BRAIN FC1

Mission-Grade Flight Computer

BRAIN FC1 is a mission-grade flight control computer for GNC-intensive autonomous systems, integrating high-performance real-time compute, flight control sensors, and flexible I/O into a compact avionics platform purpose-built for precision guidance, navigation and control. Its Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)-accelerated architecture delivers precise, reliable flight control where microcontroller-based systems fall short. Pre-integrated with the FLEX flight software framework, enabling programs to build on a validated GNC foundation rather than developing one from the ground up.

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GuideTech BRAIN FC1 mission-grade flight control computer circuit board

The BRAIN FC1 Difference

Built around an AMD/Xilinx Zynq System-on-Chip (SoC), combining dual-core ARM processing with FPGA fabric to deliver deterministic real-time performance for flight control, sensor processing, and vehicle interfaces.

Hardware-Level Flight Control 

FPGA fabric handles timing-critical flight control in hardware, eliminating jitter under sensor processing load. 

Mission-Grade Software Included 

FLEX flight software framework ships pre-installed, so programs can build on validated GNC foundation.

Built for Contested Environments

Onboard sensors and multi-sensor EKF fusion deliver GPS-denied navigation without additional hardware.

From Prototype to Production 

One hardware and software foundation, from prototype through scaled autonomous systems manufacturing.

Key Features

01

FPGA-Accelerated Real-Time Compute
AMD/Xilinx Zynq System-on-Chip (SoC) pairs dual-core ARM processing with FPGA fabric for deterministic flight control and sensor processing.

02

Flexible I/O Architecture
Gigabit Ethernet, 4x RS-422/RS-485, 2x CAN 2.0, and 24 general purpose I/O pins, plus I/O and host expansion headers for daughter cards and vision/AI processors.

03

Integrated Sensing

Triple-redundant MEMS IMUs, magnetometer, and barometric pressure sensor on dedicated Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) busses.

04

Production-Ready
Designed from the ground up to support high-volume manufacturing of autonomous systems.

05

Customizable Architecture
More I/O flexibility and software customization than commercially available flight controllers at a comparable price.
06
FLEX Flight Software Framework Pre-Integration
Same codebase from simulation to first flight.

Target Applications

Loitering munitions

Missiles & interceptors

Group 2–3 UAVs

Hypersonic vehicles