First End-to-End Time Sensitive Networking Portfolio Launched

Curtiss-Wright has introduced a new Time Sensitive Networking Ethernet switch to complete the market’s first end-to-end deterministic networking solution from a single supplier.

As aerospace and defense platforms evolve toward increasingly networked, distributed, software-defined and sensor-rich architectures, regular Ethernet struggles to meet the deterministic needs of time-critical mission communications. While traditional Ethernet provides reliable network communications, it remains a best-effort medium where messages are expected to arrive, but without a guarantee of exactly when. This timing uncertainty creates operational challenges for critical applications such as sensor fusion, autonomy, mission computing, coordinated control and AI-driven edge processing where delayed or unsynchronized data can directly affect mission success.

Time Sensitive Networking addresses these issues by adding time awareness to standard Ethernet communications. This technology allows system designers to assign strict timing requirements to critical network traffic so data moves predictably and reliably across compute, switching and input/output resources. Consequently, deterministic traffic and conventional best-effort Ethernet traffic can coexist on a shared network backbone, reducing overall system complexity while supporting next-generation distributed defense and aerospace platforms.

“Time Sensitive Networking is more critical today than ever before,” said Lee Brown, Vice President and General Manager of C5ISR, Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions. “The introduction of our VPX3-656 TSN Ethernet switch means our customers now have the option of a one-stop-shop to build their end-to-end deterministic TSN Ethernet system architectures.”

The newly launched VPX3-656 switch simplifies the deployment of high-speed networks by combining integrated optical 10G Ethernet connectivity with backplane 1G and 10G interfaces. This flexible architecture supports both internal OpenVPX card connectivity and external optical network connections without requiring additional conversion hardware.

Designed to support the recently published IEEE 802.1DP TSN Aerospace Profile, the switch allows integrators to deploy standard Ethernet networks today while providing a straightforward evolutionary path to TSN-enabled deterministic communications. The hardware complements several other Curtiss-Wright TSN-enabled components, including the recently introduced V3-1223 DAL certifiable processor, the VPX3-1262 Intel Fabric100 high-performance processor and the V3-1222 DAL certifiable processor, offering a comprehensive suite for both ground and airborne applications.