Elma Electronic has launched what it says is the industry’s first VNX+ development chassis aligned with the US military’s SOSA (Sensor Open Systems Architecture) standard, aimed at accelerating the design and testing of next-generation small form factor (SFF) computing systems for mission-critical applications.
The new three-slot FlexVNX+ system enables rapid development and validation of plug-in cards (PICs) built to the VNX+ (VITA 90) specification. Elma says the platform will allow system engineers to evaluate modules more efficiently and bring products to market faster, while maintaining compatibility within a growing open standards ecosystem.
Designed for use in laboratories, the FlexVNX+ features two payload slots, an internal power supply, and a dedicated PSU slot. It supports both 110/220VAC and optional 28VDC power inputs, allowing it to be used in both development and field test environments.
VNX+, one of the latest modular standards from the VITA consortium, is designed for defence and aerospace uses such as mission control, surveillance, and secure communications in unmanned and autonomous systems. It supports data transfer rates of up to 25 Gbps per lane and is built to withstand harsh operating environments.
Ram Rajan, Senior Vice President of Elma Electronic, said the launch comes as demand increases for high-performance computing in space- and weight-constrained defence and aerospace systems. “Our new 3-slot FlexVNX+ is geared towards early-stage developers and system integrators to help accelerate time-to-market for compact, VNX+-based systems, which use modules that are 30% of the size of 3U OpenVPX,” he said.
Elma will showcase the FlexVNX+ at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) annual meeting in Washington, DC, from 13 to 15 October.
