For Air Force systems dedicated to intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) applications, such as radar, EO/IR (electro-optic/infrared), or wideband ELINT (electronic intelligence), an ongoing challenge is how to handle the expanding "firehose" -- of data, fed by an increasing number of wide-bandwidth platform sensors on the F-35, Unmanned Air Systems (UAVs) or in Satellites. Today, ISR system integrators have three main goals: minimize latency, maximize system bandwidth, and optimize configuration flexibility within the platform SWaP constraints. The USAF Program Manager has a diminishing set of options to address those constraints. PCI Express (PCIe) solutions rapidly transfer data between Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) logic, processors, and memory. For example, in many High Frequency Trading (HFT) systems, rapid data transfers are needed between FPGA logic and the Order Management System (OMS) software. For these frequent and short transactions, PCIe solutions are optimal for minimizing latency. Accipiter Systems' PCIe networking solution delivers a low-latency, high throughput data path for real-time sensor processing applications. The PCIe networking solution repurposes a ubiquitous protocol used in computers, servers, and storage to provide rack area network connectivity with the lowest possible latency. This delivers unparalleled real-time networking support for mission critical applications to the end user.
