$20M to Fund Test Equipment Reallocation for C-17s
Boeing subsidiary McDonnell Douglas Corp., Long Beach, CA received a $20.1 million cost-plus incentive-fee contract modification. This contract provides for the new C-17 Automatic Test Equipment distribution plan approved by HQ Air Mobility Command, which requires a reallocation to two C-17 Automatic Test Equipment stations each from McChord Air Force Base, and Charleston Air Force Base to be distributed between March ARB, Hickam Air Force Base, Dover Air Force Base, and Elmendorf Air Force Base.
The C-17 intermediate-level automatic test system (ATS) consists of:
- The C-17A Digital Analog Video (DAV) test stations
- A photometric test bench (PTB)
- The automatic test equipment (ATE) component of the ATS is a five-rack test station providing stimuli, measurement, power and switching.
- Test programs (TPs).
- Interface test adapters (ITAs)
TPs provide a set of coded instructions that control testing of Unit Under Test (UUTs) and are implemented through the use of the ATLAS IEEE 716 test language. This test software, when used with the ATE, provides end-to-end and diagnostic execution of UUT tests.
The ITAs, which interface the avionics UUT with the ATE, the TP software and the PTB are newly developed items that support UUT fault detection/fault isolation to the system replacement unit level.
At McChord Air Force and Charleston Air Force Base the test package sets and peripherals were shared among multiple stations. The C-17 Automatic Test Equipment stations that are being reallocated, however, require test package sets and other peripherals in order to provide the intermediate level of maintenance. The balance of the realignment must be funded and authorized by the Air Force in time to meet the site activation schedules of Hickam Air Force Base (approximately 21 months), thus necessitating immediate activity to meet the site activation schedule for these three MOBs.
This work will be complete by December 2007. The Headquarters Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH issued the contract (FA8614-04-C-2004, P00070).
