Automatic Test Equipment Development

Abstract

This program element (PE) provides for development and testing of general-purpose test equipment, state-of-the-art diagnostics and prognostics technologies, and software and systems to support the increasingly complex electronic components of the Army's new and upgraded weapon systems. It focuses on implementation of commercial test and diagnostic technologies across multiple weapon platforms to minimize the cost of troubleshooting and maintenance of Army equipment in the field. Funding supports modernization of the test equipment fleets by investigating technology insertions including, but not limited to condition based maintenance, instrument reduction/miniaturization, electro-optics (EO), radio frequency (RF), and other emerging technologies. Funding also supports development of initial prototypes to enable refinement of Operational Requirements and early user feedback to support future sustainment and testing capabilities required for emerging weapons platforms. Modular, reconfigurable automatic and semi-automatic systems are being developed under this program to satisfy weapon system test and diagnostics requirements. The Next Generation Automatic Test System (NGATS) provides state-of-the-art test and diagnostic capabilities to support current and future weapon systems. It is the platform for transitioning Agile Rapid Global Combat Support System (ARGCS) technologies into the Army weapon system support structure, and it will replace several aging automatic test systems (ATS) that are becoming prohibitively expensive to operate and maintain. This PE also provides for continued development and improvement of general-purpose test equipment and calibration standards with emphasis on the incorporation of digital electronics and tailoring of configurations to improve deployability, mobility and survivability of the support equipment. It includes development, demonstration and testing of calibration standards and techniques to support new Army test equipment requirements. It provides for feasibility studies, market research, inventory analyses, bid sample testing and prototyping to support acquisition of calibration systems and general-purpose test and diagnostics equipment. FY 2020 Base funding for this PE continues incremental development of the Army's standard NGATS which will improve deployability and mobility of test and diagnostic equipment. The NGATS provides state-of-the-art test and diagnostic capabilities and a means for reducing the Army's test equipment operating and support costs and the costs for supporting a number of the Army's vital warfighting systems. The FY 2020 funding will develop or significantly modify test equipment to satisfy modular force and homeland security support requirements that cannot be accommodated with test equipment currently available in the commercial marketplace such as RF and EO testing capability. It will also provide for technology insertions to modernize the Army's standard at-system tester to meet test and diagnostic requirements of the supported weapon systems, develop/redesign test program sets and hardware for support of legacy and emerging weapon systems, develop a network centric software framework for NGATS, and develop and test general-purpose test equipment and calibration standards to meet Army weapon system support requirements.

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Document Details

Document Type
R2 Budgetary Justification
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2020
Source ID
0604746A_5_2040_PB_2020
Change Summary Explanation
FY 2018 - $1.029 million Congressional reduction due to historical underexecution; FY 2019 - $1.500 million Congressional reduction due to prior year carryover.
Service Agency Name
Army

Entities

Organizations

  • United States Army

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Biomedical
  • Counter WMD
  • Electronic Warfare
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Sensors
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Acquisition
  • Application Software
  • Circuit Boards
  • Combat Support
  • Condition Based Maintenance
  • Cost Analysis
  • Department Of Defense
  • Detection
  • Detectors
  • Diagnostic Equipment
  • Emerging Technology
  • Logistics
  • Maintenance
  • Measurement
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Test Equipment

Readers

  • Aerospace Test and Evaluation
  • Military Science and Technology Research and Modernization.
  • Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Autonomous Capabilities and Mission Reconnaissance.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Microelectronics - Microelectromechanical Systems

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