FPGA Implementation of a Tone-Based Flight Termination System in a Software-Defined Radio Platform

This paper outlines the design and implementation of a tone-based flight termination system (FTS) in a software-defined radio (SDR) platform. It is completely a novel implementation of an analog FTS in an SDR platform of NI Flex-RIO system. This single platform based design appears as a substitute for the previously used multiple platforms based complex system. Ruggedization and relevance design methods are required for the FTS design. Hence, the blueprint of the FTS is carried out in a field-programmable gate array. It ensures reconfigurable, interoperable operations with precise, reliable, and future upgradable implementation. Efficient optimization methods have been adopted to minimize the use of hardware resources. LabVIEW, a graphical programming language, is used for rapid prototyping. The validation of the system was done both in subsystem level as well as the integrated level at real-time mission scenario.