Officials at United Defense LP in Minneapolis needed a real-time operating system that supports UNIX for the U.S. Army`s Crusader field artillery system. They found their answer with LynxOS from Lynx Real-Time Systems in San Jose, Calif.
United Defense officials chose LynxOS for its real-time determinism, which is critical for the man-machine interface operations of the Crusader, says Edward Poucher, product development team manager for the Crusader program at United Defense.
The LynxOS Reliable Processing Environment also offers POSIX compatibility, hard real-time performance, and scalability from small to large systems, adds Bill Hogan, president and chief operating officer at Lynx Real-Time Systems.
The Lynx operating system will support the Crusader`s ballistic calculations, graphical user interface, real-time equipment control systems, and other time- and mission-critical computational tasks.
The Crusader, a two-vehicle system with an automated 155-mm self-propelled howitzer and ammunition resupply vehicle, is the U.S. Army`s lead technology program for future combat vehicles. United Defense is the primary contractor and systems integrator for the program.
The modular LynxOS is scaleable. Users can configure it as only the kernel, or employ it as a self-hosted operating system and software-development environment with several associated tools.
LynxOS ensures determinism by using kernel threads to reduce interrupt overhead.
The Crusader vetronics architecture will free the crew from routine tasks that inhibit rapid firing and maneuvering. It automates transfer, inventory, munition selection, loading, firing, fuze setting, fire control, and secondary armament.
Crusader quickens rate of fire and movement, and will embed integrated decision aids, combat information, and firing solutions. Crusader is to be fielded in 2005 and Army leaders expect to buy at least 800 systems. - J.M.
For more information on LynxOS or Lynx Real-Time Systems contact William Weinberg by phone at 408-558-3126, by fax at 408-879-3920, by mail at Lynx Real-Time Systems, 2239 Samaritan Drive, San Jose, Calif. 95124, by e-mail at [email protected], or on the World Wide Web at http://www.lynx.com.
The LynxOS operating system from Lynx Real-Time Systems in San Jose, Calif., will support onboard processing for the U.S. Army`s Crusader field artillery system.
