Mentor Blogs

Mentor Graphics’ Integrated Electrical Solutions Forum (IESF) for the military/aerospace (mil/aero) industry—a free, one-day event that was just held in Long Beach, Calif., on Sept. 13, 2011—was fantastic this year, just as I had expected. The speakers were top-notch and I learned a wealth about not only the current status and future outlook of the mil/aero market, but also the many challenges mil/aero … Read More

Software, Raytheon, Mentor.com, Aerospace, Mil-Aero, Milaero, Military, Aaron Shin, Electric, IESF, Integrated Electrical Solutions Forum, electrical, Mentor, Design Automation, Mentor Graphics, Geek, Engineer, Hardware, Technology, The Art of Storytelling

This geek is excitedly gearing up for the Mentor Graphics Integrated Electrical Solutions Forum (IESF) for mil/aero design engineers, managers, and executives. Thank you to those who have written with questions. I would like to allay any concerns, such as those of professionals whom have previously been burned by or are skeptical of the value of free, vendor-hosted events. Fear not! Yet, I can understand … Read More

Hardware, Geek, IESF, Mil-Aero, Design Automation, Milaero, Military, Aerospace, Software, Integrated Electrical Solutions Forum, Embedded Systems, Mentor, Engineer, Mentor Graphics, Mentor.com, electrical

Much has changed, including the roles of embedded systems engineers and the overall development process. At the same time, regulations and requirements have grown—and, in no industry is this more true and more critical than in the mil/aero (military and aerospace) market. Modern systems, whether hardware or software in nature, that are employed in military and aerospace applications and environments … Read More

Geek, Engineer, Hardware, Computer, Milaero, Military, Software, Aerospace, Mentor, electrical, Mentor Graphics, Embedded Systems, Mentor.com, Design Automation, Mil-Aero

Embedded systems and software engineers lag information technology (IT) professionals in the use of formal requirements management tools across the development cycle, according to VDC Research Group in Natick, Mass. VDC Research Group’s new report on requirements management and definition tools reveals that more than 40 percent of the embedded engineers surveyed do not use formal tools for various … Read More

IT, Information Technology, Mentor, Software, VDC Research Group, Design Automation, Aerospace, Mentor Graphics, Engineer, Mentor.com, Geek, Mil-Aero, Milaero, Embedded Systems

Embedded systems and software engineers lag information technology (IT) professionals in the use of formal requirements-management tools across the development cycle, VDC Research Group in Natick, Mass., reveals in its new report on requirements management and definition tools. More than 40 percent of embedded engineers surveyed do not use formal tools for various requirements engineering tasks. Enterprise/IT … Read More

Mil-Aero, PDM, Software, BridgePoint, Military, Milaero, VDC Research Group, ERP, Mentor, Embedded Systems, Mentor.com, IT, Geek, Engineer, Mentor Graphics, Earth, Design Automation, Chris Rommel, PLM, ReqTracer

The mil/aero community, especially those members working in the aviation and avionics segment, is increasingly consumed with learning more and ensuring compliance with current standards and regulations. For many, regulatory compliance and all that it entails are terribly stressful and wrought with bureaucracy, various “hoops” through which to jump, and threats of excessive fines and jail time. Not … Read More

Military, Milaero, Mentor, Aerospace, Altec Inc., Mentor Graphics, Mentor.com, Mil-Aero, 787, Design Automation, Embedded Systems, Engineer, DO-178, FAA, Boeing, Geek, DO-254 Compliance Overview Training, DO-254, Dreamliner, Software, Tammy Reeve, Wilsonville

The Northrop Grumman-built U.S. Navy X-47B, an Unmanned Combat Air System–Demonstration (UCAS-D) Next-gen Unmanned Fighter, took its maiden flight on a hazy California morning, Feb. 4, 2011 at Edwards Air Force Base. The flight began at 2:09 p.m. PST and lasted for 29 minutes. The goal of the program is to create a tailless, fighter-sized unmanned system capable of safely landing and taking off from … Read More

NAVAIR, Northrup Grumman, Parker Aerospace, Computer, Pratt & Whitney, robot, Aerospace, Rockwell Collins, Skynet, Design Automation, Software, Terminator, COTS, Dell, U.S. Navy, Eaton, DoD, Edwards Air Force Base, Vetronics, Warfighters, UAV, Wind River, X-47B, Hamilton Sundstrand, Goodrich, Engineer, Geek, General Electric, GKN Aerospace, Electric, electrical, Electronic, Embedded Systems, Moog, Hardware, Milaero, Military, Mentor.com, Mil-Aero, Mentor, Mentor Graphics, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin

On September 23, 2010, the Department of the Army (U.S.) issued solicitation W9124D10IPADS for the purchase of 587 Apple iPads prepared to the following specification: “Item shall be equal to the salient characteristics of the Apple 32GB iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G.” Requirements include: - 32GB of storage that operates on skip-free flash memory eliminating the need for a hard drive and provides instant … Read More

soldier, Software, Mil-Aero, Computer, COTS, Milaero, Military, Operating System, Android, Electronic, iPhone, Mentor, Embedded Systems, Mentor Graphics, Electric, Mentor.com, electrical, Hardware, Geek, iPad, soldiers, Warfighters

The Apple iVolution has been going strong since the initial release of the iPod on October 23, 2001. Apple has significantly impacted cultures around the world; you can’t go around a corner these days without seeing the tell-tale white ear buds hanging from someone’s ears. iPods were so successful that they were followed up with a touchscreen variant, the iPod Touch, which was followed by the hugely … Read More

Mentor.com, Mentor Graphics, soldier, soldiers, Android OS, Inflexion, tablets, App Store, iPad, Warfighters, iPhone, Android, Mentor, COTS, Embedded Systems, Geek, battlefield, Google, Computer, Hardware, DoD, Design Automation, Electronic, Software, Mil-Aero, Operating System, RTOS, Nucleus, Open Handset Alliance, Military, network-centric, mil-std, Milaero

Mil-aero organizations the world over are investigating, and even already adopting, non-ruggedized, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) computing and communications devices, including Apple’s popular iPad. It’s appealing: sleek, slim, compact, shiny. All good things. What it is not, not yet anyway, is rugged enough to withstand military and aerospace environments, missions, and applications. Some may recall … Read More

Mentor.com, Mentor Graphics, soldiers, Warfighters, Apple, Hardware, battlefield, iPad, iPhone, Mentor, Android, Electronic, Design Automation, Embedded Systems, Computer, FBI, COTS, Geek, Electric, DoD, electrical, soldier, Mil-Aero, rugged, Software, Operating System, Overheat, Military, network-centric, mil-std, Milaero

Android is sexy, as are the ever-increasing number of smartphones and PC tablets that take advantage of Google’s operating system (OS). Military personnel, even officials at the highest ranks, agree. Soldiers want to use Android devices and Apple’s iPad in the field, while on a mission, communicating, socializing, killing time, or blowing off steam. Soldiers have historically been frustrated by the … Read More

Electronic, iPhone, Mentor Graphics, Software, Sony, DoD, Mentor, Geek, soldier, Google, USB, Xbox, Hardware, soldiers, Mentor.com, VHS, electrical, PlayStation, Warfighters, iPad, Military, mp3, Operating System, Microsoft, Apple, Mil-Aero, Computer, Android, Milaero

What a difference a year makes in the military and aerospace (mil/aero) market. This time last year, I was listening to market research firms and industry pundits herald the military/defense segment for keeping the aerospace market afloat while the commercial aviation segment took a serious dip. Despite a woeful world economy, investments were being made at that time in military aircraft–manned … Read More

Hardware, George W. Bush, Military, Obama, Asia Pacific, Embedded Systems, Prime Contractors, Engineer, Primes, RNCOS, EU, Software, Aerospace, Geek, Bush, UAV, DoD, Canada, US, Electric, electrical, USA, Barrack Obama, Electronic, Vetronics, Brazil, Computer, china, COTS, Milaero, India, Warfighters, Mexico, Mil-Aero, Mentor Graphics, Mentor.com, MarketResearch.com, Mentor, Japan, Jet

Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems, a division of Raytheon in Waltham, Mass., can lay claim to unveiling what is arguably the hottest news to come out of AUSA 2010, the annual meeting and exposition of the Association of the United States Army, held last week in Washington, DC. It’s RATS. I’m not kidding. The acronym is unfortunate, but the system may hold the key to greater mission effectiveness, … Read More

Operating System, network-centric, Mentor.com, Computer, COTS, Mil-Aero, Milaero, Military, Android, Hardware, electrical, Electronic, iPhone, Mentor, DoD, Electric, Mentor Graphics, Geek, Embedded Systems, Google, RATS, soldiers, Warfighters, Software, soldier, Raytheon, Raytheon Android Tactical System

Android addicts are everywhere. Even those who didn’t anticipate using a larger number of apps on their smart phones are finding themselves downloading a new app almost daily. Google’s Android mobile operating system (OS) is making waves throughout the commercial market; and now, thanks to Raytheon engineers in Waltham, Mass., it is likely to change the face of the digital battlefield. Soldiers are … Read More

Microsoft, Mentor.com, Hardware, Apple, apps, iPhone, Mentor, Mentor Graphics, Android, Embedded Systems, COTS, Engineer, battlefield, Geek, Computer, Google, DoD, Design Automation, Electronic, Xbox, network-centric, UAV, Warfighters, soldier, soldiers, Raytheon, Software, Operating System, PSP

CFD, Giving Our Prototype Machinists a Break Computational fluid dynamics, of CFD, was a central focus of recent industry events, and I find the topic keeps cropping up in mil/aero discussions of late. In fact, CFD simulation tools are increasingly being employed by military prime contractors (aka, primes) to meet contract requirements, such as survivability in extreme environments and temperatures, … Read More

Mentor.com, Mentor Graphics, Hardware, aluminum, Azonix, Heat Sink, Mechanical, Mentor, Aerospace, Embedded Systems, Copper, Crane, Engineer, CAD, FloEFD, CFD, Design Automation, Mil-Aero, Thermal, Vetronics, Software, Terra Server, Model, prototype, Milaero, Military