Paul Parkinson
Wind River

Some modern defense systems are physically vulnerable to interception by hostile forces because of their operational role, including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) assets. If these platforms are to use leading-edge technology, it must be technology that cannot be compromised or reverse-engineered. In addition, field-based configuration and upgradability are essential to achieving interoperability between new and rapidly deployed coalition forces.

This article explains how Xilinx Virtex-II Pro and Virtex-4 platform field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), along with Wind River software platforms, are ideal for the development of ISTAR systems. It also presents design techniques that will enable secure deployment, with the use of partial reconfiguration in the field, to help enable interoperability between coalition forces.