Curtiss-Wright Corporation announced that it was awarded a contract by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, a Lockheed Martin company, to provide its industry-leading rugged commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) processor module technology to upgrade the F-22 Raptor, the world’s preeminent tactical fighter aircraft.
The selection of Curtiss-Wright’s COTS technology is in alignment with the United States Air Force’s (USAF) Digital Trinity for e-systems: digital engineering; agile software development; and open architecture. The use of these U.S.-built open standards-based COTS processing modules and commercial best practices will deliver cost-effective new capabilities to the USAF sooner and more affordably. This open standards approach will also enable more economical and timely upgrades of the aircraft’s avionics systems.
“Curtiss-Wright is very proud to be the first vendor selected to supply COTS processing technology for use on the F-22 Raptor, supporting the Department of Defense’s (DoD) vigorous mandate to bring the benefits of the Modular Open Systems Approach to deployed platforms,” said Lynn M. Bamford, President and CEO of Curtiss-Wright Corporation.
“Our commitment to championing the use of industry-leading open standards solutions, as evidenced in the formation of our MOSA Task Force, is unwavering, and it is very exciting to see this vision realized on the USAF’s leading tactical fighter. We look forward to supporting many more important platforms and programs as the DoD’s movement to open architecture electronics systems continues to expand and accelerate,” she added.
Representing a major industry milestone in the advancement of the DoD’s mandated Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA), Curtiss-Wright’s open standards-based processor card is the first COTS module to be selected for service onboard the F-22. The module will be used in support of the F-22 Tactical Mandates program to upgrade the aircraft’s Central Integrated Processor (CIP). The CIP provides data and signal processing for the F-22’s radar, sensors, electronic warfare, and other compute intensive capabilities.
Prior to its selection, the Curtiss-Wright processor module was successfully subjected to a rigorous and extensive durability test program to meet the F-22 Raptor’s extreme environmental requirements. The module also provides support for Trusted and Secure Computing hardware and software protections.
Under the contract, shipments began in Q4 2020, and are scheduled to run through 2023. Curtiss-Wright is manufacturing the products covered by this agreement in the United States, and is shipping them to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Ft. Worth, Texas.
The 5th Generation F-22 is a tactical fighter aircraft developed by Lockheed Martin for the USAF. Its unique combination of stealth, speed, agility, and situational awareness, combined with lethal long-range air-to-air and air-to-ground weaponry, makes it the best air dominance fighter in the world. Under the F-22 modernization program, the aircraft will undergo upgrades to the air vehicle, engine, and training systems to improve F-22 weapons, communications, electronic warfare (EW), and Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.
Curtiss-Wright Corporation (NYSE: CW) is a global innovative company that delivers highly engineered, critical function products and services to the commercial, industrial, defense and energy markets. Building on the heritage of Glenn Curtiss and the Wright brothers, Curtiss-Wright has a long tradition of providing reliable solutions through trusted customer relationships.
The company is headquartered in Davidson, N.C. and employs approximately 8,200 people worldwide.
