Open Architecture Controller Gives Army New Flexibility for Armored Vehicle Protection

The Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) has awarded Lockheed Martin two contracts for continued development of an open-architecture controller for the U.S. Army’s Modular Active Protection System (MAPS) program.

As a critical element of the MAPS program, the controller processes information from multiple sensor and self-defense systems that can be used to protect the vehicle. It enables autonomous or semi-autonomous detection and defeat of a variety of inbound threats.

Under the MAPS Demonstrator Controller Software – Phase 2 contract, Lockheed Martin will continue software development for a rapid counter-measure capability that protects vehicles against incoming threats. Under the MAPS Controller Hardware contract, Lockheed Martin will develop a controller compliant with MAPS architecture and safety requirements. Lockheed Martin recently delivered several prototype controllers to TARDEC for evaluation under a previous contract.

“We are developing a controller that enables the U.S. Army to implement active protection systems that are free of the restrictions imposed by proprietary technologies,” said Paul Lemmo, vice president of Fire Control/SOF CLSS at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “Not only does the controller provide ample processing power, but its open-architecture design allows the Army to interchange sensors and self-defense systems as technology advances or new threats emerge.”