From the outside, the turret system on a ground vehicle may appear a straightforward mechanism.

Industrial participation is seen as a way to develop and maintain production, technology and expertise, so that critical defense products and services can continue to be produced under emergency conditions.

In support of the Australian Army’s Project Land 400 Phase 2 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle (CRV), Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions’ Switzerland-based Drive Technology business is supplying its modular Turret Drive Servo System (TDSS) and hand controller technologies to Rheinmetall Landsysteme.

Graham Pitcher of New Electronics Magazine speaks to Aaron Frank and Andrew McCoubrey of Curtiss-Wright about the future of VME.

One example of an FPGA-based VME interface alternative is Curtiss-Wright’s Helix, a field-tested and proven PCI Express-to-VME64x transparent bridge that provides a full VME64xMaster/Slave interface with a direct bridge to a PCI Express upstream port

Curtiss-Wright will supply its Electric Gun Turret Drive Upgrade Kit to Raytheon as part of a turret drive and stabilization system upgrade solution for M60 and Challenger 1 main battle tanks (MBT).

Aaron Frank discusses the continuation of VME after the end-of-life of the popular Tempe TSI148 VMEbus bridge chip.