Portable Automated Test Station: An engineering-design partnership to replace obsolete test systems

The Air Force A-10C attack aircraft is currently experiencing obsolescence issues with its legacy support equipment. The Portable Automated Test Station Model 70 (PATS-70) replaces over a dozen pieces of obsolete and irreparable flightline support equipment. The PATS-70 is a robust, flightline qualified test set that has gone through rigorous MIL-STD-810G, and MIL-STD-416F environmental testing. While it was developed to function as maintenance support equipment for the A-10C aircraft, it has no A-10 specific components so it can be adapted for maintenance on other aircraft, platforms, or systems. This paper describes the history of the PATS-70 and discusses the advantages to using it to maintain systems throughout the Department of Defense.