SOC-E and Wind River Partner to Deliver TSN Solutions on VxWorks for Mission-Critical Systems

I’m excited to announce that SOC-E is partnering with Wind River to bring SOC-E’s advanced Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) solutions directly to the VxWorks® real-time operating system (RTOS).

VxWorks is the platform of choice for organizations that require deterministic performance and robust reliability. Together, VxWorks and SOC-E will enable a new generation of intelligent software-defined platforms across multiple mission-critical use cases.

Why This Partnership Matters

VxWorks is renowned for its deterministic performance, modularity, and support for complex, safety-critical applications. By integrating SOC-E’s TSN technology, organizations can deploy Ethernet networks on a proven, certifiable RTOS platform — crucial for applications in sectors such as aerospace, defense, and industrial, where timing, reliability, and security are nonnegotiable.

Key Benefits:

• Deterministic, low-latency networking: SOC-E’s TSN solutions ensure sub-microsecond synchronization and guaranteed data delivery, even in congested environments, directly addressing the stringent requirements of flight control, mission systems, and real-time cybersecurity.
• Mixed-criticality traffic management: TSN allows critical and noncritical data to coexist on the same network, with advanced scheduling and prioritization to ensure that safety-critical traffic always takes precedence.
• Reduced weight and complexity: By consolidating multiple legacy networks onto a single TSN-enabled Ethernet backbone, aircraft and vehicles can achieve up to 50% wiring reduction, translating to lower weight, improved fuel efficiency, and easier maintenance.
• Interoperability and scalability: TSN’s standards-based approach ensures seamless integration with existing infrastructure and supports future upgrades, essential for evolving defense architectures such as NATO Generic Vehicle Architecture (NGVA).

Powering Innovation Together

By providing a scalable, secure, and certifiable foundation, VxWorks and SOC-E enable aerospace and defense organizations to accelerate innovation, reduce program risk, and deploy future-ready capabilities across air, land, and space platforms. 

Our partnership powers innovations such as these:

• In aircraft avionics, VxWorks provides the deterministic real-time performance and safety certification support needed for precision flight controls, autopilot, and collision avoidance, all while enabling simplified and lighter wiring harnesses through integrated modular avionics architectures.
• For defense vehicle networks, the combination of VxWorks and SOC-E supports real-time video streaming and unified subsystem integration, which enhances situational awareness and operational effectiveness.
• In spacecraft avionics, VxWorks and SOC-E facilitate converged onboard data handling and reduce subsystem weight by streamlining system architecture, leading to more efficient and reliable missions.
• For uncrewed systems, such as drones, VxWorks delivers the synchronized communication and real-time sensor fusion required for coordinated autonomous operations, supporting advanced mission management and rapid response to dynamic environments.

Paving the Way for Next-Gen Platforms

The integration of SOC-E TSN with VxWorks is a catalyst for modular open architectures in aerospace and defense, enabling digital backbones and zonal avionics that are more efficient, scalable, and ready for stringent certifications such as DO-178C DAL A. As the TSN market is projected to expand rapidly by 2028, this partnership positions both companies — and their customers — at the forefront of innovation in high-stakes environments.

Learn more about SOC-E TSN solutions.

Learn more about VxWorks from Wind River.

By Eric Levander, Vice President, Global Alliances, Wind River