Armed Overwatch’s Sky Warden system can conduct missions in austere, disaggregated combat environments with limited infrastructure. Credit: ZMicro/L3Harris/PRNewswire.

L3Harris Technologies has selected rugged computing solutions provider ZMicro to support the US Special Operations Command’s (USSOCOM) Armed Overwatch programme.  

In August this year, L3Harris and Air Tractor’s AT-802U Sky Warden system was chosen for the Armed Overwatch programme.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Premium Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Related Company Profiles

View all

Under the low-rate initial production Lot 1, six new, fully modified, Armed Overwatch mission-configured aircraft will be delivered by the Sky Warden team.

The programme includes the delivery of up to 75 crewed, fixed wing aircraft to support USSOCOM’s irregular warfare operations, close air support, precision strike, and armed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).

As part of this project, ZMicro’s rugged computers will be equipped onto the Sky Warden planes.

See Also:

ZMicro president Jason Wade said: “L3Harris continues to be a fantastic partner to work with in terms of thinking outside the box to deliver leading-edge solutions.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

“With Sky Warden, we can meet a critical need for US Special Operations Command for a low-cost aircraft that can take off and land in austere fields, fly for long periods, and support a variety of modular payloads.”

The company will fit two ZMicro ZM3 ultra-lightweight servers in the body of each aircraft to offer situational awareness and mission management applications.

Using an optical fibre, the ZM3s are connected to a cockpit storage docking unit.

The dock consists of four ZMicro TranzPak 1 ultra-compact NVMe drives to provide crew members with quick access for on- and off-boarding, as well as to remote control the ZM3s.

Wade said: “The ZM3 was designed to provide the enterprise-class capabilities of a rack mount server in a fraction of the size and weight, making it ideal for space-constrained applications such as airborne ISR.

“It is unique because it’s the smallest, lightest rugged mission computer available that can support an NVIDIA GPU card, which is needed to run the advanced and trusted mission execution software developed by L3Harris ForceX.”