How OpenVPX is Revolutionising SIGINT Systems

In today’s electronic battlefield, milliseconds matter. Modern SIGINT (Signals Intelligence) systems must capture, process, and analyse electromagnetic signals across vast spectrums—from enemy communications to radar emissions—all while hostile forces attempt to evade detection. The challenge isn’t just handling massive data streams in real-time; it’s doing so with systems rugged enough for military deployment yet flexible enough to adapt as threats evolve.

Traditional computing infrastructures buckle under these demands. SIGINT applications require extreme bandwidth, near-zero latency, and AI-accelerated processing power that can operate in harsh environments from aircraft to ground stations. Enter OpenVPX—an open computing standard that’s transforming how military and intelligence systems tackle these critical challenges.

How SIGINT Applications Excel with OpenVPX

OpenVPX-based applications can process large data streams in real-time with low latency. Using specific modular building blocks, systems can be designed to efficiently capture and analyse electromagnetic waves—from RF to microwave signals. For example, a modern SIGINT system must analyse broadband and radar signals in real-time, requiring extremely fast memory and I/O bandwidth. This is enabled through a wide selection of module interfaces, including:

PCIe Gen2/3/4 for high-speed data transfer
10/40/100G Ethernet for rapid signal processing
SerDes and RapidIO for low-loss data transmission

In addition to high-speed interfaces, SIGINT systems require rugged, scalable modules with adequate power and thermal management. OpenVPX addresses these needs by offering 3U backplanes that can be configured with the interfaces mentioned above. To accelerate application development, OpenVPX also offers standardised module profiles such as slot profiles (VITA 65), optical modules (VITA 66), and radio-frequency modules (VITA 67).

Image 1: OpenVPX provides 3U and 6U backplanes that can be configured with a variety of interfaces. (Image: VITA)

Since high-performance processing often generates significant heat, high-end SIGINT applications require efficient cooling. OpenVPX provides standardised thermal management components, including:

• Liquid-cooled modules (VITA 48.4)
• Air-cooled modules (VITA 48)
• Conduction-cooled modules (VITA 48.2)

Thanks to OpenVPX’s modularity, devices and applications used in military environments like aircraft can be easily upgraded or replaced, significantly reducing both cost and development time.

Sundance and Etion Create Boost SIGINT System Performance

Ensuring long-term modularity and interchangeability is no easy task—especially in rapidly evolving domains like AI, where speed of innovation is critical. It is therefore essential to keep OpenVPX modules up to date and provide developers with regular hardware upgrades.

For example, the VF365 single-board computer (SBC) from Etion Create addresses core requirements of modern SIGINT architectures by combining advanced CPU performance with flexible I/O capabilities. The main processor is an Altera® Arria® 10 SoC FPGA with variable DSP blocks and a dual-core Arm® Cortex®-A9 processor, delivering the computing power needed for complex SIGINT workloads. It’s supported by up to 4 GB DDR3 RAM and up to 64 MB QDRII+ memory for ultra-fast FPGA data processing. An integrated Texas Instruments® multi-core C667x DSP processor with a clock speed of 1.25 GHz also ensures fast data transfer and analysis, using up to 2 GB DDR3 RAM.

Image 2: Altera Arria® 10 SoC FPGA with variable DSP blocks and a dual-core Arm® Cortex®-A9 processor powers advanced SIGINT applications. (Image: Etion Create)

The VF365 delivers high-speed connectivity via integrated interfaces such as SerDes backplane transceivers supporting 1/10/40G Ethernet. Additional flexible I/O options are enabled through the VITA 57 expansion interface, supporting LVTTL, LVDS, JESD-204-B, and 10/40 GbE.

OpenVPX Enables Future-Proof SIGINT Applications

Alongside many other OpenVPX products, the VF365 from Etion Create meets the demands of modern SIGINT applications. It boosts system performance by offering a robust, flexible, high-performance platform for capturing, processing, analysing, and jamming RF signals. Its high-speed design supports the transmission and reception of IF and RF signals with wide bandwidths—and optionally, the generation of such signals.

Image 3: The VF365 supports high-bandwidth RF/IF signal reception and transmission, including optional signal generation. (Image: Sundance)

The Altera® Arria® 10 SoC FPGA handles high-speed signal processing tasks such as digital down-conversion (DDC), FFT (Fast Fourier Transform), and detection of sampled IF/RF signals. The Arm® cores and Texas Instruments® DSP then analyze these detected signals and perform jamming or signal disruption via the exciter or optionally through the FMC transmission path.

Moreover, signals can be recorded and replayed for offline analysis via high-speed interfaces such as 10/40G Ethernet. Developers using the VF365 as an FMC carrier board can integrate various I/O modules to tailor the SIGINT system to their specific I/O needs.

Conclusion

OpenVPX offers SIGINT developers extensive capabilities to adapt systems to modern high-speed requirements—or to design systems that are already optimized for them. With pre-defined standard modules, existing systems can be easily scaled by swapping modules, enabling fast and secure data capture and processing. Sundance and Etion Create offer a broad portfolio of cutting-edge OpenVPX computing platforms, enabling developers to focus on integration while saving time and cost.

Discover the benefits of OpenVPX. Get in touch with the experts at Sundance and Etion Create today!