With the capabilities of EW systems and the densities of the EW environment multiplying, the need for large numbers of signal simulators in trainers becomes evident. This puts increasing pressure on the simulator contractors and the procuring agencies to trade off the Increased costs of signal densities and realistic training missions. The solution to this problem is increased use of Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) to produce the basic building blocks needed to create simulated signals.
The number of new VLSI products available to the design engineer today is widely varying and is increasing at an exponential rate. The selection of a VLSI product will dictate the Integration capabilities of the design engineer. This paper will describe the process of reducing a board level product to one quarter of its previous space and power requirements.
The selection of a VLSI contractor will dictate the success or failure of the VLSI effort. The claims by various manufacturers can be misleading to the design engineer who normally uses commercial integrated circuits. Once a VLSI contractor is selected the design engineer must construct a bread-board to be used in verification of the computer simulations and also the initial prototype IC's. The Simulation tools used by the VLSI contractor and the design engineer aid in the design of the IC and also the probability of the final product working successfully.
The future of VLSI technology in Simulation and Training is virtually untapped and is limited only by the vision of the design engineer. A brief, look into where the VLSI manufacturers are heading and how Simulator contractors may capitalize on these trends will be examined.