Air Force chooses flight-line test and measurement equipment from Marvin Test for A-10C close-air-support jet

IRVINE, Calif., 8 Dec. 2013. U.S. Air Force aircraft maintenance experts needed a flight-line test set for the Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II close-air-support combat jet. They found their solution from Marvin Test Solutions Inc. in Irvine, Calif.

The Air Force has awarded a $5.7 million contract to Marvin Test Solutions to provide the customized test platform for the PATS-70 flight-line test set for Thunderbolt II. Production deliveries have already begun, company officials say.

The MTS-207 ultra-rugged flight-line test set is a PXI-based, portable solution that Marvin Test Solutions engineers customized for flight test experts Hill Air Force Base, Utah, for the A-10C.

The MTS-207 forms the basis for the new Portable Armament Test Set-70 (PATS-70) test solution for the A-10C. The PATS-70 flight-line test set can evaluate the aircraft's upgraded digital avionics and weapons electronics.

Marvin test engineers were able to develop and qualify the MTS-207 quickly "by using our mil-spec compliant commercial off the shelf, ultra-rugged chassis that is the workhorse for many of our turnkey systems," explains retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Steve Sargeant, CEO of Marvin Test Solutions.

"The new PATS-70 is a high-performance flight-line test set in a portable, ultra-rugged deployable chassis, and allows the A-10C maintenance community to fully test the critical systems of the A-10C while minimizing logistics and simplifying operation," Sergeant says.

Marvin Test Solutions delivered a customized version of the MTS-207, A MIL-STD-810G-compliant PXI chassis equipped with 14 slots to enable the Air Force to integrate additional test instrumentation into the system for future test needs.

The Air Force completed the PATS-70 with the addition of cables, a user interface, and test program software. The MTS-207 enables the Air Force to make significant reductions in the time and cost of fielding the test set to the A-10C community, company officials say.

The PATS-70 evaluates the A-10C's systems for identification friend or foe (IFF); anti-skid; alpha mach; fuel quantity; stability augmentation system; and MIL-STD-1760 protocol buses, which include the MIL-STD-1553 databus.

For more information contact Marvin Test Solutions online at www.marvintest.com.