Thunderbolt

Marvin Test Solutions has handed over the last Portable Armament Test Set-70 (PATS-70) flightline test set to the US Air Force (USAF) in support of the latter’s upgraded A-10/C Thunderbolt ll aircraft.

The successful on-time and on-cost shipment of the 85th PATS-70 to Hill Air Force Base (AFB), Utah, completes the $5.7m contract awarded by the air force to the company in December 2013.

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Marvin Test Solutions CEO and USAF major general Steve Sargeant said the new PATS-70 test set addresses the USAF’s requirement for ultra-rugged, high-performance flightline avionics testing by utilising the power of the company’s mil-spec compliant, commercial-off-the-shelf MTS-207 chassis.

"Today, the PATS-70 solution joins the long list of innovative Marvin Test Solutions equipment currently deployed or ready to deploy from the factory and flightline to the depot on multiple platforms including the F-35, F-15, F-16, F-18, TA-50, FA-50, F-5, Hawk and UASs," Sargeant said.

Developed in collaboration with Hill AFB test engineers, the PATS-70 is an efficient, easy-to-use test set for qualification of the newly digitised avionics and upgraded precision weapon electronics used on the A-10C aircraft.

"The USAF has also deployed the first PATS-70 system to support the 122nd Fighter Wing based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, US."

The system can test an array of A-10/C systems, including identification friend-or-foe, anti-skid, alpha mach, fuel quantity stability augmentation system, and MIL-STD-1760 protocol buses, including MIL-STD-1553.

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The PATS-70 features a customised version of the MTS-207 portable flightline platform, whose open architecture enables the test set to accommodate additional test instrumentation as future test needs evolve for the A-10/C or even other aircraft.

Having completed the PATS-70 through addition of cables, test instrumentation, a user interface, and test programme software, the USAF has also deployed the first PATS-70 system to support the 122nd Fighter Wing based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, US.

The A-10/C is a modified variant of the A-10/A aircraft, featuring upgraded avionics, and carry smart weapons.

Image: A USAF’s A-10/A Thunderbolt ll aircraft over Afghanistan. Photo: courtesy of USAF Master Sgt. William Greer.

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