Parvus DuraCOR embedded mission computer

The Parvus DuraCOR 8043 is a rugged modular mission computer from Curtiss-Wright, built around a quad-core, 8-thread 6th generation Intel Xeon E3 v5 processor. It is an embedded mission computer for size, weight and power sensitive airborne, ground and vehicle platforms, including fixed and rotary wing manned and unmanned aircraft.

The base system pairs the E3-1515M v5 processor, which runs at 2.8 GHz with turbo up to 3.7 GHz, with 32 GB of ECC DDR4 memory. An Intel Iris Pro P580 (GT4e) graphics processor gives OpenGL support and a 72-core GPGPU with OpenCL support, which lets one box handle image processing and sensor data without a discrete graphics card. ECC memory matters for long unattended missions because it corrects single-bit errors in RAM.

The chassis is fanless and sealed to IP67, with no moving parts and cooling by natural convection and conduction. Operating temperature is -40 to +71 degrees C per MIL-STD-810G, and the unit is qualified to MIL-STD-810G and RTCA DO-160G for shock, vibration, thermal, altitude and humidity, with EMI compliance to MIL-STD-461. The base unit weighs about 5.6 lb (2.4 kg) and measures about 3.2 x 6.75 x 6.25 in (8.05 x 17.15 x 15.85 cm) excluding connectors and mounts.

Base I/O consists of 2 Gigabit Ethernet ports, 2 USB 3.0, 4 USB 2.0, 5 COM ports, 8 digital I/O lines, 2 independent display outputs (HDMI/DVI), audio and eSATA, routed to MIL-DTL-38999 Series III connectors. Two Mini-PCIe slots take add-on cards such as MIL-STD-1553, ARINC 429, video capture or encoder modules, and a stackable PCIe/104 bus accepts platform-specific I/O in optional add-on segments. Storage options include mSATA SSDs in the base unit and removable 2.5 inch SATA SSD segments rated up to 100,000 insertions.

The power supply accepts 28 VDC to MIL-STD-704F, MIL-STD-1275D and DO-160G, with transient protection and optional 50 ms or 200 ms hold-up and N+1 failover redundancy. Maximum consumption of the base system is below 65 W, with about 100 W available for I/O expansion modules. Mounting is by base flange or side boss.

Typical applications are C4ISR, image processing, surveillance, airborne and in-vehicle mission computing, and technology refresh of line replaceable units on tactical ground vehicles and outdoor platforms.