System integration battlefield: Test set delivered to Lockheed Martin

Rocket launchers are tested faster and more easily thanks to a recently upgraded test system from a system integrator. How could this help your systems?

By Control Engineering Staff April 3, 2008

Plano, TX – Rocket launchers are tested faster and more easily thanks to a recently upgraded test system. G Systems delivered a new Console and Simulation Unit (CSU) to Lockheed Martin. The test instrument is said to be used for U.S. Army rocket launchers in theaters of operation, according to G Systems , a system integrator specializing in test and measurement, data acquisition, and control systems.
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control awarded the contract to G Systems for design, development, integration, test, and manufacture of an automated test instrument to replace manually operated test instrumentation, described as labor intensive. The new CSU is portable, rugged and passed rigorous military specified shock, vibration, and temperature testing in accordance with MIL-PRF-28800F.
CSU is a component of the U.S. Army’s Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) Soldier-portable Test Program Set (MST). MST is a test system used to field test individual Line Replaceable Units (LRUs) of the MLRS system without requiring installation into the entire system. CSU provides the input power, loads, and communication paths for each LRU to be tested. The new CSU automates all switching functions by using only two digital outputs to control an I2C 2-wire digital serial interface and allows the test controller to interface with the CSU to ensure proper test configurations.
“The new system automates the relay switching and automatically logs test results thereby reducing test time and improving test accuracy by eliminating error-prone manual tasks,” says Russell Blake, G Systems’ senior engineer. During development phase, G Systems worked closely with Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control engineering to achieve project goals. Test times improved by a factor of five. The new system is scheduled for deployment to theaters of operation.
Learn more about G Systems in the Automation Integrator Guide online .
– Edited by Mark T. Hoske , editor in chief
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