What Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions does

Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions is the defense-focused division of Curtiss-Wright Corporation (NYSE: CW), a publicly traded, diversified industrial company founded in 1929. The division supplies rugged, safety-certifiable embedded computing, networking and communications, flight test and monitoring, motion control, and storage solutions for air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace defense and aerospace platforms. Its portfolio is structured around the Modular Open System Approach (MOSA), with leadership across open standards including SOSA, CMOSS, VICTORY, FACE, MORA, A-PNT, and GVA, and includes safety-certifiable COTS computing cards designed for DO-178C and DO-254 DAL A airworthiness objectives. Core product families span OpenVPX and VME processor cards, FPGA and sensor-processing modules, Fabric100 100 GbE cards, GPU/graphics/video cards, networking and I/O cards, the PacStar tactical communications line (including the PacStar 424 5G gateway, PacStar 455 storage server, and PacStar 451 Cisco NFVIS-certified server), TCG LinkPRO tactical data link software with CESMO electronic-warfare integration, TTC/Axon/Acra KAM-500 flight test data acquisition systems, IQ-Core network-management software, 901D MIL-SPEC enclosures, and Penny + Giles motion control subsystems. The division also offers Total LifeCycle Management (TLCM), system integration, environmental/EMI/EMC testing, and program management services from 17 manufacturing facilities in the USA, Canada, Switzerland, and the UK.

The business model is enterprise field sales to defense primes and government agencies, with quote-based pricing negotiated through RFQ/RFP processes and multi-year contracts. Revenue is generated primarily through hardware sales of rugged processing modules, networking equipment, flight test instrumentation, recorders, and motion control hardware, supplemented by software licensing (IQ-Core, LinkPRO, PGS), engineering and integration services, and lifecycle support. Go-to-market is direct, leveraging retained sub-brands (PacStar, TTC, Acra, TCG, 901D, LinkPRO) and channel relationships with major primes (Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon). Named anchor programs include a Boeing subcontract for mission computing systems supporting the C-17 Globemaster III digital cockpit overhaul, estimated at over $400 million in lifetime value to sustain a 275-aircraft fleet until at least 2075, as well as U.S. Army CMOSS Mounted Form Factor prototypes and U.S. Air Force sustainment programs.

Recent strategic activity in late 2025 and 2026 underscores a shift toward safety-certifiable avionics and tactical-edge communications: the December 2025 Boeing C-17 win, a January 2026 joint platform with Green Hills Software (V3-1222 plus INTEGRITY-178 tuMP RTOS), and 2026 product launches of the V3-1223 avionics module, PacStar 424 5G gateway, PacStar 455 storage server upgrade, Mission-Ready Continuous Monitoring System, and CESMO LinkPRO integration point to a sustained R&D cadence aligned with DoD priorities in MOSA, DDIL communications, and tactical AI.

Name

Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions

Legal name

Curtiss-Wright Corporation

Website

https://curtisswrightds.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions is the defense division of Curtiss-Wright Corporation (NYSE: CW), supplying rugged, MOSA-compliant embedded computing, tactical communications, flight test instrumentation, and motion control hardware and software to defense primes, the U.S. DoD, and allied aerospace customers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defense Embedded Computing & Avionics

NAICS

Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)

SIC

Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)

akta.pro primary industry

Defense Software, Mission Applications & Open Architecture (MOSA) Systems (IMABAOAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Military Avionics, Mission Computers & Flight Controls (IMABAMAE), Avionics Software, Certification & Safety-Critical Systems (DO-178/DO-254) (IMABAFAK)

Keywords

• Rugged embedded computing
• Defense electronics systems
• Military avionics computing
• Tactical communications equipment
• Flight test instrumentation

Headquarters

HQ city

Ashburn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Embedded Computing Hardware: Sales of rugged processor cards, FPGA modules, GPU cards, networking switches, I/O modules, and storage solutions for defense, aerospace, and industrial applications. Products include 3U/6U VPX SBCs, VME processor cards, XMC mezzanine modules, and safety-certifiable COTS cards. Revenue from direct sales to defense primes and government customers.
2. Flight Test & Monitoring Systems: Data acquisition systems, flight recorders, telemetry systems, ground station systems, cameras, air data computers, and space data acquisition solutions. Includes TTC, Axon, and Acra KAM-500 product lines.
3. Motion Control Solutions: Turret drive stabilization systems, ammunition handling systems, electromechanical actuation, motion controllers, and industrial systems including high viscosity pumping and train tilting systems.
4. Networking & Communications: Rugged small form factor networking systems, edge compute and communications solutions, tactical data link processing, commercial solutions for classified (CSfC), and tactical networking equipment including switches and routers.
5. Software Solutions: IQ-Core software suite for tactical networking, tactical data link software (LinkPRO), flight test software, PGS replay and analysis software, and graphics software suite.
6. System Integration & Engineering Services: Comprehensive engineering services including electrical/mechanical/software/systems engineering, integration and test, environmental/EMI/EMC testing, rapid prototyping, modified COTS, and OTA projects.
7. Manufacturing Services: Global manufacturing across 17 facilities in USA, Canada, Switzerland, and UK, providing responsive, flexible, reliable, and quality manufacturing to meet regional content requirements.
8. Program Management & Lifecycle Support: Total LifeCycle Management (TLCM) services including dedicated program organization, earned value management, flight test program management, risk management, and lifecycle sustainment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions designs, manufactures, and supports rugged, safety-certifiable embedded computing modules, tactical communications and networking systems, flight test data acquisition and recording solutions, motion control and stabilization systems, and MIL-SPEC enclosures for air, ground, naval, and space defense platforms. The portfolio is built around a Modular Open System Approach (MOSA) using SOSA, CMOSS, VICTORY, and FACE open standards, and is delivered alongside engineering, integration, manufacturing, and Total LifeCycle Management services to defense primes and government agencies.

Product overview

Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions offers a broad portfolio of rugged, mission-critical solutions organized into embedded computing, networking and communications, flight test and monitoring, systems, enclosures and consoles, storage and recording, motion control, and software categories. The portfolio is structured around a Modular Open Standard Approach (MOSA) — built on open standards including SOSA (Sensor Open Systems Architecture), CMOSS (C5ISR/EW Modular Open Suite of Standards), VICTORY, FACE, and VPX — enabling interoperability across defense platforms. The core embedded computing product line spans VPX processor cards (3U and 6U), VME processor cards, XMC mezzanine modules, FPGA and sensor processor cards, Fabric100 100 GbE cards, GPU/graphics/video cards, networking cards, I/O cards, storage blade cards, and SOSA-aligned OpenVPX cards. Complementary product lines include safety-certifiable COTS cards for DO-254 avionics, tactical edge communications via the PacStar family (including PacStar 451, 424, and 455), tactical data link processing including TCG LinkPRO, flight test data acquisition systems (TTC, Axon, Acra KAM-500), mission computer systems, rugged 901D enclosures and consoles, network-attached storage and flight recorders, motion control solutions (aiming, stabilization, actuation), and software including the IQ-Core software suite, PGS replay software, and Graphics Software Suite. The V3-1223 and V3-1222 represent the latest generation of safety-certifiable avionics computing modules, while PacStar 424 (5G gateway) and PacStar 455 (tactical data storage server) extend the tactical communications and storage portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PacStar: Tactical communications and networking solutions for defense applications, including the PacStar 400 series tactical gateways and routers
• TTC (Teletronics Technology Corp.)
• Acra
• IQ-Core
• LinkPRO
• PGS
• 901D

Products and services

• V3-1223 Safety-Certifiable Avionics Computing Module Rugged, safety-certifiable high-performance avionics computing module delivering DAL A certifiable processing while simplifying program-specific interfaces, designed for modern aircraft mission systems and platform upgrades.
• V3-1222 3U VPX Processing Module SOSA-aligned 3U VPX processing module serving as the hardware foundation for safety-critical avionics platforms, combining with Green Hills Software's INTEGRITY-178 tuMP RTOS for DAL A certification targets.
• VPX Processor Cards OpenVPX SBC and DSP modules available in 3U and 6U form factors based on Intel, NXP Power Architecture, and Arm processors for mission-critical aerospace and defense embedded computing.
• FPGA & Sensor Processor Cards Adaptive SoC/FPGA and sensor processing cards for the most demanding HPEC systems, including VPX and XMC mezzanine form factors.
• Fabric100 100 GbE Cards 100 Gigabit Ethernet fabric cards enabling high-bandwidth connectivity for defense embedded computing platforms.
• SOSA Aligned OpenVPX Cards OpenVPX cards aligned to the Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA) standard, available in both 3U and 6U form factors for interoperability among defense sensor systems.
• Safety-Certifiable COTS Cards Commercial off-the-shelf computing cards designed for DO-254 safety-certifiable avionics, speeding time-to-market for airworthiness-compliant systems.
• Networking Cards (VPX/VME/XMC/PC104) VPX switches and routers, VME and mezzanine networking cards, and PC104 networking modules providing wire-speed Gigabit and 10G Ethernet connectivity for rugged defense environments.
• Mission Computer Systems Modular open system approach (MOSA) systems including 3U VPX systems, 6U VPX and VME systems, mission computers, communications solutions, and program-specific systems.
• PacStar Tactical Communications Solutions Small form factor (SFF) and ultra-small form factor (USFF) rugged networking systems including switch/routers, integrated communications modules, and IQ-Core software for tactical warfighter communications.
• PacStar 455 Tactical Data Storage Server Enhanced rugged storage platform for tactical edge applications delivering up to five times faster data throughput and four times the storage capacity for data-intensive edge operations.
• TCG LinkPRO Tactical Data Link Software Tactical data link software platform with integrated CESMO support for near-real-time electronic warfare signal detection, identification, and data sharing across U.S. and NATO networks.
• TTC Data Acquisition Systems Miniature data acquisition systems, CDAU and nDAU systems for flight test instrumentation on military and commercial aircraft.
• Axon Data Acquisition Systems High-performance data acquisition systems for aerospace flight test and monitoring applications.
• Acra KAM-500 Data Acquisition Systems Modular data acquisition systems for flight test and monitoring across the defense and aerospace sectors.
• 901D Rugged Enclosures & Consoles Mission-driven custom rugged enclosures, modular semi-custom enclosures, consoles and workstations, and standard 19-inch EIA heavy and medium-duty enclosures designed, analyzed, manufactured, integrated, and qualified tested to MIL-SPEC.
• Network Attached Storage & Flight Recorders Innovative network-attached storage, crash-protected flight data recorders, direct-attached storage modules and drives, including encrypted solutions for mission-critical data.
• Motion Control Solutions Modular stabilization and motion control solutions including aiming and stabilization (rotary and linear gear drives, hand controllers, gyroscopes), ammunition handling systems, electromechanical actuation, and motion controllers for military and industrial applications.
• IQ-Core Software Suite Software suite for setup and management of tactical networks, tactical data links, flight test systems and motion control systems, including NCM, CM, EUDM, CMM, ECA, and ROAM modules.
• PGS Replay and Analysis Software Software enabling rapid and clear interpretation of flight data and limits exceeded for flight test analysis.

Quantifiable outcome

• C-17 Globemaster III fleet sustainment until at least 2075 through mission computing upgrades
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Green Hills SoftwarecoreTechnology or Integration · 20 January 2026Joint development of COTS computing platform for safety-critical avionics combining Curtiss-Wright's SOSA-aligned V3-1222 3U VPX processing module with Green Hills Software's FACE-certified INTEGRITY-178 tuMP real-time operating system. Platform designed to reduce integration risk and accelerate development timelines for programs with stringent airworthiness requirements in defense and commercial aviation applications.
• BoeingflagshipTechnology or Integration · 1 December 2025Curtiss-Wright provides mission computing systems under a subcontract with Boeing for the C-17 Globemaster III digital cockpit overhaul program. The upgrade replaces legacy avionics with Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA) due to projected spares shortages. Estimated lifetime value exceeds $400 million, with the upgrade sustaining the 275-aircraft fleet until at least 2075.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• L3Harris Technologies: Large diversified defense prime with embedded computing, avionics, and tactical communications across multiple domains. Overlaps with Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions in mission computing and tactical networking but operates at significantly greater scale and broader scope.
• Northrop Grumman: Major US defense prime with mission systems, C4ISR, and avionics that compete with and source from Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions modules. Relevant both as a customer channel and as an in-house alternative for embedded mission computing.
• General Dynamics Mission Systems: US defense prime business unit supplying tactical computing, networking, and C4ISR systems. Overlaps with Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions in rugged computing for naval, ground, and airborne platforms and represents both a customer and competitive threat.
• BAE Systems: Global defense prime with electronic systems, mission computing, and integrated avionics across air, land, and naval domains. Comparable in serving defense customers requiring rugged, certifiable computing and communications, though much broader in portfolio.
• Elbit Systems: Israeli defense electronics house with embedded computing, avionics, and tactical communications. Comparable as an international competitor in MOSA-style architectures and rugged defense computing, especially for allied and NATO programs.

Direct peers

• Kontron: European-headquartered embedded computing and rugged systems provider serving defense, transportation, and industrial markets. Overlaps with Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions in VPX/embedded boards and provides a competing route for defense primes seeking non-US suppliers.
• Pixus Technologies: Supplier of rugged VPX/OpenVPX chassis, backplanes, and enclosures used alongside embedded computing boards. Comparable as a component-level supplier into the same defense programs Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions targets with its enclosure and computing lines.
• Crystal Group: Manufacturer of rugged servers, workstations, and networking equipment for military, aerospace, and industrial applications. Closely comparable to Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions' rugged computing portfolio for deployed and tactical environments.
• Mercury Systems: Direct competitor in rugged defense embedded computing, offering mission-critical processing, RF and microwave subsystems for aerospace and defense platforms. Highly comparable in MOSA-aligned VPX/SOSA product lines and target defense prime customer base.
• Abaco Systems (Ametek): Provider of rugged embedded computing solutions for defense, aerospace, and industrial applications, now part of Ametek. Direct overlap with Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions' VPX, VME, and XMC product lines serving similar mission computing customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/curtisswrightds

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions