Curtiss-Wright unveils rugged, full-stack hybrid cloud solution for tactical edge

Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions division, a developer and supplier of advanced Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) communications solutions for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), has collaborated with Nutanix to certify the Nutanix Cloud Platform™ (NCP) solution on the PacStar Modular Data Center (MDC), Curtiss-Wright’s COTS-based, modular, tactical, and expeditionary rugged data center. The use of these interoperability tested technologies creates a combined solution that is capable of hosting cloud/storage, AI, and analytics applications. It enables warfighters to deploy data center-class computing and storage at the edge of tactical networks and rapidly set up a secure communications system in the field – within hours instead of days. With support for the Nutanix Cloud Platform, a PacStar MDC-NR system can cluster together multiple PacStar servers, enabling shared compute and storage resources to run virtual machines (VM) and hypervisor containers. “Nutanix offers powerful tools for hybrid-cloud infrastructure and the robust data protection required for tactical operational environments,” said Dominic Perez, CTO, Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions division. “When combined with the PacStar Modular Data Center, Nutanix Cloud Platform creates a powerful, transportable data center for the warfighter. We are excited to collaborate with Nutanix to host their powerful NutanixCloud Platform on our industry-leading PacStar MDC at the tactical edge of the battlefield.” “We are proud to partner with Curtiss-Wright to provide a rugged, integrated solution to support in-theatre communications, CSfC, C5ISR/EW and other mission-critical applications and data vital to mission success,” said Chip George, Vice President, Public Sector at Nutanix. “Like the PacStar MDC, Nutanix ® software is hardened and secure upon delivery , reducing the burden of IT administrators, so that they can focus on the mission at hand. Especially for austere environments, the simplicity and ease of use of our software means that warfighters can easily deploy and manage this system without needing specialised technical training.” This Curtiss-Wright/Nutanix solution provides a common cloud platform and user experience, whether at the tactical edge or the HQ datacenter. Ideal for JADC2 enablement, the PacStar MDC-NR brings the Nutanix hybrid-cloud model to the tactical edge of the battlefield to integrate with leading cloud providers, such as Amazon Web Services Inc., Google Support Services LLC, Microsoft Corporation, and Oracle, all of which were recently selected by the Department of Defense (DoD) to support its Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability (JWCC). Nutanix is the only HCI-provider included on the Department of Defense Information Network Approved Products List (DoDIN APL), having passed DISA’s rigorous security and interoperability testing. PacStar MDC-NR meets size, weight and power (SWaP) requirements unmatched by other COTS appliances of its type, which is ideal for defence, education, energy, first responder, and healthcare organisations. It brings NCP to the tactical edge, enabling customers to forward deploy/replicate cloud services and provide edge access to enterprise cloud systems. PacStar MDC-NR enables users to leverage the power of cloud computing in the battlefield to support applications such as video storage and analytics, intelligence analytics, and cybersecurity. PacStar MDC-NR can be used to host and store enterprise or tactical applications, and it delivers the high-performance compute power (Intel Xeon-D processing in 8-core, 12-core, and 16-core variants) demanded by AI and ML applications. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Kym Bergmann at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Director of Sales Graham Joss at [email protected]