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Working on behalf of Thales Missile Electronics (TME), Martech Systems (Weymouth) Ltd has developed a MilCAN-based Emulator and Data Logger. Under contract to the MoD Defence Procurement Agency (DPA) Close Armour IPT, TME is producing STANAG 4579 compliant UK Battlefield Target Identification Device (UK BTID) demonstrator hardware to enable UK MoD’s participation in the US led Coalition Combat Identification Device (CCID) Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrator (ACTD) programme. Such STANAG 4579 compliant systems provide an Identification Friend or Foe capability for NATO and non-NATO allies on the battlefield.
Under the CCID ACTD contract, UK BTID equipments will be integrated on the Challenger 2 MBT, Landrovers and a MILAN ATGW firing post. If introduced into Service the UK BTID system would be mounted on a wide range of legacy and future military platforms. The UK BTID system is designed to communicate over MilCAN, but for legacy platforms will interface with other data buses eg 1553 via a simple bridge. Commands to, and information from UK BTID, take place over the MilCAN bus.
Development of the Vehicle Systems and UK BTID for CCID ACTD are taking place concurrently. To expedite and reduce the risk to both development programmes, it was planned that each developer should have an emulation of the other’s system, at the MilCAN bus level. In other words the UK BTID emulation would behave, at the MilCAN bus interface, as if UK BTID was actually connected. Similarly, the Vehicle System emulation would behave, at the MilCAN bus interface as if the Vehicle Systems were present. To further aid development it was recognised that a Data Logger would be needed, that could sit on the MilCAN bus and identify and log bus messages.
Martech was contracted to develop a single suite of software that could perform all three tasks, that is, emulate the Vehicle Systems or UK BTID, or perform as a MilCAN bus data logger. It was required that the software should run on a ruggedised laptop computer that could be used, in the data logging mode, on the military vehicle during field trials. The user chooses which function the software is to perform at an opening menu.
The MilCAN protocol is implemented using a commercially available CAN card, fitted to the laptop computer.
Features of the software include a Script Engine enabling the functionality of the emulation to be generated or amended at a descriptive level without having to modify at the “C” code level. The software also performs MilCAN sync master emulation including arbitration.
Martech Systems (Weymouth) Ltd
14 Albany Road
Granby Estate
Dorset
DT4 9TH
Tel : 01305 770440
Fax : 01305 770441
email : lawrence.short@martechsystems.co.uk
website : www.martechsystems.co.uk
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