Question

Application of microprocessor in aerospace

Answer 1

The age of microprocessors is upon the aerospace industry. Giant strides have been taken by the semiconductor industry in the development of microprocessors in recent days, and in so doing, they have provided us with both a challenge and an opportunity to pursue an almost unlimited number of potential applications. As one looks through the areas of business of today's aerospace company, the products almost look like a catalog of micro- processor applications, and indeed, they are. Guidance and control, missile guidance, inertial navigation, avionic systems, torpedo systems, flight controls, engine controls, sonar systems and digital test systems are certainly prime candidate areas for the application of micro- processors. This paper essentially surveys a limited number of state-of-the-art microprocessor applications within such an aerospace company, specifically, within The Bendix Corporation. Throughout this discussion, it is essential for our perspective to recall, however, that we have only just uncovered the tip of the iceberg. Remember, microprocessors have only recently been introduced into the aerospace industries' end products.