Rapid development of signal processors and the RASSP program

This paper presents two case studies of the rapid development of military signal processors and a description of how the experiences learned on these programs are being leveraged into an ARPA/Tri-Service initiative. The two case studies emphasize end-to-end system simulation and the use of rapid prototyping tools and special hardware for rapid development. Rapid Prototyping of Application Specific Signal Processors, or RASSP, is an initiative to create a new process for the development of military signal processors. The objective of RASSP is to specify a process which both reduces the development time and the cost of military signal processing systems while improving their quality and their long term supportability. RASSP processors are meant to be incrementally upgradable over long development and life cycles. While RASSP represents a significantly harder problem than the two examples described here, the lessons learned in these examples are being incorporated in the RASSP approach