Virtual test station (VTS)

In the past few years the Wright Laboratory, Avionics Logistics Branch (WL/AAAF) has been conducting research to reduce development and support costs while improving the capability of simulators used to test and debug avionics software. The result was the Advanced Multi-Purpose Support Environment (AMPSE). The development and evolution of the AMPSE brought true modularity and reconfigurability to the world of avionics integration support facilities (ISFs). While AMPSE technology reduced the cost of an ISF by almost an order of magnitude over previous systems, the explosive proliferation of embedded computers and software in new aircraft coming into the Air Force inventory will necessitate even greater cost reductions in the next generation of ISF technologies. To address this need, WL/AAAF and SAIC have undertaken the development of the Virtual Test Station (VTS). The VTS will automate the configuration of ISF resources to meet the changing needs of avionics engineers and testers as their avionics software progresses through each of the development stages from static unit testing to full dynamic integration testing. This paper presents the details of the VTS concept