ASHBURN, Va – October 4, 2023 – Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions Division today introduced the VPX3-6826, a SOSA aligned 100G Data Plane and Control Plane Ethernet Switch for foundational next-generation rugged processing systems. Designed and optimized to provide the low-latency, high-speed Ethernet backbone required by modern fiber-distributed aerospace and defense sensor processing architectures, the new Ethernet switch maximizes connectivity and simplifies system building with both high-speed copper VPX backplane ports and field proven rugged optical ports. To enable dual-domain security environments, the VPX3-6826 supports independent Data Plane and Control Plane switching fabrics with a rich set of multi-layer L2 switching and L3 routing features. The module also offers a complete suite of Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) capabilities ideal for enabling time-sensitive and deterministic traffic on the Control Plane. Available as a conduction-cooled 3U OpenVPX Ethernet switch, the module supports up to thirty-six (36) Data Plane Ethernet ports at speeds of 10G, 25G, 40G, 50G, or 100G, and up to twelve (12) Control Plane 1G or 10G Ethernet ports.

“Our Fabric100 family delivers a complete end-to-end solution for architecting 100Gbit SOSA aligned rugged systems,” said Brian Perry, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions Division. “The 3U VPX3-6826 Ethernet switch module joins the Fabric100 suite to provide the high-speed switching and support for dual-enclave security that today’s advanced sensor architectures demand.”

The VPX3-6826 complements the simultaneously introduced VPX3-1262 14-core Intel Raptor Lake Hybrid Processor single board computer (SBC). Both modules are the latest additions to Curtiss-Wright’s new Fabric100 family of extremely high-performance SOSA aligned processing modules that brings 100Gbit Ethernet and high-performance PCIe Gen4 interconnect speeds to tomorrow’s new generation of rugged deployable computing architectures. Curtiss-Wright’s Fabric100 is the only embedded ecosystem that delivers uncompromised, full 100GbE connectivity across a comprehensive range of secure 3U and 6U VPX form factor plug-in cards (PIC) and systems. Designed in alignment with the SOSA Technical Standard, the VPX3-6826 delivers line-rate switching for demanding ISR and mission-critical processing applications. Fully rugged, the VPX3-6826 is validated for deployment in the harshest environments and is available with conduction-cooled L300 ruggedization and is suitable for high-reliability embedded ground, naval, airborne, and commercial/industrial applications.

The versatile, high-performance non-blocking Ethernet Switch provides up to 24 ports of Data Plane and 7 or 8 ports of Control Plane backplane copper connectivity. To simplify external connectivity, the module supports additional optional front-panel optical interfaces for the Data Plane and Control Plane on field-proven rugged optical connectors. The VPX3-6826 is a fully managed multi-layer Ethernet switch that offers an extensive range of network services, including efficient multicast packet processing and flexible quality of service (QoS) prioritization with a powerful range of security features. On-board management software provides a powerful command line interface (CLI), SNMP, and web-based options for configuration, management and monitoring.

TSN, an emerging IEEE standard rapidly gaining widespread interest, offers real-time deterministic Ethernet that can coexist with standard Ethernet. Curtiss-Wright has incorporated TSN technology into many of its new 3U Fabric100 products including both the VPX3-6826 Ethernet Switch and VPX3-1262 SBC.

Today, system integrators struggle to satisfy their C5ISR applications’ insatiable appetite for sharing ever-increasing volumes of information. The higher-speed interconnects required to support these performance demands pose significant integration challenges for systems integrators. What’s more, the ability to meet the industry’s goal of simplified interoperability, in other words, to quickly and effectively build systems using open standards-based building blocks and make them work well together, becomes increasingly riskier as system designers migrate to faster 16Gbaud and 25Gbaud signaling technology and faster data throughput architectures. To address this daunting problem and reduce the system design risks associated with higher-speed interconnects, Curtiss-Wright has developed Fabric100, a complete end-to-end ecosystem of high-speed rugged OpenVPX modules and system components. It is not enough to simply provide 100G connections between a system’s modules yet fail to support the ability to process all this data within the modules themselves. Recognizing that, Curtiss-Wright’s Fabric100 board architectures are designed to deliver full 100G performance through the entire processing chain, eliminating data bottlenecks that might otherwise compromise system performance..

To download the VPX3-6826 product sheet, please click here.

To download the VPX3-1262 product sheet, please click here.

For information about availability of development boards and Quick Start Kits (QSKs) to support your program needs, please contact us at ds@curtisswright.com, visit our website at www.curtisswrightds.com, or contact your local Curtiss-Wright sales representative.

For additional information about Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions products, please visit www.curtisswrightds.com, LinkedIn, and X @CurtissWrightDS.

Curtiss-Wright Corporation (NYSE:CW) is a global integrated business that provides highly engineered products, solutions and services mainly to Aerospace & Defense markets, as well as critical technologies in demanding Commercial Power, Process and Industrial markets. We leverage a workforce of approximately 8,400 highly skilled employees who develop, design and build what we believe are the best engineered solutions to the markets we serve. Building on the heritage of Glenn Curtiss and the Wright brothers, Curtiss-Wright, headquartered in Davidson, North Carolina, has a long tradition of providing innovative solutions through trusted customer relationships. For more information, visit www.curtisswright.com.