Advanced Automatic Test Systems (ATS) Resources

Significant savings in system life cycle costs can be realized when common Automated Test Systems (ATS) resources are used to meet both system production and field maintenance needs. Additional cost avoidance and quality gains are the result of transferring unit under test (UUT) design data, "lessons learned" gained during manufacturing in-process and system acceptance (sell-off) testing to the maintenance test environment. This study investigates the feasibility of exploiting commercial ATS hardware and software architecture/interfaces to meet both factory and field maintenance test requirements and reduce TPS development/re-hosing costs. The study considers the utilization of commercially developed test technologies, and DoD ATS commercial equivalents integrated into an advanced software framework. The strategy for the study includes looking into the application of the draft ABBET standards and other applicable test engineering standards with a commercial (dual-use) TPS development and run-time system. A conceptual definition for a prototype system and work plan for its development and demonstration are part of the study report.