USAF Awards Multi-Million Dollar Flightline Test Contract to Marvin Test Solutions
Irvine, Calif. – December 3, 2013 – Marvin Test Solutions(formerly known as Geotest-Marvin Test Systems), a trusted provider of innovative test solutions for military and commercial aerospace organizations, today announced the United States Air Force (USAF) recently awarded the company a $5.7 million contract to provide the customized test platform for the PATS-70 flightline test set for the modernized A-10/C Thunderbolt ll. Marvin Test Solutions was selected based on the company’s expertise with flightline test solutions, and production deliveries have already begun.
The MTS-207 ultra-rugged flightline test set is a PXI-based, portable solution that Marvin Test Solutions customized in response to the requirements defined by test officials from Hill Air Force Base (AFB). It forms the basis for the new Portable Armament Test Set-70 (PATS-70) test solution for the A-10/C. A key feature of the PATS-70 flightline test solution is its ability to fully evaluate the warfighter’s upgraded digital avionics and precision weapon electronics.
“By using our mil-spec compliant commercial off the shelf, ultra-rugged chassis that is the workhorse for many of our turnkey systems and is globally deployed with over 15 nations’ militaries, we were able to partner with the USAF, allowing their test engineers to rapidly develop and qualify the system for support of the A-10/C avionics and electronics. We were able to significantly reduce the fielding time of this mission-critical test set to the A-10/C community,” said Major General Steve Sargeant, USAF (Ret.), and CEO of Marvin Test Solutions. “The new PATS-70 is a high-performance flightline test set in a portable, ultra-rugged deployable chassis, and allows the A-10/C maintenance community to fully test the critical systems of the A-10/C while minimizing logistics and simplifying operation.”
Evaluating the Best Test Solution for the A-10/C
In 2008, the A-10/A aircraft received upgraded digital avionics and was modified to be smart weapons capable, resulting in the A-10/C. The legacy PATS-30 test equipment was not updated along with the aircraft due to obsolescence. In search of an updated test solution that would provide seamless, efficient and accurate test for the new A-10/C, the USAF relied on Marvin Test Solutions’ domain expertise with flightline test.
Today, the PATS-70 solution joins the ranks of other proven Marvin Test Solutions equipment currently deployed or ready to deploy on platforms such as the F-35, F-15, F-16, F-18, TA-50, FA-50, F-5, Hawk, and UASs.
Building PATS-70 with Marvin Test Solutions' MTS-207
Marvin Test Solutions delivered a customized version of the MTS-207, A MIL-STD-810G-compliant PXI chassis equipped with 14 slots, providing the USAF the necessary flexibility to integrate additional test instrumentation into the system for future test needs. The USAF completed the PATS-70 with the addition of cables, a user interface, and test program software. The MTS-207 allowed the USAF to significantly reduce the time and cost required to field the solution to the A-10/C community.
The PATS-70 is designed to be a reliable, modern test and measurement system and is capable of evaluating multiple A-10/C’s systems, including:- Identification Friend or Foe
- Stability Augmentation System
- MIL-STD-1760 protocol buses (including MIL-STD-1553)
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About Marvin Test Solutions, Inc.
Marvin Test Solutions, a vertically integrated aerospace test and measurement company, has delivered innovative, feature-rich test solutions for factory,
flightline, intermediate-level, and depot-level applications since 1988. As a member of The Marvin Group, an award-winning aerospace company with a 50-year history
in the Defense and Commercial Aerospace industries, Marvin Test Solutions has test equipment deployed in support of most of the major defense aircraft and munitions
in use around the world. Marvin Test Solutions quickly delivers full-spectrum, successful test solutions - making test, maintenance, and sustainment of the most
mission-critical systems easier and faster.