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Battelle is under contract with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center to design a Common Large Area Display Set (CLADS) for use in multiple command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence applications that currently use 19-inch cathode ray tubes (CRTs). Battelle engineers have now demonstrated that the modular CLADS design is applicable to a large number of existing and future rugged workstation applications, and that the design is technology independent. Any display technology that can be packaged to meet the form, fit, and function requirements defined by the common large area display head assembly performance specification is a candidate for CLADS applications. This has already reduced the risk of CLADS development, permits life long technology insertion upgrades without unnecessary redesign, and addresses many of the obsolescence problems associated with COTS technology-based acquisition. For each platform, only the unique form and fit requirements are included in a CLADS application integration kit, while the unique functional interfaces are provided by an application video interface module. All other parts of the design are common to all CLADS installations and are therefore required in higher quantities which means lower costs. A performance specification tree lists the specifications for each of the platforms as well as the specifications for the modules used for each platform. Detailed specifications have been drafted and will be released to potential display integrators and manufacturers for review in the coming weeks. Initial USAF applications include replacements for the E-3 AWACS color monitor assembly, E-8 Joint STARS graphics display unit, and ABCCC airborne color display. Initial US Navy applications include the E-2C ACIS display. For these applications, reliability and maintainability are key objectives. The common design will reduce the cost of operation and maintenance by an estimated 3.3 million dollars per year on E-3 AWACS alone. As more platforms use CLADS, the life cycle cost savings across the armed forces increases dramatically.
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