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

PATUXENT RIVER, MD--(Marketwired - Oct 27, 2015) -  Winchester Systems Inc., a leading data storage solutions provider for commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) rugged storage and servers, announced that its Rugged Removable 1 Pluggable (RR1P) canister disk array, Air Transport Rack (ATR) format, Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID), was flown on the U.S. Navy's E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft during May and June.

"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 U.S. Navy's E-2/C-2 Airborne Tactical Data System Program Office (PMA-231) Program Manager Capt. John Lemmon.

The test aircraft is equipped with up to six RR1P RAID data 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 Solid State Disks (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 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 2,600MB per second reading and 2,200MB per second 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 Hard Disk Drives (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 Ms. Inese Lanka, senior director of 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 RR1P canister disk arrays are made to order.

Public Release Notice from NAVAIR
NAVAIR public release, SPR-2015-915. Distribution Statement A, approved for public release, distribution is unlimited. For more information visit: http://www.navair.navy.mil/.

About Winchester Systems Inc.
Winchester Systems provides superior and dependable, high-performance data storage and server systems -- and expertise -- for commercial and military applications. Winchester Systems experts collaborate with each client's integration team to tailor a complete and single-vendor supported solution to best meet critical requirements. Storage offerings include FlashDisk RAID for Direct Attached Storage (DAS) and Storage Area Network (SAN) configurations and FlashNAS unified Network Attached Storage (NAS) systems. FlashServer Intel-based servers include standard and high availability configurations. For more information visit: www.Mil-Rugged.com.

About Northrop Grumman Corporation

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.

About Wyle

Since its founding in 1949, Wyle has grown to become a top systems engineering and technical assistance (SETA) provider to U.S. Naval Aviation. Wyle is also one of the U.S. Army's top advisory and assistance services (A&AS) providers for their aviation and air and missile defense programs. Wyle is also a primary life sciences provider to NASA. Wyle's areas of expertise include systems and sustainment engineering, program and acquisition management, life science research, space medical operations, information technology and test and evaluation of aircraft, weapon systems and networks. Please visit www.wyle.com for more information.