Polyhedra will be used to provide real-time data storage and management for the Merlin Helicopter’s tactical mission computer (TMC) system. Lockheed Martin UK will serve as the prime contractor for Merlin Capability Sustainment Program (MCSP), a multiyear project to upgrade the weapon system in the Royal Navy’s Merlin helicopter. The project’s mission is to utilize open systems technology to reduce full-life-cycle cost of ownership, facilitate technology refresh and insertion, and substantially improve the helicopter’s mission system display and radar/sonar capabilities.
The MCSP will examine all aspects of the weapon system, including ground support and control. Merlin’s man-machine interface will receive particular emphasis, with developers seeking to make it more versatile and intuitive, reduce operator workload and facilitate simultaneous control over multiple and diverse functions.
Polyhedra will be used in flight on Freescale PowerPC-based systems, running atop the Integrity real-time operating system from Green Hills Software. Polyhedra will store dynamic, mission-relevant data, utilizing its replica mechanism to disseminate that data to a number of tactical mission systems. The replica databases, in turn, will utilize Polyhedra’s active query facility to keep their local operator screens updated.
Jeff Goddard, head of Lockheed Martin, said: We selected Polyhedra for incorporation within the TMC software after conducting a trade study that considered the benefits of several COTS databases. Polyhedra provided the performance and functionality we were looking for in a real time database, the product meets our needs, and integration within our system was cost effective and straightforward.
