Manned/Unmanned Common Architecture Program Phase II

The cost of avionics system improvements, software maintenance, and impact of electronic parts obsolescence can be lessened by using the proper architecture. Advanced software and hardware technologies were surveyed and assessed for use in the integration of avionics for Army combat aircraft. During the Manned-Unmanned Common Architecture Program (MCAP), an architecture was defined that specifies standards and parts used in the private sector computer industry. MCAP Phase II developed a Common Architecture Prototype (CAP) targeted to the manned rotorcraft avionics application. The CAP can be scaled for application to transport, cargo, or even some unmanned aircraft. The CAP encompasses the avionics “system level”, the core “processor level”, and software architectures. An implementation of a CAP was designed, built, and flight tested on the AH-64D Apache Longbow with good results. The CAP provides significant improvements in weight, reliability, both recurring and non-recurring costs, and the computer processing and network resources to support new capabilities, such as Network Centric Operations. The MCAP architecture is planned to serve as the avionics processing and network infrastructure for the Block 3 Apache program.