Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!convex!linac!att!cbnews!cbnews!military
From: panisset@thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu (Jean-Francois Panisset )
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Missile software
Summary: Hardware
Keywords: Xilinx, FPGAs
Message-ID: <1991Feb15.063418.6153@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 15 Feb 91 06:34:18 GMT
References: <1991Feb12.012958.6962@cbnews.att.com>
Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker)
Organization: McGill Research Centre for Intelligent Machines
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Approved: military@att.att.com



From: panisset@thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu (Jean-Francois Panisset )
In article <1991Feb12.012958.6962@cbnews.att.com> karlth@rhi.hi.is (Karl Thoroddsen) writes:
>Could someone give any info on the software used in missiles(Patriot,
>Tomahawk, etc).  Especially regarding the language used, is it Machine
>Code coded straight into the eletronics or are compilers(C, etc) used.

Well, I don't know about the software, but I was browsing through the databook
for the Xilinx Field Programmable Gate Arrays the other day and I saw a reprint
of an article that said that these parts were being used some of the systems
on board the Tomahawk. For those who are not familiar with these, FPGAs are
gate arrays which are programmable at power-up via a configuration file which
is downloaded either from EPROM or from some other source. Thus although they
offer fewer gates and have a higher unit cost than traditional gate arrays,
their turn-around time is much better. The article mentionned that the
gate arrays were being re-programmed in-flight: I guess that according to
the phase of the flight of the missile, different configuration data can
be downloaded into the FPGA, thus reducing the amoun of hardware required.

JF



-- 
Jean-Francois Panisset                    
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