Tactical Aircraft Moving Map Capability (TAMMAC): using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technology to solve common military aircraft avionics obsolescence problems

Many military aircraft have on-board computers that generate moving map video for display in the cockpit. Many of these same aircraft have computers that record aircraft data in flight. The F/A-18 Hornet and the AV-8B Harrier, manufactured by Boeing (formerly McDonnell Douglas Aerospace (MDA)), have both computers. However, the computers that perform these tasks on the Hornet and Harrier have become obsolete. They were designed in the late 1970's, built in the early 1980's, and contain several electronic components within them that can no longer be procured. In 1995, MDA teamed with the Naval Air System Command's Air Combat Electronics or ACE group, to design and develop the TAMMAC system to replace these computers on the F/A-18 and AV-8B as well as be the common digital map/data recording system for all Navy aircraft. This paper describes the system engineering process used to develop the TAMMAC system and how this process helped maximize the application of COTS technology within TAMMAC while maintaining performance in military aircraft environmental conditions.