USAF lab gets first Agile Condor pod

A new on-board processing pod system called Agile Condor has been delivered by SRC to the US Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), the company announced on 19 September.

The pod system, with scalable, low size, weight and power hardware architecture, is designed to enable on-board processing of large quantities of sensor data through high-performance embedded computing (HPEC).

Configured for airborne platforms, the Agile Condor pod system consists of an external pod enclosure and an internal chassis with modular computing architecture that allows for expandable computational power. The company expects this architecture to pave the way for advanced computing technology, such as bio-inspired neuromorphic computing. 

The system has been designed for installation in almost any configuration, such as airborne, ground-based and sea-based moving platforms, or fixed-site emplacement. 

This first system delivery is part of an ongoing, three-year research and development contract SRC has with AFRL to deliver a second Agile Condor system with embedded computing at the end of 2017.

Paul Tremont, president and CEO, SRC, said: ‘We are proud to have been given the opportunity to engineer an innovative and sophisticated computing architecture like the Agile Condor system for AFRL’s Information Directorate in Rome, NY. 

‘The delivery of this first system helps advance the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities of our air force, providing our national leaders and warfighters with significant technical, tactical, and situational-awareness advantages far beyond the present capabilities.’