DATA RECORDERS

A rugged data recorder is a high-performance data managment system designed to capture, process, store, host and secure mission-critical data in extreme environments. These systems ensure real-time and post-mission access to data, supporting defense, aerospace, intelligence, and industrial operations where failure is not an option.

Core Capabilities

• Data acquisition: Captures high-speed sensor data from electro-optical and infrared systems, radar, telemetry, electronic warfare platforms, avionics, and mission-critical communications.
• Processing and security: Can utilize NSA-approved type-1 encryption, built-in Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) architecture, AES-256, and FIPS-140-validated security to ensure data integrity and confidentiality.
• Storage and scalability: Supports modular, high-capacity NVMe and SSD storage with configurations up to 300TB or more to meet growing data demands.
• Network-enabled operations: Functions as a rugged network-attached storage system, allowing real-time data sharing and remote access across defense, aerospace, and ISR networks.
• Extreme environmental resilience: Built to MIL-STD-810G for shock, vibration, and temperature resistance and MIL-STD-461 for electromagnetic compatibility, ensuring performance in high-G, high-vibration, and extreme climate conditions.

Ampex rugged data recorders are deployed on ISR aircraft, unmanned systems, fighter jets, ground vehicles, naval platforms, and space missions, delivering real-time situational awareness and long-term mission data retention.

Commercial storage solutions cannot withstand the operational demands of aerospace, defense, and intelligence missions. Ampex rugged recorders ensure mission success by delivering real-time data acquisition, encryption, and secure storage in the most demanding environments.

• Electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) data: Captures full-motion ISR video, targeting imagery, and flight recording data.
• Radar and RF signals: Records high-frequency signals for electronic warfare, signals intelligence, and spectrum monitoring.
• Flight test and telemetry: Supports avionics diagnostics, aircraft performance monitoring, and flight safety evaluations.
• Mission system data: Stores classified and unclassified sensor fusion, navigation, and communications data.
• Predictive maintenance and AI data capture: Collects and processes high-speed diagnostics for machine learning-based predictive analytics and maintenance automation.

Ampex rugged recorders are engineered for real-time ISR, post-mission analysis, and long-term secure data retention, making them indispensable for multi-domain operations across air, land, sea, and space.

Ampex data recorders are built for classified and sensitive defense applications, ensuring mission data remains protected at all times.

• Type 1 encryption provides NSA-certified cryptographic protection for high-assurance classified data.
• Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) implements NSA-endorsed dual-layer encryption for mission-critical applications.
• FIPS-140 compliance meets U.S. government encryption standards for cryptographic security in classified and defense environments.
• Self-Encrypting Drives (SEDs) provide hardware-based encryption to secure mission data at rest, ensuring protection even if a drive is physically compromised.
• Zeroization and secure erase functions allow real-time data sanitization, cryptographic erasure, and secure declassification.

Ampex rugged recorders integrate multi-layered encryption architectures with NSA-approved security frameworks, ensuring mission data remains secure and controlled in the most sensitive operational environmentsTop of FormBottom of Form

Ampex rugged recorders function as fully integrated network-attached storage systems, offering:

• Real-time data sharing: Enables secure access across multiple users and mission platforms.
• Scalability and expansion: Supports dynamic storage upgrades without requiring hardware changes.
• Enterprise-grade cybersecurity: Implements CSfC, AES-256, and FIPS-140 encryption to protect classified mission data.
• Seamless interoperability: Designed for airborne, ground, and naval ISR platforms, ensuring smooth integration with mission command systems.

Ampex NAS-enabled recorders provide secure, high-speed, and mission-adaptive data management solutions.

Ampex rugged recorders are designed to handle high-bandwidth, multi-channel data streams across ISR, EW, flight test, and mission-critical applications. Different sensors and platforms generate data at significantly varying rates, requiring robust storage, processing, and secure data handling solutions.

Electro-Optical and Infrared (EO/IR) Video Data

• HD-SDI (1080p at 60 Hz, uncompressed) produces 1.5 Gbps per channel.
• 3G-SDI (1080p at 120 Hz, uncompressed) produces 3 Gbps per channel.
• 4K UHD-SDI video in an uncompressed format can generate up to 12 Gbps per channel.
• Multi-camera ISR payloads with multiple video feeds can exceed 10 Gbps across the platform.

Ampex recorders support real-time video recording, low-latency processing, and network distribution with dedicated video I/O and encoding options.

Electronic Warfare (EW) and Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) Data

• RF spectrum analysis at 200 MSPS with 16-bit IQ sampling produces 6.4 Gbps per channel.
• Wideband EW collection across multiple gigahertz of spectrum can generate tens to hundreds of gigabits per second.

Ampex rugged recorders are built to handle high-speed RF capture, integrating specialized RF interfaces, direct data offload capabilities, and secure storage solutions for long-duration EW and SIGINT missions.

Radar and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Data

• Raw radar returns at 10-bit depth and 20 MSPS can generate 200 Mbps per channel.
• Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging can produce multi-terabyte datasets in a single mission.

Ampex recorders support high-speed, lossless data capture for SAR imaging, multi-mode radar collection, and post-mission analysis.

Flight Test and Avionics Bus Data

• MIL-STD-1553 operates at 1 Mbps per bus.
• ARINC 429 supports speeds from 12.5 kbps to 100 kbps per channel.
• ARINC 818 (Avionics Digital Video Bus) supports data rates up to 8 Gbps.
• Ethernet-based telemetry such as iNET or TmNS can exceed 10 Gbps.

Flight test environments require high-speed, multi-bus data fusion. Ampex recorders provide modular I/O configurations and real-time data indexing to support these applications.

Mission System and ISR Sensor Fusion Data

• ISR sensor packages combining EO/IR, radar, and EW data can exceed 50 Gbps per platform.
• Multi-sensor fusion requires real-time storage and high-bandwidth networking for mission-critical data sharing.

Ampex rugged NAS solutions enable distributed ISR data access with low-latency sharing across mission networks.

Ampex rugged recorders and network storage solutions are designed to manage the massive data rates generated by modern mission systems.

• High-speed I/O and modular interfaces support multiple data formats, including 1GbE, 10GbE, 25GbE, 40GbE, and 100GbE, Fibre Channel, PCIe, sFPDP, and ARINC 818.
• Scalable storage architectures enable sustained data recording rates exceeding 100 Gbps, ensuring lossless capture of multi-channel ISR, radar, and EW data.
• Optimized for real-time processing with low-latency NAS architectures, enabling on-board analysis, real-time playback, and offload for post-mission exploitation.
• High-assurance Type 1 and CSfC encryption options protect the largest and most sensitive mission datasets, ensuring secure storage and transfer in contested environments.

For platforms collecting petabytes of ISR, EW, and flight test data, Ampex provides high-performance data recording and storage solutions that scale with mission demands.

With over 80 years of industry leadership, Ampex is the trusted provider of secure, high-performance rugged data solutions. Our recorders are deployed on the most advanced ISR, aerospace, and defense platforms, ensuring mission success in the most demanding environments.

For cutting-edge data acquisition, secure storage, and real-time intelligence processing, Ampex is the industry standard.