Alta Data Technologies and Bloomy Collaborate to De-Risk LRU and SRU Qualification Testing
Bloomy’s Hardware-In-the-Loop Technology Evolution Center incorporates Alta’s avionics bus interfaces to validate and de-risk adoption of COTS LRU/SRU test systems for aerospace and defense organizations.
Alta Data Technologies (Alta) and Bloomy Controls, Inc. (Bloomy®) announce a partnership to provide aerospace and defense organizations with test technology implementation and migration services incorporating Alta’s latest MIL-STD-1553 and ARINC 429 interfaces. The two companies have integrated these interfaces and diagnostics tools into Bloomy’s Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) Technology Evolution Center (TEC), the world’s first customer-accessible proving ground for commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) HIL test technologies. With the addition of Alta’s interfaces and tools, the HIL Technology Evolution Center enables avionics and control system suppliers to conduct proof-of-concept tests at the Center to mitigate risks associated with adopting new COTS communication bus technologies.
Bill Eccles, Bloomy’s Director of Corporate Development, says, “We started the HIL Technology Evolution Center to help aerospace and defense organizations reduce the risks and costs of migrating test assets to updated COTS technologies. The Center has been an instant success for programs undergoing a technology refresh, allowing test technology updates without suspending or risking the operation of legacy test assets. Alta’s contribution of best-in-class MIL-STD-1553 and ARINC-429 communications interfaces are key to de-risking the migration of digital mil/aero communications to COTS systems. With this crucial element in place, you can test your line-replaceable unit (LRU) and shop-replaceable unit (SRU) interfaces to prove that COTS provides a viable migration from obsolete or custom systems to systems that have wide support from the test community—including Alta’s renowned customer support.
In addition to allowing customers to test-drive mil/aero communications in an operational COTS test system with their own LRUs and SRUs, the ITAR-compliant Center also facilitates testing interoperability and integration of customer models and simulations in a secure COTS real-time environment. The environment also allows the use of commercial digital transformation-enabled toolchains, such as Bloomy’s DEFT™ (Digital Enablers for Test) product, with Bloomy’s Thread-Ready™ HIL and FLEX BMS™ Validation systems, both available for use in the Center. With the addition of Alta-enabled communications, the combination of the Thread-Ready™ HIL and the FLEX BMS™ Validation systems will provide makers of autonomous and electrified systems, such as air taxis, eVTOL vehicles, drones, robots, and unmanned underwater vehicles, with an on-demand, low-risk proving ground to test their control systems.
“Modern aerospace and defense systems demand highly-automated testing to achieve the perfection required of each component. Bloomy offers leading technology expertise with aerospace and defense automated test applications employing NI LabVIEW, VeriStand, TestStand, PXI, RIO, and SLSC to achieve efficient test automation that utilizes COTS avionics products like Alta’s. Bloomy is Alta’s preferred partner for applications that span testing modern engine controls, flight controls, line-replaceable units (LRUs), gyros, soldier-borne electronics, power and battery management systems (BMSs), autonomous systems (UxS), and systems integration labs (SILs),” states Harry Wild, VP of Sales for Alta, “and we look forward to supporting our mutual customers as they take advantage of the incredible capability that we’re both providing at Bloomy’s HIL TEC.”