U.S. Air Force Research Lab Receives its First Agile Condor Pod System
The not-for-profit defense and aerospace research and development firm SRC Inc. delivered to the U.S. Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) its first Agile Condor pod system, a scalable, low cost, size, weight and power (low-CSWaP) hardware architecture for on-board processing of a great deal of sensor data through high-performance embedded computing.
The not-for-profit defense and aerospace research and development firm SRC Inc. delivered to the U.S. Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) its first Agile Condor pod system, a scalable, low cost, size, weight and power (low-CSWaP) hardware architecture for on-board processing of a great deal of sensor data through high-performance embedded computing. The AFRL envisions using the system to enable real-time processing for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
The rugged, pod-based external payload system also has an internal chassis with modular architecture for expandable computational power, a combination that developers say enhances computing technology such as bio-inspired neuromorphic computing, or ultra-low power, high-performance computing. It should weigh no more than 60 pounds and consume less than 500 watts of power, according to an AFRL fact sheet.
Agile Condor can be installed in almost any platform configuration, from airborne to ground-based and sea-based moving platforms, or fixed-site emplacement.
The September delivery of the first system is part of an ongoing, three-year research and development contract SRC signed with the AFRL. The firm anticipates delivering a second system with embedded computing by the end of 2017.
“The delivery of this first system helps advance the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities of our Air Force, providing our national leaders and warfighters with significant technical, tactical and situational-awareness advantages far beyond the present capabilities,” Paul Tremont, SRC’s president and CEO, says in a statement.
