EADS (European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company) is using virtualization software from Sysgo in a design aimed at reducing avionics system costs in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). PikeOS enables multiple software platforms to share one hardware platform, while “opening the door” to Linux and other open-source components for non-critical applications, Sysgo says.

PikeOS is a real-time microkernel with its own POSIX/OSEK API, and the capability of running a variety of guest OSes within secure, virtualized hardware partitions.

PikeOS can run legacy RTOSes and Linux, as well as POSIX and OSEK applications, Sysgo says

According to Sysgo, PikeOS is being used by a “New Avionics Structures” group within EADS's Military Air Systems division to build an integrated FMS/MMS (flight/mission management system) reference design for UAVs. The design is based on a 3U cPCI-based board powered by a PowerPC 750FX processor. It aims to integrate multiple OSes with varying levels of criticality, including embedded Linux, Ada-based real-time applications, and several legacy applications written for commercial RTOSes.

Within the EADS design, highly critical real-time Ada applications run within Aonix's ObjectAda execution environment, which had previously been ported to PikeOS. Legacy RTOS applications run under PikeOS's legacy RTOS emulation layer. Linux applications are not able to compromise the execution of the critical tasks, according to Sysgo.

The project is funded by the German Ministry of Defense's Research and Procurement Agency BWB.

Sysgo launched PikeOS in September, 2005, alongside a new 4.0 version of its ELinOS embedded Linux distribution. Six months later, Sysgo said it expected to grow 50 percent in revenue and staffing in 2006, largely thanks to PikeOS.

 
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