Mentor Blogs

Airbus delayed the availability of the A350-1000, intended to compete with The Boeing Company’s enhanced 777 twinjet; yet, customers continue to cancel early orders for the upcoming Airbus wide-body jet. This delay is giving Boeing the chance it needs to push its 777 successor (being called the Boeing 777X) forward, while utilizing all the lessons learned from its infamously delayed 787 Dreamliner. … Read More

Engineer, Embedded Systems, Geek, Aerospace, Mentor.com, Mil-Aero, Airbus, 777, Hardware, DoD, Jet, electrical, Mentor, Mentor Graphics, Boeing

Airbus and The Boeing Company have been the subjects of much criticism when it comes to production delays. While one company works to rationalize a delay in entering new aircraft into service, the rival often uses the other’s delay to its own advantage; in both cases, the public is often entertained by the sometimes creative “spins” on an unfortunate happenstance. In mid-2011, Airbus executives reluctantly … Read More

Mentor, Hardware, Mentor Graphics, Airbus, Aerospace, Mentor.com, Mil-Aero, Geek, Boeing, Milaero, Design Automation, Technology

The Boeing Company, William Boeing, and Pilot Eddie Hibbard all solidified their place in history in 1919, delivering mail internationally between Canada and the U.S.—first while flying a Boeing C-700 and later a Boeing B-1. The historic Boeing B-1 aircraft was partially constructed of wood laminate veneer, plywood, and spruce. When aviation geeks think of wood planes, Howard Hughes no doubt comes … Read More

Mentor Graphics, Mentor, Mentor.com, BB-L6, William H. Boeing, Wood Plane, Boeing, Aerospace, Mil-Aero, Geek, Milaero, Hardware, Military, Mount Rainer, Eddie Hibbard

It has become more and more challenging to deliver products–especially complex and intricate components, systems, and platforms–on time in this day and age. For many, the global economic recession brought with it reductions in personnel; and yet, military and aerospace (mil/aero) were still expected to (and needed to) deliver novel, high-tech products on time and on budget without the advent … Read More

Recession, Military, Mentor Graphics, Design Automation, economic recession, Mentor.com, Mil-Aero, Milaero, Aerospace, Electronic, global, Globalization, electronic design automation, Hardware, Mentor, electrical, Engineer, Embedded Systems, Geek, Software

The military and aerospace (mil/aero) market relies on efficiency. This is true of myriad industries during a down economy, which requires organizations—including the U.S. Department of Defense and other military organizations, as well as prime contractors and subcontractors—to do more with less. Not only do engineering and manufacturing personnel need to be efficient, but also the tools they employ … Read More

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“Mentor’s Capital toolset now encompasses electrical architecture definition, electrical system and wire harness design, harness manufacturing, and vehicle service and repair,” stated Martin O’Brien, general manager of the Mentor® Integrated Electrical Systems Division. “Capital HarnessXC is one of the core products within this tool suite. PKC is the latest in a long line of harness suppliers to standardize … Read More

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Engineers from Bell Helicopter, a Textron Company, and The Boeing Company have unleashed a unique aircraft that has been turning heads at recent air shows, and for good reason. The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey was designed from the ground up (a rarity in a downturned economy, it seems) to meet the needs of multiple armed services. In doing so, it combines the capabilities of a helicopter with those of fixed-wing … Read More

Geek, Embedded Systems, Hardware, Warfighters, V-22, Milaero, Bell Helicopter, Military, Software, Aerospace, Textron, Mentor, Electric, Mentor Graphics, Electronic, Mentor.com, Boeing, Mil-Aero

System interoperability is a major issue and continual challenge in military and aerospace (mil/aero) applications. Electronic components and solutions from various vendors must all work together. The same is true of legacy versus modern systems. Many industry pundits in the mil/aero community have long compared the challenge to trying to have a 50-year-old communicate effectively with a newborn—they … Read More

electrical, Electric, Electronic, Software, Mentor Graphics, Computer, Mentor.com, Mil-Aero, Aerospace, Milaero, Engineer, Design Automation, Geek, Hardware, COTS, Mentor

Systems integration is no small feat. Ensuring disparate parts and systems—standalone solutions from multiple vendors—talk and work together seamlessly and reliably is a challenge. In fact, the systems integrator, not to mention the MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) specialist charged with keeping systems in good working order over decades of deployment, has been given many nicknames reflective … Read More

systems whisperer, Military, Mentor Graphics, Design Automation, Mentor.com, Mil-Aero, Milaero, COTS, electrical, hardware wrangler, HDMI, Electronic, High-Definition Multimedia Interface, Mentor, Electric, Geek, Embedded Systems, Hardware, Technology

Gone, in large part, are the days of military and aerospace (mil/aero) organizations buying a complete, comprehensive, end-to-end turnkey system from a single, solitary vendor. Rather, a vast majority of today’s mil/aero systems combine the technologies, components, and capabilities of myriad technology vendors. Integrating parts from various vendors in a single system, like most things, has its pros … Read More

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Just this month, PKC Eesti AS, a supplier of electrical wiring harnesses to European truck makers and a subsidiary of Finland’s PKC Group Oyj, announced that it is deploying the latest technology from the Mentor Graphics Capital suite of tools at its factory in Estonia. Among the tools adopted is the Capital HarnessXC product, which is designed to enable harness engineers to create detailed, validated, … Read More

Electronic, electrical, Embedded Systems, PKC Group, Military, Computer, Mentor Graphics, COTS, Mentor.com, Mil-Aero, Capital HarnessXC, Milaero, Engineer, Geek, Electric, Hardware, Mentor, Design Automation

Future Combat Systems (FCS) is but a distant memory, but the need to stay on the bleeding edge of technology in military and aerospace (mil/aero) environments remains unchanged. Today’s missions in harsh and challenging environments call for the latest and greatest technological advances. FCS, the program created to deliver manned and unmanned advanced network-centric warfare and new combat vehicles … Read More

Mentor.com, Mentor Graphics, FCS, BCT, Geek, Hardware, Mentor, Aerospace, electrical, Design Automation, Electronic, Embedded Systems, Brigade Combat Team Modernization Program, Engineer, Computer, DoD, Electric, Mil-Aero, U.S. Army, Warfighters, Milaero, Military

The U.S. Army’s Future Combat Systems (FCS) program, begun in 2003, carried with it the promise of a brand new fleet of manned ground vehicles; yet, due to economic and logistical difficulties and setbacks, FCS was cancelled in 2009. In the spring of 2009, Pentagon and Army officials announced the cancellation of the FCS vehicle-development effort. Rather than providing new, future-proof vehicles able … Read More

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Militaries the world over are increasingly relying upon advanced, multifunctional electronics systems to help ensure not only their safety, but also mission success. The growing use of and reliance on electronics does not come without a cost, however. Power-hungry devices require sufficient and reliable power. Yet, power can be hard to come by, especially in remote battlefield locales, such as both … Read More

Hardware, Geek, Mentor, U.S. Department of Defense, DoD, Military, Electric, network-centric battlefield, Army, U.S. Army, Mentor Graphics, Embedded Systems, Mentor.com, Engineer, Mil-Aero, electrical, Milaero, Electronic

The availability of sufficient power to drive myriad electronics in ground combat vehicles is a major concern in the military and aerospace (mil/aero) market. Current military ground vehicle platforms are outfitted with a wealth of electronics—including command and control, communications, radar and radar jamming, weaponry, counter-IED/countermeasures, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance … Read More

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