The future of defense is software defined. From mission-critical avionics to autonomous platforms, tomorrow’s systems must integrate AI and machine learning (ML) at the edge, enable Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN), and deliver new capabilities at the speed of relevance — all while staying secure, reliable, and supportable for the long term.

That’s no small task. Defense programs must balance innovation and assurance. They must modernize existing platforms while preparing for tomorrow.

That’s where Wind River comes in.

The Modernisation Imperative

Defense organizations are under increasing pressure.

New demands on system performance: AI/ML-driven decision-making, sensor fusion, and autonomy all require powerful, reliable edge compute. This is fueled by the availability of more powerful, less expensive embedded systems processors.

Adoption of modular systems design: Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA), mandated by the U.S. Department of Defense, is a technical and business strategy for designing affordable and adaptable systems. MOSA permits major system components to be replaced throughout the platform lifecycle. It enhances competition, innovation, and cost reduction. While there is no direct European mandate for MOSA, the European defense sector is exploring and adopting open standards to foster interoperability and to reduce reliance on single vendors.

Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) is a key MOSA enabler. The evolving set of standards enables high-priority data to be distributed between system modules using Ethernet connectivity. It permits deterministic system performance in circumstances in which reaction times must remain within a tightly defined time window, every time — and thus it is critical for command and control (C2); intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR); and weapons systems.

Size, weight, and power (SWaP) reduction: Meeting the demands on system performance and modularity means fewer system components, SWaP reduction, and inherent development and operational cost savings.

Distributed private cloud adoption: Organizations that need information superiority seek real-time data access, enhanced collaboration, and integration of technologies including AI/ML. They require secure, scalable cloud environments to handle sensitive military data and advanced applications in disconnected environments.

Cybersecurity: Attack surfaces demand continuous patching, visibility into software bills of materials (SBOMs), and secure supply chains.

Mission longevity: Because these platforms remain in service for decades, organizations must plan on creating sustainment and upgrades.

The future force relies on meeting all these challenges head on.

Wind River: Mission-Critical Assurance

Wind River has built on a legacy as the leading supplier of embedded operating systems to the aerospace and defense (A&D) industry by adding edge-to-cloud capabilities and DevSecOps tooling to our product portfolio. Our products help defense organizations cost-effectively modernize, add capabilities, and maintain control across the entire cloud-to-edge landscape.

Experts in Linux at the Edge

Our Linux products offer long-term, reliable lifecycle support and maintenance and built-in security compliance to reduce risk in mission-critical deployments.

Wind River® Linux LTS: Get long-term support for specialized embedded hardware. Build robust, reliable, high-performance, secure Yocto Linux–based systems for highly regulated environments.

eLxr Pro™: Enterprise-grade Linux built for the edge. Based on Debian and engineered for long-term defense sustainment, the operating system delivers edge-optimized performance while maintaining upstream-first, vendor-neutral open source freedom.

When 99.9999% Isn’t Enough

Turn to the world’s most trusted real-time operating system (RTOS). Spanning billions of devices, from space missions to fighter jets, VxWorks ® delivers unmatched dependability for the most demanding mission-critical use cases.

VxWorks is the cornerstone of Wind River’s aerospace and defense incumbency. It has provided software developers with the foundation for deterministic system performance for more than four decades. Recent innovations include natively supported TSN, libraries for AI/ML integration, and containerization for ease of deployment. Naturally, it supports popular programming languages and tooling. Added to this is DO-178C DAL A certification and evidence (among other certifications). 

By pairing VxWorks for the most critical functions with eLxr Pro for enterprise-grade edge compute, or with Wind River Linux for specialized edge deployment, defense programs can gain real-time performance and flexible modernization paths.

Beyond Operating Systems

Wind River has additional tools to benefit A&D organizations:

  • Wind River Studio Developer helps embedded system developers develop, test, manage, and monitor software. These speed the delivery of advanced capabilities while preserving cyber assurance and resilience at scale.
  • Intel® Simics® offers high-fidelity simulation and digital twinning.

Effective SWaP Reduction

Wind River Helix™ Virtualization Platform, our hypervisor, takes full advantage of powerful silicon, enabling safety-critical and nonsafety-critical functions to run in virtual machines (VMs). Doing so safely isolates applications and legacy software so they can be reused on a new platform.

As a true Type 1 (bare metal) hypervisor, Helix Platform interacts directly with the underlying hardware to maximize performance and security and scales across multiple processor cores. It comes prepackaged with VxWorks and Wind River Linux and is certified to DO-178C DAL A, so your teams can get moving faster.

Helix Platform aligns with ARINC, MOSA, FACE™, VirtIO, POSIX ®, and other standards, ensuring interoperability and futureproofing for advanced systems.

The Cloud for Fleet-Scale Operations

Wind River Cloud Platform is the path forward. Defense organizations need to deploy, manage, and sustain software across entire fleets. Cloud Platform provides orchestration and operational layers with signed artifacts, automated policy enforcement, and compliance built in. Workloads are managed seamlessly across private clouds, garrison, and contested edge environments with a consistent, distributed architecture.

Deploy updates with confidence using phased strategies designed for low-bandwidth or disconnected operations.

Partnering for the Long Haul

We don’t just deliver software. We partner with defense programs throughout the lifecycle:

  • Mission-aligned: Collaborative architecture planning and accreditation support ensure that platforms meet operational and security requirements from day one.
  • Security and resilience: Our products are built using the Wind River Secure Development Lifecycle, which aligns with NIST SP 800-218 and key elements of the Cyber Resilience Act.
  • Lifecycle partnership: We integrate and tune mission workloads across RTOS and general-purpose OS (GPOS) while providing sustainment, training, and 24/7 support to keep systems mission-ready.

Ready Today for Future Force

Defense programs need platforms that combine real-time assurance, enterprise-grade Linux, and fleet-scale orchestration. They must support AI/ML at the edge, enable mission-critical performance with TSN, and operate seamlessly across cloudto-edge environments.

The Wind River portfolio delivers the technologies that let defense organizations modernize today while preparing for tomorrow — ensuring that systems remain secure, agile, and mission-ready for decades to come.

Talk to our Sales team: windriver.com/contact

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