New Automatic Test Equipment for Marine Corps maintainers

The new Reconfigurable Transportable Consolidated Automated Support System (RTCASS) is arriving at Marine Corps air stations around the world.

“RTCASS is the newest member of the CASS family of automatic test equipment and was specifically designed to support deploying Marine Corps aviation units,” said Capt. Mike Belcher, Aviation Support Equipment Program Office (PMA-260) program manager.

RTCASS is a state-of-the-art piece of automatic test equipment that runs more than 750 weapon system boxes and circuit cards.

“It is man-transportable and the weapon system Test Program software can now be stored and sent via a single DVD, and all test programs can now be stored on the systems main computer,” said Cmdr. Bob Stailey, CASS Officer, PMA-260. “RTCASS fills that requirement. Standard CASS requires an expensive Magneto Optical Disk for each Test Program and the CASS can store only two or three test programs on its computer at a time.”

The first production RTCASS stations became operational in June, and RTCASS is now operational at Marine Air Logistics Squadron (MALS) 14 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C.; MALS-13 at MCAS Yuma, Ariz.; and MALS-26/29 at MCAS New River, N.C. The next sites to stand up will be MALS-31 at MCAS Beaufort, N.C. and MALS-12 at Iwakuni, Japan.

“The Marines needed automated test equipment to keep their aircraft and helicopters flying. The system had to be just as capable as standard CASS stations used on aircraft carriers and Navy shore stations but smaller and lighter,” said Cmdr. Bob Stailey, CASS Officer, PMA-260. “RTCASS fills that requirement.”

RTCASS supports the V-22 Osprey, AV-8B Harrier, F/A-18 Hornet, EA-6B Prowler and will soon support H-1 Huey and Super Cobra.

RTCASS will be installed at the remaining Marine Corps air stations in a phased approach through fourth quarter 2010.