Winchester Systems: FlashDisk RR1P ATR Removable Canister RAID Disk Array Completes Flights

Winchester Systems Inc. announced that its Rugged Removable 1 Pluggable (RR1P) canister disk array, Air Transport Rack (ATR) format, RAID, was flown on the U.S. Navy’s E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft during May and June.

Rugged Removable 1 Pluggable (RR1P)
canister disk array

“The Winchester Systems RR1P removable canister disk array leverages cutting-edge COTS technology to provide a robust increase in capacity, performance and reliability. It will allow the aircraft instrumentation suite to keep pace with future testing requirements for system improvements and growth capabilities,” said John Lemmon, program manager Capt., E-2/C-2 Airborne Tactical Data System Program Office (PMA-231), U.S. Navy.

The test aircraft is equipped with up to six RR1P RAID storage units. The RR1P canister disk arrays are mounted throughout the aircraft where they collect data from various instruments. At mission completion, the door is opened and the rugged, lightweight, five pound, milled aluminum canister containing 24 SSDs and up to 19.2TB of data are removed and moved to a ground station for analysis. A new canister is inserted and the vehicle is ready for redeployment in two minutes.

Northrop Grumman Corporation contracted Winchester Systems to design the RR1P. Wyle was the prime contractor responsible for the final system integration. The goal of the project was to obtain the ability to perform high-speed ‘continuous data recording’ to keep up with the high data rate of advanced instrumentation in a rugged and highly reliable unit.

The RR1P canister disk array also meets critical size, weight and power (SWaP) requirements weighing only 25 pounds and drawing only 165 watts typically. The RR1P canister disk array delivers up to 2,600 MB/s reading and 2,200 MB/s writing for high-speed data recording and playback. The canister connectors are good for 10,000 insertion cycles.

The RR1P canister disk array has been tested successfully to meet specific standards for operation in harsh environments, including MIL-STD 810G for vibration, temperature, altitude, rapid decompression and explosive atmosphere; MIL-STD-461F for EMI; MIL-STD-704A for aircraft power; and RTCA-DO-160 for humidity.

Designed for the most demanding environments, the RR1P canister disk array tolerates vibration by maximizing rigidity and damping characteristics of components and supporting structures, and the use of SSDs instead of HDDs.

“The RR1P canister disk array lets personnel take critical surveillance and instrument data and move it from a vehicle to a ground station in under two minutes,” according to Inese Lanka, senior director, federal sales. “This unique and innovative canister system delivers up to 19.2 TB of reliable, high performance transportable data in a compact, rugged and lightweight unit that meets stringent standards and strict SWaP requirements for deployment in harsh mobile environments,” she elaborated. “This is a true advance in capability for intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance missions.“

Prices for FlashDisk RR1P canister disk arrays include a one-year factory warranty. The arrays are made to order.