. No questions are allowed.
The point of contact for this request for information is Linda Hill, whose phone number is 301-757-7061, and email address is [email protected].
More information is online at https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DON/NAVAIR/N00421/H1PROGRAMMILSTD1553/listing.html.
John Keller | Editor-in-Chief
John Keller is the Editor-in-Chief, Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine--provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronics and optoelectronic technologies in military, space and commercial aviation applications. John has been a member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since 1989 and chief editor since 1995.
