0522 Mw Mercury Ammp Mission Computer 62866f512c803

Mercury Launches Industry-First Safe, SOSA-Aligned Mission Computer

May 19, 2022

The open standards-based, DAL-certifiable system delivers up to 40X more performance than current-generation computers while saving space and power.

David Maliniak

Related To: Microwaves & RF

The Overview

Mercury Systems has debuted its Avionics Modular Mission Platform (AMMP), the industry’s first and only SOSA-aligned, DAL-certifiable, 3U OpenVPX mission computer. Featuring the latest Intel Core i7 safety-certifiable processors, AMMP delivers up to 40X more performance than current-generation avionics computers while drawing 50% less power. It's well-suited to a wide range of platforms including rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft, ground stations, and unmanned aerial vehicles.

Who Needs It & Why?

By leveraging AI and autonomous capabilities, Mercury’s modular and scalable mission computer improves decision accuracy and response times for pilots, making the pilots and their aircraft safer and more capable. In many cases, safety-certified flight mission computers are built with custom or proprietary architectures that make them difficult and expensive to maintain and upgrade. Mercury's AMMP aligns with the U.S. Department of Defense's need for open mission systems that support its modular open-systems approach (MOSA) mandate.

Under the Hood

Mercury’s AMMP is purpose-built to support advanced and real-time safety-critical applications such as mission management, sensor fusion/processing, surveillance, 5G communications, and artificial intelligence. The computer comes integrated with Mercury’s BuiltSAFE commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) multi-core single-board computers, avionics I/O, video processing, and software. Those features help deliver flawless performance while simplifying integration and the certification process, saving customers time and cost.

The system, built with open architectures and the latest safety-certifiable commercial technology, includes:

SOSA-aligned architecture for faster integration and sustainment at a lower cost.
Multiple Intel Core i7 Gen 11 processors with integrated GPUs for increased performance.
A range of avionics I/O including ARINC-429 to capture and distribute HD video.
Fully configurable, independent 3U boards to run multiple, mixed-safety workloads.
Rugged, compact, and low-power design to reduce risk and save aircraft resources.
Green Hills, Lynx, and Linux board support packages to achieve FAA CAST-32A objectives.

Mercury also can integrate a display, mapping system, cockpit management system, and sensors with AMMP to maximize interoperability, optimize display performance, and save customer integration time.

About the Author

David Maliniak | Executive Editor, Microwaves & RF

I am Executive Editor of Microwaves & RF, an all-digital publication that broadly covers all aspects of wireless communications. More particularly, we're keeping a close eye on technologies in the consumer-oriented 5G, 6G, IoT, M2M, and V2X markets, in which much of the wireless market's growth will occur in this decade and beyond. I work with a great team of editors to provide engineers, developers, and technical managers with interesting and useful articles and videos on a regular basis. Check out our free newsletters to see the latest content.

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About me:

In his long career in the B2B electronics-industry media, David Maliniak has held editorial roles as both generalist and specialist. As Components Editor and, later, as Editor in Chief of EE Product News, David gained breadth of experience in covering the industry at large. In serving as EDA/Test and Measurement Technology Editor at Electronic Design, he developed deep insight into those complex areas of technology. Most recently, David worked in technical marketing communications at Teledyne LeCroy, leaving to rejoin the EOEM B2B publishing world in January 2020. David earned a B.A. in journalism at New York University.