Defence and avionics

Radar systems require high-speed data analysis in real time

Besides standard DSPs, FPGAs are especially suited to this, especially with the high-performance DSP blocks available on chip. Additionally, FPGAs provide a high level of flexibility. Even when high-performance encryption and decryption are involved, FPGAs are again very well accepted due to their ability to process complex algorithms in real time. When using FPGAs, developers do not have to rely on fixed encryption/decryption processors prescribed by some semiconductor manufacturer's hardware; instead, they are able to create fully customised structures without sacrificing the ability to process algorithms in the hardware. A further application in the field of defence and aerospace is Software Defined Radio (SDR). SDR systems use a platform that can be configured using software in order to perform demodulation and modulation, as well as to up-convert and down-convert signals. Practically the entire signal path of an HF receiver or transmitter is located in the digital domain and can be controlled by software. The incoming (or outgoing) signal first (or finally) runs through an A/D converter (or D/A converter), while all other steps are performed digitally. DSPs and FPGA or any combination are ideal to process these signals in real time.