The strategic advantage of COTS defense system modifications
In today’s rapidly evolving Nordic defense landscape, defence companies and armed forces face a crucial decision when acquiring mission-critical technology: Should they purchase Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) solutions or invest in fully custom-built designs? Or the third option, leveraging modified COTS that combines the best of both worlds?
Daniel Lund, Key Account Manager explains:
“At Expando, we specialize in modifying and adapting existing systems to meet the stringent requirements of the defense and aerospace industries. This approach ensures faster deployment, lower costs and risks, and higher reliability, making us the ideal partner for modern defense applications.”
There servers are deployed for example in command and control solutions, military vehicles, surveillance, electronic warfare and sensor solutions, aircraft, naval vessels, and other mission-critical environments.”
Our proven process: Precision, Performance, and Partnership
Our structured six-step process ensures that our solutions align with our customers’ operational needs while maintaining reliability:
- Needs Analysis – Understanding mission requirements to ensure the best-fit solution.
- Requirement Validation – Assess application requirements to validate and ensure the final solution is both effective and optimized, all in a consultative approach.
- Project Consultation – Collaborating with customers to refine system capabilities.
- Product Modification – Enhancing or adapting components to meet requirements and standards.
- Solution Delivery – Ensuring seamless integration into the operational environment.
- Support and Care – Providing ongoing expertise and support for mission success.
How does Expando bridge the gap between COTS and custom designs?
While commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solutions offer fast availability, they may not meet key requirements and performance needed for specific demanding environments. On the other hand, fully customized designs provide maximum adaptability but come with long development timelines and high costs plus are harder to maintain over a long period of time.
Daniel Lund, ellaborates on how Expando offers a strategic middle ground by modifying existing COTS systems to provide the balanced option.
Why choose Expando’s modification approach?
Faster deployment
“One of the biggest challenges in defense today is speed. With increasing geopolitical tensions and rapidly changing technology landscapes, organizations can’t afford multi-year development cycles,” says Lund. “By modifying existing solutions, we drastically reduce lead times compared to fully custom systems, allowing for quicker integration and testing.”
Expando ensures that each modification is rigorously tested against the relevant standards for its intended platform, whether it is land-based, airborne, or maritime. This ensures reliability while accelerating the time from concept to deployment. Nordic defense customers change their behavior from “just in time” to “just in case” and move away from too many (country-specific) requirements. The trend is towards matching what exists with the most important requirements and then the Modified COTS approach allows the best of both worlds.
Cost efficiency
Developing a system from scratch is not only time-consuming but also expensive. “A new development project involves multiple stages, such as design, engineering, prototyping, testing, and validation. This requires significant resources and financial investment,” Lund explains. “By leveraging existing technology and adapting it to meet specific needs, we reduce R&D costs while still delivering high-performance, mission-ready solutions.”
Additionally, Expando can work with smaller volumes, unlike many suppliers who require large minimum order quantities. This flexibility allows customers to fulfil their key requirements without committing to unnecessary stock.
Built to withstand the harshest conditions
COTS products, especially those not fulfilling military specifications, may offer convenience but they often lack the resilience required for military and space environments. Expando’s solutions undergo rigorous testing to meet stringent standards, ensuring they can withstand extreme temperatures, mechanical stress, and other environmental challenges.
“We test every modified system against the exact standards required for its operational environment,” Lund notes. “This ensures that our solutions perform reliably, whether embedded in a missile system, inside an armored vehicle, or onboard a naval vessel.”
Expando also ensures compliance with key regulations such as REACH and RoHS, guaranteeing that all components meet environmental and safety standards.
Mission-specific adaptability
“Every defense and aerospace project has unique requirements,” Lund continues. “Instead of forcing a one-size-fits-all solution, we work closely with our customers to fine-tune systems, ensuring they meet operational demands without unnecessary compromises.”
At Expando, we prioritize the Form-Fit-Function (FFF) principle in our hardware solutions. By adhering to standardized dimensions and interfaces, we guarantee that our servers and components integrate smoothly. This commitment ensures that replacements or upgrades are straightforward, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible.
A smarter way forward by leveraging modified COTS
With the increasing urgency in the defense sector to accelerate deployment, enhance resilience, and optimize budgets, Expando’s modification approach provides a strategic advantage.
“Our expertise is in finding the balance and to leverage proven COTS technology while making the necessary modifications to ensure mission success,” Lund concludes. “This is how we help our partners stay ahead in an increasingly complex and high-stakes environment. Our mission is that the customers succeed in theirs.”
As defense and aerospace industries continue to evolve, Expando remains committed to delivering reliable, and mission-ready solutions through trust, expertise and simplicity, much like we have for the last 25 years.
