NSWC Crane Awards Hardware in the Loop Infrastructure Project

Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Crane has awarded the Environmental Simulation Hardware in the Loop (ES-HWIL) project to Hill Technical Solutions on October 11, 2023. This project was awarded using the Strategic & Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S²MARTS) Other Transaction Authority (OTA).

This project is focused on the development of a HWIL support infrastructure, including system architecture, simulation framework, and software function development supporting the interface of a generalized System Under Test (SUT) to a generalized Technology Experiment (TE).

Though the evaluation of systems using a HWIL/Software-in-the-Loop (SWIL) is an important piece of support for new technology areas, the application of this technology has not yet been developed. To achieve economy of scale in supporting multiple avionics systems, a flexible and adaptable HWIL/SWIL infrastructure is required. Currently, HWIL/SWIL platforms do not support seamless usage across multiple avionics platforms. Through this project, NSWC Crane is supporting the establishment of this necessary infrastructure for avionics analysis.

At the end of their performance period, Hill Technologies will have provided a platform to test and integrate advanced capabilities under various environmental and threat stimuli in real time. This platform will also support the assessment of both emerging technology performance and overall weapon system and mission performance through simulation of real-world environments.

The Request for Solutions received a considerable amount of engagement, as there were 40 attendees at the Project TalX event, representing 31 unique organizations. The high level of interest in this project is an indication of the vast amount of technical expertise that is available when an OTA is utilized.

About S²MARTS

The Strategic & Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S²MARTS), managed by NSTXL, is the premier rapid OT contracting vehicle for the Department of Defense (DoD) in trusted microelectronics, strategic & spectrum mission, and other critical mission areas. The Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Crane Division created S²MARTS to grow and engage an elite network of innovators, shorten the path to defense prototype development, and advance national security efforts.

About NSTXL

NSTXL is focused on building a network of innovators and creators across the most sought-after emerging technology fields. As an open-source platform, our approach was designed to encourage network growth and collaboration without stifling change. We support our network by providing commercial-term contracting, open-source technology discovery, modern-day marketing outreach, a strongly interconnected network for easy teaming and cybersecurity compliance support.