We are living in a world where commercial technology is driving military-computing technology to new heights. Today, mobile computing is becoming extremely adaptable to war, while simultaneously posing a considerable amount of challenges for designers and engineers. The increasing availability and affordability of wireless broadband have further encouraged the mobility factor, and there is no reason why one cannot stay connected with the rest of the world, even in remote places. In terms of design, rugged devices are constantly leading the way over other technologies with manufacturers producing robust and sleeker designs than ever before. Many rugged devices available today are now lighter and easier to handle. These devices are specifically built keeping in mind the ‘rough’ and ‘tough’ factor and the person carrying such instruments does not have to have to worry about their tablet falling into the sea while on a sailing trip.

In the field of military operation, tactics play a vital role in achieving a particular objective for on-location deployments. Soldiers and military personnel require multiple features to help them for the precise directives and situational awareness for both on and off the field activities. It ultimately depends on the device performance and operation expectations set by the latest tablet and smartphone devices. However, digitization leads to a mass migration from paper-based to digital information which ultimately increases the need for capable rugged mobile computers throughout aerospace and defense applications including land, sea, air, and space. While in case of battlefield communications standpoint, fast, lightweight, rugged PCs and wearable computers are delivering more intelligence and situational awareness in the field. “We pride ourselves in providing dock-to-stock solutions and we routinely integrate, test, and burn-in customer-specified add-in boards and software. Our products are designed for continuous operation under extreme environmental conditions, we stake our reputation on providing robust, reliable and cost-effective solutions,” asserts David D. Anderson, the Vice President of Engineering of Systel.

THE VISION BEHIND SYSTEL

Systel is headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas. The company is a leading manufacturer of rugged embedded, server, and display computer products and solutions.

Systel’s new state of the art facility provides 30,000 sq. ft. of R&D, engineering, testing, and manufacturing space. Also the test area has a shock and vibration analysis lab with a walk-in environmental burn-in chamber. The company has more than 30 years of experience in the field of providing complex and advanced computer technologies to military, oil and gas, and manufacturing enterprises worldwide. Also, Systel’s pedigree of capabilities spans over numerous platforms. It includes some of the most advanced military vehicles such as General Atomics Predator^® and Reaper^® UAV fleets, Counter-UAS Stryker ground vehicles, and the US Navy’s ISR/ASW aircraft.

The company develops products designed specifically for continuous operation under harsh and extreme environmental conditions. “We stake our reputation on providing robust, reliable and cost-effective solutions. All Systel systems are designed, manufactured, and tested in the USA,” says Anderson. He adds, “We pride ourselves in providing dock-to-stock solutions and we routinely integrate, test, and burn-in customer-specified add-in boards and software. From the routing of the cables to our unique hold-down mechanism for boards, memory, and processors our attention to detail is evident throughout the design and manufacturing process.” The company has industry grade expertise and resources to accommodate the most demanding requirements and has also emerged as the leader in system design and integration of rugged COTS and custom computers and displays. “Systel’s tactical capabilities support the Army’s rapid prototyping initiatives and deployments for multi-domain operations,” says Aneesh Kothari, The Vice President of Marketing for Systel. He adds, “Our solutions are based on compliancy with common standards, providing a total ecosystem and program-friendly architecture approach. Both Raven-Strike and HR3000 are robust mission computers, purpose-built to meet the demands of modern fighting vehicles.”

"Our systems have been designed to accommodate small package and lightweight requirements and to maximize user friendliness in a high shock and vibration environment. They are designed to pass DO-160 and other MIL-STD requirements"

STRENGTHENING THE DEFENSE SECTOR

Systel caters to the United States Armed Services and also supports multiple mission-critical applications across all branches of the military. Moreover, the company’s computers and displays have supported and assisted a wide range of Naval surface ships and subsea programs. Systel products are found in numerous cabinets and consoles that operate various mission-critical applications.

The company understands the value of meeting the product’s long life requirements that go along with the operating and maintenance schedules of the navy vessels.

Additionally, Systel also offers several Rackmount and Embedded Solutions for airborne programs to support the warfighters. These systems are applied in various applications, which include data recording and processing, surveillance and reconnaissance, and flight instrumentation. “Our systems have been designed to accommodate small package and lightweight requirements and to maximize user-friendliness in a high shock and vibration environment. They are designed to pass DO-160 and other MIL-STD requirements,” comments Anderson.

Anderson also highlights that Systel Rackmount systems are also used in several UAV ground control stations and humvee applications. The company successfully tested its products for different vibration profiles and MIL-STD-810G wheeled vehicle transportation shock. We rely on ruggedization processes that allow our products to be equally effective in all situations ranging from basic ground transportation to the most demanding ground base conditions,” says Anderson.

B E S T - I N - C L A S S TECHNOLOGY EXPERTISE

In 2019 at the AUSA Annual Meeting & Exposition, Systel highlighted their next-generation rugged computing solutions, which are fully sealed, High-Performance Embedded Edge Computing (HPEEC) mission computers and high-density rugged rack-mount servers. “We are proud to support Falstrom, BAE Systems, and the United States Navy with rugged high-performance computers,” said Vimal Kothari, the President of Systel. He adds, “Systel’s technology expertise and experience designing and manufacturing tactical computing solutions for the armed forces enables us to provide best-in-class computing for the modern warfighter.” Moreover, the company’s mantra for success lies in its customer’s trust. Systel believes in maintaining and preserving the trust and also strongly credits their business operation principles, which includes fair dealing and ethical conduct of their employees. Anderson concludes proudly by saying that the company’s reputation for integrity and excellence is deeply engraved into the careful observance of the spirit and letter of all applicable laws and regulations, and as well as by maintaining the highest standards of conduct and personal integrity.