Open systems architecture and commercial off the shelf technology applied to retrofit military display subsystems

This paper presents considerations and tradeoffs in using an Open Systems Architecture (OSA) and Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) technology to meet the needs of retrofit military avionics display systems applications. The issues that systems designers must consider when applying OSA/COTS to retrofit aircraft applications are listed and discussed. The role of OSA and COTS in modular avionics systems is also discussed. Choices available for OSA/COTS are reviewed for their impact on system performance and cost. The F-16 Advanced Display Processor (ADP) and Display Unit (DU) system are reviewed as an example of a modular open system COTS based aircraft display sub-system.