BARCO’S Conduction-Cooled Video Mixers Selected for NIMROD Tactical Command System (TCS)
FARNBOROUGH, UK, 10 September, 1998 -- BARCO Display Systems was awarded a multi-million dollar contract by Raytheon Computer Products, Marlborough, Massachusetts, to provide conduction-cooled digital video mixers for the Tactical Command System (TCS) for the Royal Air Force (RAF) Nimrod Maritime Reconnaissance and Attack (MRA) Mk4 aircraft.
The Nimrod’s new mission system incorporates a TCS, which integrates and displays the output from primary sensors (radar, acoustics, Electronic Support Measures (ESM), Magnetic Anomaly Detector and Electro-Optical Surveillance and Detection System), a Defensive Aids Sub-system, Armaments Control System and communications suite. The control and display of mission system elements is performed by seven reconfigurable workstations located in the aircraft’s rear cabin. Two workstations are totally dedicated to the acoustic system, and the remaining five mix, match and display sensor information according to the mission requirements.The hardware for the display of live sensor video information will be provided by BARCO utilizing the new FlexiVision video windowing subsystem embedded in 174 of Raytheon’s workstations. The BARCO FlexiVision subsystem is a conduction-cooled 6U VME card set, which is compatible with the Raytheon Model 960 computer. The FlexiVision subsystem provides the simultaneous presentation of separate multi-sensor video sources, such as radar, FLIR and video data, on a single display with any standard RGB video output ranging from 640 x 480 to 1600 x 1200 resolution. The new BARCO conduction-cooled FlexiVision video mixer offers a totally digital implementation, which eliminates artifacts and provides unique capabilities such as keying and transparency display, when processing data from a wide range of video signals.
Raytheon selected BARCO as a supplier for the Tactical Command System after competitive bidding and product demonstrations. Initial deliveries of the Nimrod’s new integrated mission system, with BARCO’s FlexiVision video mixers, will commence in August of 1998 and continue through April of 2005.
About BarcoView:
BarcoView with operation facilities in Kortrijk (Belgium), Toulouse (France), Atlanta, Georgia and Portland, Oregon (USA) designs and manufactures high-resolution display systems, displays, graphics controllers and display subsystems for highly demanding niche markets such as C4I, avionics, vessel and air traffic control, vehicle electronics, and medical imaging applications.
Alongside Barco Projection Systems and BarcoVision, BarcoView is one of the three strategic activities of the BARCO Group, which are all active in Image Processing. Barco Projection is in various markets of large screen visualization, whereas BarcoVision develops systems for visual inspection and quality control. In 2000, the entire BARCO group delivered a turnover of euro 751 million. BARCO has a network of subsidiaries, distributors and agents in 97 countries throughout the world. BARCO has been quoted on the Brussels Stock Exchange since 1986, and is now quoted on Brussels/Euronext. BARCO is a BEL 20 and a Next 150 company and is member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes.
