[Avionics Today 02-19-2015] The Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency (DARPA) has issued a $10.7 million contract to Exelis to develop a new multifunctional computer chip for airborne radio applications. Under the contract, Exelis will develop a chip capable of improving the security and jam-resistance of airborne radio communications. The chip will also feature a new architecture known as “interface awareness,” which has a goal of improving the standardization of radio subsystems to allow radio components to be re-engineered to meet different application requirements without the need to develop entire systems.
Exelis will develop a next generation airborne radio chip for DARPA. Photo: Exelis.
“Current limitations in radio architectures pose a challenge to effective and secure communications, especially as electronic threats become more sophisticated,” said Mark Adams, vice president and general manager of the Exelis specialty applications business unit. “By focusing on modularity and multifunctionality, we are committed to keeping communications capabilities at the cutting edge.”