Virtium Industrial SSDs, DIMM Modules for Remote Data Protection in Military, Aerospace Applications

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Virtium, a provider of industrial solid-state drive (SSD) and memory solutions for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) market, has introduced the StorFly-XR line of 2.5-inch and Slim SATA SSDs, and XR-DIMM memory modules for military and aerospace applications. The new XR (for extra rugged) line enables those applications with multi-level protection that secures the devices and their data when deployed remotely in extreme conditions that involve frequent shock and vibration, contaminating materials and/or extreme temperatures. Primary applications for the devices are battlefield technology, manned and unmanned aircraft, command and control, reconnaissance, satellite communications, and space programs.

The StorFly-XR SSDs and DDR3 XR-DIMMs feature custom ruggedization of key components, such as ultra-rugged connectors and screw-down mounting. When ordered with added BGA under-fill, they can deliver unprecedented durability beyond that of standard MIL-810-compliant solutions. The devices’ conformal coating protects them against contaminants often found in harsh environments, while their industrial-temperature (I-Temp) support enables them to operate reliably in temperatures as low as -40°C and as high as 85°C—extreme conditions under which Virtium tests each drive and module before shipping to customers.

The StorFly-XR SSDs also feature power-fail protection against data loss that can occur during power interruptions. Additionally, the drives are available with optional FIPS-197 compliant AES-256 encryption—with 256-bit key size that delivers a remarkable 1.1 x 1077 number of possible combinations—along with NIST 800-88-compliant authentication and crypto/secure erase capabilities. Additional security can be enabled through optional hardware or software write-protection mechanisms contained within the SSD.

"Today's military and aerospace technologies require specialized SSDs and memory modules for their remote data-storage needs in order to contend with the inherent shock, vibration, extreme temperature, and contaminants that can compromise SSDs and memory modules – and, more significant, the crucial data they store," said Scott Phillips, Virtium vice president of marketing. "Our new StorFly XR SSDs and XR-DIMMs were born out of the commitment to meet those requirements, so we developed this new line of industrial SSDs and DDR3 DIMM modules capable of operating reliably for extended periods in the harshest of military and aerospace conditions. We will continue to expand this line with more form factors as required."

As with all Virtium’s StorFly industrial SSDs, the XR drives are fully integrated with Virtium’s patented vtGuard and vtSecure software for added drive and data protection. Available with either single- or multiple-level-cell NAND flash, the SSDs’ capacities range from 16GB to 960GB—ideal for operating system boot and/or small-footprint applications used for system monitoring and logging. The XR-DIMMs, available in capacities of 2GB, 4GB, 8GB and 16GB, are designed with heat-sink options and meet the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics's DO-160G standard for avionics testing. Additionally, system designers are ensured of a steady path of design upgrades, thanks to the XR SSDs' and XR-DIMMs' ten-year lifecycle with locked bill-of-materials costs.