Success Story – GEM Helps to Maintain Production

Close in Weapons Systems (CIWS) are used by the military as a last line of defense for detecting and destroying adversary short range missiles. There are two types of CIWS: gunbased systems (with rotating turrets) and missile-based systems. Examples of each are the Phalanx CIWS and the Rolling Air Frame Missile, Guided Missile Weapon System (RAM GMWS), for which Raytheon is the primary provider. These weapon systems have been in service for over twenty-five years. Maintaining legacy systems such as these means you will undoubtably encounter microcircuit obsolescence.

Raytheon encountered such an issue while trying to support a production contract for RAM GMWS. The problematic microcircuit, a generic 325 TTL High-Noise Immunity (HiNIL)
NAND, was discontinued by Microsemi. It was used on multiple circuit card assemblies which were common to both RAM GMWS and Phalanx. After exhausting residual inventory and aftermarket sources, Raytheon reached out to the GEM program for support.

The SRI team reviewed the microcircuit procurement specification (a Specification Control Drawing in this case) and determined that a similar design had already been completed,
only minor modifications to the test program would be required. Parts were ultimately manufactured utilizing one of our many standard gate base arrays (3.0 μm BiCMOS, +15V
power supply capability) we maintain in inventory.

SRI delivered parts well ahead of schedule and Raytheon was pleased with the microcircuit performance. Oscar Torres, Raytheon Systems Obsolescence Manager for RAM commented, “…SRI provided RAM the opportunity to maintain production without a costly redesign of the Circuit Card Assembly (CCA) to which this component applied. I’ll also add that the professionalism and especially SRI’s communication was excellent. You provided prompt responses to all internal and Customer questions and technical data upon request.”

To date we have delivered 359 units. Also, in addition to the Phalanx and RAM GMWS, DLA identified four other weapons systems that use this part (three applications for the Navy and one for the Army). A solution now exists should the need arise.