What is avionics avionics = aviation + electronics?

The avionics system is called "integrated avionics system" and is an important part of modern fighters. The combat performance of fighters is closely related to avionics systems. It can be said that without a high-performance avionics system, it is impossible to have a fighter capable of high-performance combat.

U.S. military manned helicopter drone hybrid cooperative combat system based on network interconnection

Figure 2 EC145T2, EC175 cockpit photos

The integrated avionics system has been developing for decades under the demand traction and technology, especially in the past ten years, and has made remarkable progress and promoted the further improvement of aircraft combat effectiveness. However, the current integrated avionics system has exposed many shortcomings in the process of use, which needs to be improved and improved. At the same time, the development of 21st century operational strategies and methods also poses more challenging requirements for integrated avionics systems. . Therefore, in the next decade, while solving the problem of economic affordability, the integrated avionics system will continue to develop in a more integrated, informational, technical, modular and intelligent direction, and the integrated avionics system. Functionality, performance and reliability, maintainability, supportability, testability and comprehensive performance will also make a breakthrough leap. It is foreseeable that the level of avionics integration will be continuously improved, and the avionics integrated technology will be developed in depth and breadth, and will be continuously improved.

The avionics system develops in depth and breadth

The development of avionics systems has proven that integration is the soul and core of avionics development. Integration can compress the volume and weight of avionics systems, reduce the workload of pilots, improve system reliability, and reduce life cycle costs. The US fourth-generation fighter F-22, which was commissioned at the beginning of this century, requires more than 60 antennas according to the routine. A variety of receivers and transmitters with different working bands are in separate states. Now it has been integrated into more than a dozen antennas. Continue to integrate. The Integrated Sensor System (ISS) program being implemented, antenna aperture, RF, signal processing, digital processing, etc. will all adopt the sharing concept. "Integrated Aperture Sensor System" (IASS) uses a 480 & TImes; 680 pixel infrared focal plane array to complete forward-looking infrared, infrared search tracking, TV camera and other functions; "Distributed Aperture Infrared System" (DAIRS) to approach the missile to the alarm device, infrared The functions of search tracking and forward-looking infrared are combined into one system; the Integrated Radio Frequency Countermeasure System (SIRFC) and the Integrated Infrared Countermeasure System (SIIRCM) combine directional infrared countermeasures with UV missile warnings. F-22 and EF-2000 aircraft implement unified control and management of electromechanical systems. This is the so-called public equipment management system and is integrated into the unified management and control of integrated avionics systems. The next step will be to develop in a comprehensive direction of function and energy, with an integrated system that performs all the functions currently performed by each electromechanical system. The integration is not limited to a single machine, and maximizing the use of off-board information resources will be a significant feature in the future. Real-time data transmission between formation aircraft or between electronic warfare aircraft and attack aircraft through the data link, such as the "Coordinated Operations Capability" (CEC) concept proposed by the US Navy. In addition, it is expected that by 2020, the hybrid formation of manned aircraft and drones will become a reality, and the integrated avionics system on the aircraft will become a node on the integrated three-dimensional network of sea, land, air and sky.

Research and Application of Open Avionics System Structure

The open system structure is a structural framework defined by the open system interface standard. Its advantages are: it is convenient to form a distributed system; it is convenient for interconnection, interworking and interoperation between different models of computers or other hardware produced by different manufacturers. It also facilitates the porting of hardware and software; it facilitates the enhancement and expansion of system functions. In addition, the open system architecture also supports system variable scale, which helps shorten the development cycle. Reduce costs when planning development, procurement, repairs, and updates. The reason is that it increases the chances of re-use, is more likely to use commercial shelf product (COTS) technology, and can quickly build a system model. By adopting this structure, the function expansion, modification, and replacement of components can be better solved. The US Air Force considers the application of military and commercial technology to transform the system from a traditional closed structure to an economically affordable, flexible open structure as a current challenge. This is because there is a debate about the extension of the open system structure from civilian to military. The main reason is that the standard and the best performance cannot be balanced. Some areas cannot fully meet the military needs. This requires the development and implementation of various standard interfaces. Different product development and production units must follow open and consistent standards and norms. In addition, the open system architecture involves not only hardware but also software. Software open systems, software reusability, software variable scale and hardware openness are equally important, and are important measures to reduce system life cycle costs and shorten the development cycle. Therefore, the software of the new generation integrated avionics system, including the operating system, applications, databases, networks, human-machine interfaces, etc. should be developed in accordance with a unified series of standards and specifications. The software can be reused, standardized, intelligent, and portable. Quality, reliability, etc. should be included in the characteristic parameters of the characterization software technology. Therefore, in the next decade, the transitional trend of open industrial standards to military use will become more apparent, and the transfer of open system structures to military applications will be irreversible.

Widely adopted COTS technology

In the next decade, the application research of COTS technology will be further strengthened. In order to achieve the four indicators of economic affordability, performance, improvement and re-use, COTS technology will be more emphasized in the new generation of integrated avionics systems. COTS technology has the following characteristics: significantly reducing the number of dedicated devices, special components or modules, special software, etc., thereby reducing the cost of scientific research and production; adopting common, open technical standards, good compatibility; advanced technology, in line with the trend of technology development; Good technical support, easy to expand and upgrade, product update fast; can be directly purchased on the commodity shelf, supply channels are guaranteed; low procurement costs; short development and production cycle; product maintenance and logistics support is more convenient, maintenance support costs Low; no need to invest in special research funding. The main purpose of adopting COTS technology in the structure of integrated avionics systems is to reduce costs. COTS interconnects will be widely used as JSF's Integrated Core Processor (ICP). The processor is expected to be an order of magnitude higher than the F-22, but at a fraction of the cost. In addition, with the support of the open system architecture, commercial products with short renewal cycles use open and consistent civilian standards, making them easy to update, easy to develop, and easy to adopt new technologies.

Achieve high degree of modularity

Solving the contradiction between the use of an open system structure in an integrated avionics system and the need to save costs and improve the performance of combat missions is one of the methods. Modularity is another important feature of the development of integrated avionics systems. Modularity is the basis for structural simplification and integration, and the basis for system reconstruction. The rapid development of integrated circuits and electronic technologies has enabled "concentration" of a complete set of functions into a standard electronic module. The main feature of the modular avionics system is structural stratification. The key to layering and integration of system structure is also an important factor affecting resource utilization. At the top level design, the system structure level must be compromised and weighed. Modularity is for system reconfiguration, expansion, modification and maintenance, which can greatly improve the usability and ensure that the aircraft can be in a take-off state at any time. Generalization is to maximize the use of modules, components and components to reduce costs and reduce costs. The standard module (SEM) is the basis of modularity. After adopting the integrated cabinet and standard modules, the external field replaceable unit (LRU) was cancelled, and the universal and standard external field replaceable module (LRM) was adopted. The entire avionics system was changed from three-level maintenance to secondary maintenance, simplifying aviation. Electronic maintenance, reduced maintenance personnel and ground maintenance equipment, and extended maintenance or scheduled maintenance, thus greatly reducing logistics support costs. Since the standards for modules are publicly available, this is very beneficial for cost competition and outdated changes to components. Each standard module is composed of several multi-chip modules (MCMs) or microwave monolithic integrated circuits (MMICs), and each MCM or MMIC has at least dozens of VHSIC and ASIC chips. A general-purpose module can be used to develop a system or subsystem, that is, a combination of general-purpose modules to form an avionics system of any function.

Fighter sensor further integrated

The integration trend of advanced fighter sensors is developing very rapidly. From the fourth-generation fighter sensors such as the F-22 and JSF that were in service at the beginning of this century, the integration of the on-board sensors is now close at hand. Due to the variety, quantity, complexity and data volume of the new generation of avionics system sensors, the ability of the driver to effectively use and manage the sensors is exceeded, which makes the integration of sensors a prominent issue. The goal of Multi-Sensor Synthesis (MSI) is to change the current state of various sensors to achieve mutual complementation, mutual backup, strengths and weaknesses, and comprehensive use of information provided by each sensor. Integrated control and management of multiple sensors is now available. Some hardware and software levels achieve higher sensor performance than any individual sensor. The antenna and RF front-end functions of the US Air Force F-22 fighter sensor system are still separate. The radar, RWR/ESM, and CNI each have their own antenna and front-end processing functions, which combine to complete radar, EW, CNI and other functions. The "Gemstone" program is mainly to solve the comprehensive problem of the sensor area. The equipment in the radar cabin is not a radar in the traditional sense, but an integrated radio frequency system integrating radar, CNI, EW, IFF, radio altimeter, and missile guidance data link. The program proposes to provide the functions required for all CNI/EW/radars with 13 antennas. The aperture of the photoelectric sensor should also be integrated, and the front view infrared, infrared search and tracking system, and the missile alarm function are integrated to realize the distributed aperture infrared system (DAIRS). The signal processing and data processing part of the sensor should also be integrated, using a uniform intermediate frequency for processing, and the A/D conversion should be moved to the front end as much as possible, using a standard shared module. Signal processing and data processing are completed, and then connected to the Integrated Core Processor (CIP) through a unified avionics network for data fusion in the CIP. Control and power management of the sensor can also be done through this channel. The full integration of the sensor area will be a big step forward and will yield significant benefits in all of the above areas. The sensor system of the JSF combat attack aircraft, which will be equipped with the US Air Force, Navy and its allied forces from 2010 to 2040, will break the boundaries of radar, electronic warfare and other key functions required for future fighters. This means that active electronic scanning arrays (AESAs) used to scan and track these traditional radar missions are also used for interference, electronic intelligence, communications and other tasks at the same time. And the data collected by AESA will be integrated with off-board data sources (such as early warning aircraft, electronic warfare aircraft and satellites), as well as information from on-board optoelectronic systems. If two or four JSFs work together, their capabilities are much stronger than the same number of aircraft working alone. When in trouble, a single JSF also has the ability to complete tasks and self-survival.

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