Lockheed Martin's Open Architecture Controller Gives Army New Flexibility for Armored Vehicle Protection

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The Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) has awarded Lockheed Martin two contracts for continued development of an open-architecture controller for the U.S. Army’s Modular Active Protection System (MAPS) program.

As a critical element of the MAPS program, the controller processes information from multiple sensor and self-defense systems that can be used to protect the vehicle. It enables autonomous or semi-autonomous detection and defeat of a variety of inbound threats.

Under the MAPS Demonstrator Controller Software – Phase 2 contract, Lockheed Martin will continue software development for a rapid counter-measure capability that protects vehicles against incoming threats. Under the MAPS Controller Hardware contract, Lockheed Martin will develop a controller compliant with MAPS architecture and safety requirements. Lockheed Martin recently delivered several prototype controllers to TARDEC for evaluation under a previous contract.

“We are developing a controller that enables the U.S. Army to implement active protection systems that are free of the restrictions imposed by proprietary technologies,” said Paul Lemmo, vice president of Fire Control/SOF CLSS at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “Not only does the controller provide ample processing power, but its open-architecture design allows the Army to interchange sensors and self-defense systems as technology advances or new threats emerge.” 

About Lockheed Martin

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that – with the addition of Sikorsky – employs approximately 126,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.