Fuse used its native 3D printing capability to rapidly prototype and solve a pop-up hardware issue. This issue was identified during local flight-testing of an integrated communications pod. The Fuse hardware team designed and printed cable backshells to fix a connector orientation issue at the last minute of flight testing. The quick-thinking and skilled engineering of the team ensured that flight testing was able to continue with minimal schedule slippage.
Fuse used its native 3D printing capability to rapidly prototype and solve a pop-up hardware issue. This issue was identified during local flight-testing of an integrated communications pod. The Fuse hardware team designed and printed cable backshells to fix a connector orientation issue at the last minute of flight testing. The quick-thinking and skilled engineering of the team ensured that flight testing was able to continue with minimal schedule slippage.A big part of the Fuse culture is keeping our team of tech experts clearly focused on the warfighter. A small way of pulling our engineers into the domain of aviation is our own squadron and detachment patches. Fuse recently celebrated successes of the past year with the addition of patches to our Warfighter Wall. The wall hosts patches from the past ships, squadrons, and commands of our team, as well as those of our customers and users. To this display of insignia our team has added their own commemorative marks. Our patches are small way of celebrating the hard work of the team.
This year Fuse celebrated our ten-year anniversary. Life here in San Diego mixes the beach, with ships, aircraft, and global deployments.
Our MUDLAN team has performed exceptionally well! Together with teammates from George Mason University, Pacific Antenna Systems, First RF, Boeing, and Cubic we have been able to pull a struggling Tech Demo up to be an exceptionally successful experiment with multiple aircraft and multiple firsts.
2020 was a tough year with the impact of COVID lockdowns. We are proud of our Essential Workers at Fuse and proud of the impact our team is having on warfighting capabilities despite the lockdown.
Our T3 software has deployed to its first lifetime deployment onboard ship. It is exciting to have our Fuse systems out in the fleet.
Dr. Dell Kronewitter, Fuse Integration’s Director of Engineering, received his second Patent from the USPTO on February 16, 2021. This expansion of the Fuse Intellectual Property portfolio is a significant accomplishment for the organization and showcases Fuse’s commitment to developing advanced technologies that enhance our nation’s warfighting readiness and capabilities.
The most recent patent covers our Tactical Airborne Network Simulator (TANS) and its ability to model and experiment with GPS perturbations. The patent applies to systems level simulations with alternate position navigation and timing (APNT), perturbed geolocation, and orientation. Using this technology Fuse can analyze degradation in distributed system performance due to degraded PNT information. TANS can artificially perturb a location or orientation solution by adding error via supplied configuration. The results can be compared to the device under test receiving accurate location information. The ability to simulate perturbation of geolocation/orientation systems allows software and hardware developers to design, test, and evaluate robust networking systems.
This technology gives Fuse the ability to provide a simulation environment that can test, evaluate, and validate networking algorithms which must remain robust against perturbed orientation data. This further enables development of systems with increased immunity to GPS or other position and orientation errors.
There is direct and immediate applicability for this technology across the DoD and a range of GPS users.
https://patents.google.com/patent/US10924939B2/en?oq=US+Patent+10%2c924%2c939
The U.S. Navy added Fuse Integration’s Tactical Technologies Toolset (T3) to the Department of the Navy (DoN) Application and Database Management System (DADMS) list. DADMS is the Navy’s authoritative record of software applications approved for use in all Navy and Marine Corps software, equipment, and devices.
T3 is a remote monitoring solution for multi-domain operations providing users with an enterprise view of distributed fleet networks, systems, and an intuitive layout of radar settings and status. This advanced technology significantly enhances the capabilities of operators and decision-makers in today’s dynamic operational environment.
Such recognition and achievement for Fuse Integration further highlights the company’s long-standing commitment to the nation’s warfighters at the tactical edge.
Fuse delivered software-based automated test tools accelerating the timeline for delivering mission-critical tactical communications systems to the fleet by more than 6 months. The Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) suite of software tools verify proper manufacturing, assembly, and operation of the Navy’s Command and Control Processor (C2P) before units are sent to operational U.S. Navy ships.
Built in conjunction with PEO C4I Command and Control Program Office (PMW 150), the Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) software is designed for production contractor use while the Government Acceptance Test (GAT) is aimed at the government lab test process. This process of verification is not new; but utilizing Fuse FAT software to run through an automated series of internal tests decreases assembly/hardware defects before the system is installed in the fleet and increases system availability in fleet. FAT software makes it possible for PMW 150 to conduct origin testing and establish a direct factory-to-fleet delivery process. Due to the maturity of the FAT software, PMW 150 will be able to implement this new process a year ahead of schedule.
Fuse also released FAT software that provided continuous monitoring during 901E high impact shock and environmental tests, an important step in the operational vetting of a new machine intended for ship use. The Fuse team provided “exemplary assistance” real-time during the actual test to resolve a critical issue that would have caused this test to fail.
Fuse applied our Warfighter Focused Design Process to work with stakeholders and engineers that would be using our software to understand use-cases and requirements. This resulted in an intuitive UI that walks the tester through test setup and execution and creates detailed test reports and documentation.
It is amazing to think about the world of test and automation and how a simple software test can have such a huge impact on production and delivery timelines. Fuse looks forward to future opportunities like this!
Ten years ago this week I was sitting in the shared conference room of a San Diego apartment building drawing out ideas with the founding members of Fuse as we asked the question “what could Fuse be?” We talked about grand theories of Navy networking, and software, and how to push forward the defense technology enterprise into more innovative and user-focused realms. Three creative minds, working out how to combine our experience and expertise to take on the world!
That is a pretty common beginning of the story for entrepreneurs… and one that more often than not ends in defeat. But ten years later, with a strong and growing company built on top of an exceptional team, the Fuse story is one of success! The vision of bringing the best practices of Design Thinking to defense technology is one that has set us apart. And the TEAM of people here under our roof is what has made all the difference. Our team is a beautiful mixture of operational experience, and engineering expertise. Our operator reps, and project managers have more experience in the field than I could ever imagine; and our engineering staff has more expertise than I could try to pack into my own lifetime of learning. The camaraderie, teamwork, and shared vision here at Fuse, with ten years of hard work under our belts, is what truly makes us great.
It is exciting to sit down and write about where we are, how we got here, and where we are going. It is awe-inspiring to consider the excellence of the TEAM that keeps us moving, and it makes me so proud as I stand in front of Admirals, Generals, and captains of industry telling the story of how our products and solutions make a significant difference to the warfighters who defend our nation. Fuse is building software defined networking systems that are changing the way operators communicate, along with rugged servers for aircraft and unmanned systems. We are building software that gives operators unprecedented vision into complex systems running on remote vehicles deployed around the world. We are building technical solutions for Fighters and Command and Control aircraft that make it easy and intuitive to stay connected, to communicate, and to accomplish the mission. We got here by being passionate about our work, believing there is always a solution within reach, and caring about each other as a team.
Since 2010 we have worked through ups and downs. Like any good startup we went through periods of trying to figure out what we would do ‘when we grew up’ and adjusted our approach, our process, and our products. While at the 10 year mark I feel like we have learned a lot, I don’t think we are anywhere near the end of our evolution and learning. Our products are more refined, or processes have become more detailed and consistent; and we still have so much more to do. There are and will be more challenges, upsets, and victories to come.
Fuse is transitioning from research and development to fieldling and supporting our products. We continue to innovate and grow with a rapid-prototyping approach that is tightly connected to the user. And in the next ten years I am confident we will see deployment of our systems on a wide variety of platforms and deep into multiple markets.
It is exciting to think about what the future holds for Fuse, and it is exciting to come to work every day with a team so passionate and capable. I am proud of the first 10 years of Fuse and the incredible team that has made it possible, and I look forward to what lies ahead.
