Project Overview

Project Objective

The primary purpose of Intermediate Level (I-Level) Test Equipment is to provide accurate and efficient maintenance, fault diagnosis, and repair of complex electronic systems, such as ACMI PODs at the organizational or field maintenance level. These systems are designed to:

  • Detect and isolate faults in subsystems or components before sending them to depot-level maintenance.
  • Support rapid troubleshooting and part replacement, minimizing downtime and mission delays.
  • Verify and recalibrate system functionality to ensure readiness and compliance with performance standards.
  • Reduce logistics costs by enabling in-field repairs and minimizing unnecessary returns to higher maintenance levels.
  • Enhance mission readiness by ensuring equipment is operational and reliable between deployments or training missions.
  • In short, I-Level test equipment bridges the gap between line maintenance and depot-level repairs, delivering timely and cost-effective support to sustain operational performance.

Target Platform and Industry

  • Air forces and military aviation units
  • Aircraft Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) centers
  • Defense contractors and system integrators
  • Aerospace test and training centers
  • Government defense agencies

Scope and Functionality

The I-Level Test Equipment Project is designed to support intermediate-level maintenance operations for complex avionics systems—primarily the ACMI POD (Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation) used in military aviation.

What Does It Do?

  • Fault diagnosis: detects and identifies failures within ACMI PODs removed from the aircraft, focusing on electronics, communication modules, and sensor components.
  • Component-level repair support: pinpoints defective boards or submodules and assists in their repair or replacement.
  • Functional testing: performs full system checks to verify proper operation after maintenance or repair.
  • Calibration and verification: ensures measurement accuracy and data integrity through calibration of key subsystems.

What Does It Work On?

  • ACMI POD systems: pods used in air combat training to collect and transmit flight data.
  • Electronic boards and subsystems: internal components such as data processing units, power management, and interface modules.
  • Communication interfaces and RF components: hardware responsible for real-time data exchange between the aircraft and ground station.

Technical Specifications

System Capabilities

  • Integrates the complete avionics suite of a civilian fixed-wing aircraft in a laboratory environment to validate system-level interoperability prior to flight.

  • Injects a wide variety of electrical faults on any I/O channel to validate the unit's safety-critical responses.
  • Supports full simulation and monitoring of avionics buses, including MIL-STD-1553B, for BC (Bus Controller), RT (Remote Terminal) and BM (Bus Monitor)
  • Supports simulation and monitoring of serial interfaces, including RS-422 and RS-485, for data communication and control signal validation.
  • Provides signal simulation and measurement for analog inputs, discrete I/O, and serial communications with precise electrical timing and level control.
  • Supports synchronization and timing tests via 1PPS (One Pulse Per Second) signals to ensure time-aligned system behavior.
  • Interfaces with Ethernet-based avionics networks using integrated network switches to simulate data flow, monitor traffic, and verify deterministic performance.
  • Conditions all I/O to precisely match the electrical characteristics of the real aircraft.
  • Features a mass interconnect interface for fast, reliable, and repeatable connections to the unit under test (UUT).
  • Provides an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) for test automation, monitoring, and analysis.
  • Indoor GPS and GNSS Capability via State of Art GPS Repeater
  • High Performance LRU (Line Replaceable Unit) Level Testing

Standards, Protocols, and Compatibility

  • Ethernet (TCP/IP and UDP)

  • 1 PPS (Pulse Per Second)
  • MIL-STD-1553B (MUX BUS)
  • RS-232/422/485
  • GPS (Global Positioning System)
  • GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems)
  • INS (Inertial Navigation System)

DEICO Modules Used

  • Ethernet controlled

    modules (DE2001, DE2101, DE2102)

  • MIL-STD-1553 bus coupler (DE8208)
  • PDU

Project Value and Impact

Why This Project Matters

The I-Level Test Equipment Project plays a critical role in enhancing the efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and operational readiness of maintenance processes in military aviation. It enables fast and accurate testing and repair of complex electronic systems such as ACMI PODs at the intermediate maintenance level.

Customer and Industry Benefits

  • Increases mission continuity: rapid fault diagnosis and repair help ensure that training and operational missions continue without interruption.
  • Reduces maintenance costs: by allowing in-field repairs, it minimizes the need to send systems to depot-level facilities, saving time and logistics costs.
  • Enhances operational readiness: ensures that critical systems are tested and fully functional before missions, improving safety and preparedness.
  • Ensures compliance and sustainability: designed in accordance with military standards such as MIL-STD-1553, the system supports long-term, standardized, and reliable maintenance operations.

Table of Content

System Features & Capabilities

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