Military & Aerospace Electronics Forum Conference Program Detail

Day 1 - Thursday 3rd June

08:30 – 09:30 KEYNOTE

Keynote session open to ALL registered attendees.

Leveraging COTS and open architectures in F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s avionics
Eric George, Director of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Mission Systems and Software at Lockheed Martin

Designers of the avionics systems for the F-35 Lightening II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft are using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) avionics wherever and whenever possible throughout the advanced fighter's cockpit. Lockheed Martin engineers found success with COTS technology mostly because they have been able to successfully manage the obsolescence headaches that accompany COTS, particularly through their proprietary middleware, which enables COTS hardware and software to be upgraded without overhauling the software code. This presentation will discuss how Lockheed Martin integrated COTS hardware and software into the most advanced fighter jet ever built.

10:15 – 12:15 SESSION 1

COTS Integration Challenges
Today system integrators face a changing defense procurement environment with an uncertain future. Managing the supply chain in the era of commercial-off-the shelf technology (COTS) has many minefields especially in managing the product life cycle. The lack of a clear definition for COTS combined with the risk — real or perceived — in deploying commercial technology continues to make COTS integration a challenge for system integrators and defense program managers. This session will discuss the challenges and solutions to integrate COTS technology in the defense supply chain.

Chair: Dr. Stephen Jarrett, CTO for ISR/IO/IA and Cyber Security, North Charleston

Aggressive Technology Engagement with COTS in the next decade
Dr. Stephen Jarrett, CTO for ISR/IO/IA and Cyber Security, North Charleston

Integratng COTS electronics into Army vehicles
Christopher Ostrowski, Associate Director, Vehicle Electronics and Architecture US Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC)

COTS in embedded military systems
Paul Ekman, Senior Director of Embedded Information Systems, Rockwell Collins

Using COTS hardware for real-time simulation of GPS and ILS for avionics flight control and guidance test
Scott Teigen, RF Business Development Manager, National Instruments

12:15 – 13:30 - LUNCH

13:30 – 15:00 SESSION 2

Managing Obsolescence in open military systems
Integrators of old and new military systems all share a common challenge – obsolescence management of off-the-shelf parts. As they take advantage of all the performance advantages of using COTS technology they continue to be troubled by the dark side of COTS – that electronic components go obsolete sometimes even before a military platform is first deployed. This session will discuss those challenges and possible solutions for managing obsolescence through open systems.

Chair: John Keller, Editorial Director, PennWell’s Aerospace and Defense Group

Rapid COTS insertion: the business practice for obsolescence management and technical refresh 
Mike Fralen, Program Director and Market Segment Lead of Maritime Surveillance Aircraft, Lockhead Martin

Methods for managing obsolescence in Military systems
Jeff Hanser, Chief Technology Officer, Resource Analysis Corp.

Component obsolescence in military test systems
John Rosenwald, Director Business Development, EADS North America

15:45 – 17:15 SESSION 3

Panel Discussion: Integrating COTS and Open Systems

COTS solutions typically save money, have open architectures, and are based on common open standards that enable seamless integration with current and future defense systems. COTS procurement has a history that is marked by catastrophic failures to go along with its even greater number of successes. Therefore, while COTS use has undoubtedly increased over the last decade, doubters among system integrators still exist. This panel discussion of industry leaders will focus on when
and where COTS solutions should be used in future defense systems and how to deal with their negatives.

Chair/Moderator: Gerry Janicki, Meggitt Defense Systems

Christopher Ostrowski, Associate Director, Vehicle Electronics and Architecture US Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC)

Dr. Stephen Jarrett, CTO for ISR/IO/IA and Cyber Security, North Charleston

Edward Hill, Director of Marketing & Architecture, Intel Corportation, Embedded Communications Group.

Day 2 - Friday 4th June

08:30 – 10:00 SESSION 4

Thermal and Power management of military systems
Current and future generation processors are making it difficult for military systems designers to efficiently manage thermals in mission critical systems, forcing design engineers to come up with new and innovative ways to get rid of the heat in high-performance computers. Developing longerlasting power supplies is also a goal for system integrators as warfighters demand low power equipment for the battlefield. The push to get rid of the heat in these systems is leading to many innovations in thermal design from the chip to the system level. This session will discuss those solutions and more.

Chair: Courtney Howard, Senior Editor, Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine

Cooling solutions..a subsystems perspective
Gerry Janicki, Meggitt Defense Systems

Thermal management & systems packaging - state of the art and evolving trends for the rugged embedded market
David O'Mara, APLabs

Managing power at the component level
Doug Ping, Vicor

10:30 – 12:00 SESSION 5

Trusted Supply Chain, Anti-Tamper Issues
The defense electronics supply chain is constantly changing, often affecting component design in a negative manner. The use of open systems and COTS brings many benefits but also much risk from the influx of counterfeit parts to the tampered electronics – all of which could have dangerous consequences if the DOD is not aware of them. Due to this concern DOD officials and those in industry are instituting a process to continuously assess the vulnerabilities and trustworthiness
associated electronic component design so that parts can be trusted for systems used missioncritical military systems. This session will discuss trusted processes, anti-tamper solutions and other secure supply chain issues.

Chair: Roy Keeler, Global Business Development Manager, GE Intelligent Platforms

Anti-tamper technology for military systems
Joey Sevin, Business Development Manager, Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing

Avoiding counterfeits in the supply chain
Leon Hamiter, Chairman, Components Technology Institue, Inc.

COTS classified network security
John Fryar , Technology Marketing & Business Development Director for Exar Corporations Hifn Technology

12:00 – 13:00 LUNCH

13:00 – 14:30 SESSION 6

Panel Discussion: ITAR and Export Issues
Many companies in the defense market are finding it difficult to grow their overseas business due to International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and other export rules. Common pitfalls include a lack of training and understanding of the proper
handling of ITAR technology, no proper record of employee citizenship status, poor handling of foreign visitors, improper export documentation, and ignoring license provisos. The fines for these missteps can be financially devastating. This panel
session will provide an overview of the regulations and discuss best practices and how to comply.

Dean Young, Facilities Security Officer, Celestica Aerospace, Arent Fox, LLP

Matthew Nolan, Partner, Arent Fox

Lizbeth C. Rodriguez, Holland and Hart