Textron receives A2PATS contract

Textron Systems’ Electronic Systems has received a five-year, $49 million IDIQ contract from the US Navy for its Advanced Architecture Phase Amplitude and Time Simulator (A2PATS) systems and additional upgrades, it was announced on 20 April.

The A2PATS systems and upgrades will be provided to the Electronic Combat Simulation and Evaluation Laboratory (ECSEL) - part of the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in Point Mugu, California. The contract includes on-call maintenance, supply of additional advanced simulation systems, repair and system upgrades, including replacement of newly acquired and existing systems.

A2PATS is an advanced electromagnetic environment simulator incorporating electronic warfare (EW), communications and electronic intelligence capabilities providing performance and flexibility in verifying EW systems. The open architecture simulator distributes multiple RF synthesizers in a modular and expandable system.

The upgrade will enable ECSEL to continue to develop and test current and future EW systems and capabilities for aircraft platform integration and testing. Electronic Systems' RF synthesisers are currently the only ones compatible with the navy's Electronic Warfare Systems Integration Test Environment (EW SITE) threat simulator.

Steve Mensh, senior vice president and general manager, Electronic Systems, said: ‘Electronic Systems is proud to offer a uniquely capable product to the US Navy. Our trusted RF product suite and A2PATS lead the industry with interoperable, customisable and powerful test and EW simulation support from the lab to the flight line and the range.

‘This speaks to its flexibility, simulation power and ease of use. Stringent and demanding test scenarios are met with fast and reliable results providing mission-readiness and confidence to crews in their critical systems.’

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A2PATS