Lockheed Martin Common Cockpit™ Avionics Suite: A Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) Driven Architecture

Lockheed Martin Systems Integration–Owego (LMSI-Owego) is the system design agent for a set of modular Flight Avionics System (FAS), Mission Avionics System (MAS), and Stores Avionics System (SAS) to support the Multi-Mission Helicopter (MMH). LMSI’s FAS solution is the proven Common Cockpit™ Avionics Suite. The Common Cockpit™ Avionics Suite architecture optimizes performance, reliability and maintainability. The Common Cockpit™ Avionics Suite scalable Modular Open System Approach (MOSA) accommodates customer preferences for technology and product insertions while providing for system growth throughout the life of the program. A technology insertion program is underway that requires maintaining form, fit, and function for legacy elements while enhancing integrated capabilities for net-centric warfare. The MMH program is the cornerstone of the Navy Master Helo plan and includes mission extended common integrated avionics for the MH-60R, MH-60S Airborne Mine Counter Measures (AMCM), MH-60S Armed Helo (AH), and MH-60S Vertical Replenishment (VERTREP) variants. Contributing to the Navy Master Helo plan cost effectiveness is the use of common modular avionics components in the Mission Computer (MC), Flight Management Computer (FMC), Acoustic Processor (AP), Sensor Data Computer (SDC), and Electronic Support Measures (ESM). The MH-60S aircraft with its Common Cockpit™ Avionics Suite (see Figure 1) is a proven system having logged over 100,000 incident-free flight hours in unusually harsh environments such as the Gulf War. To date, the partnership between LMSI and Sikorsky on the MH-60 has resulted in the successful delivery of over 100 cockpit Avionics Management Systems, on or ahead of schedule with over 90 MH-60S aircraft delivered to Sikorsky and the USN. Now, with the recent success of the MH-60R OpEval, another Sikorsky helicopter joins the fleet with Common Cockpit™ Avionics Suite. The USN is realizing significant operational and support benefits including standardized training for flight and maintenance procedures, common training devices, common spare parts and Performance Based Logistics (PBL) support, which enables significant personnel and cost savings. Another benefit, which will be achieved, is the USN execution of a Multi-Year funded contract, resulting in the most cost effective procurement of over 500 avionics ship sets. This paper will describe the current technology insertion architecture and its capabilities, the provisioning for future growth and open system enhancements, and tradeoffs toward future migration to add more Integrated Modular Avionics System (IMAS) and Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) attributes. It will also present the tradeoffs and issues associated with extending the common modular avionics into other subsystems in the platform via staged technology insertion events. Key IMAS insertion platform considerations include legacy software migration, establishing unified network connectivity, managing aircraft wiring impact, and supporting multiple configuration baselines. Future net-centric software application considerations include migration to multi-level secure infrastructure, migration to net-centric defined interoperable data representations, migration to software digital radio clusters, and migration to push/pull data services. Planned product line horizontal and vertical integration is also important as it enables common modular avionics synergies with other platforms to fill technology insertion gaps. Figure 2 shows a high level view of this MOSA driven program.