Boeing picks NAI COSA architecture for research helicopter

North Atlantic Industries Inc. (NAI) now has an initial contract award from The Boeing Co. to provide a dual-redundant Flight Control Computer (FCC) for the RASCAL Research Helicopter.

The RASCAL is a Blackhawk that has been modified for fly-by-wire control systems research and is essentially an airborne laboratory for pilots and researchers. The FCC incorporates DDC-I’s Deos multicore ARINC-653 RTOS and safety-critical dual-redundant Time Triggered Ethernet, providing the most technologically advanced safety-critical FCC in the industry.

“For North Atlantic Industries, the selection as the FCC supplier represents a major step forward in the efforts to develop advanced safety-critical system solutions. This includes single board computers, multifunction I/O motherboards, function modules, and intelligent power supplies … all based on NAI’s Configurable Open Systems Architecture (COSA ) technology,” states William Forman, CEO of North Atlantic Industries.

“The RASCAL program will demonstrate and expand NAI’s ability to manage complex, safety-critical programs and enable the customers to take advantage of NAI’s COSA architecture for safety-critical applications.”

All work will be performed at North Atlantic Industries’ facilities in Bohemia, N.Y.

NAI is a specialized provider of embedded electronics, power supplies, and computing for sense & response-intensive, military and aerospace applications. We accelerate the clients’ time-to-mission with a unique approach based on the Configurable Open Systems Architecture (COSA) that offers its customers a massively configurable open platform system unlike any others available. For over 50 years, companies like Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon have leveraged the capabilities to meet the demanding requirements of a wide range of I/O and communication-centric applications, and do so with uncompromising quality, efficiency and responsiveness. Information about NAI and its products can be found at www.naii.com.