Lessons learned in implementing a net-centric diagnostic solution for the F/A-18 maintenance environment

The AN/USM-681 Electro-Optics Pallet/Pod Tester (EOPT) system has been the main on-aircraft support equipment (SE) item used to test and troubleshoot the AN/ASD-10 Advanced Tactical Aerial Reconnaissance System (ATARS), the AN/ASD-12 Shared Reconnaissance Pod (SHARP), and the AN/ASQ-228 Advanced Targeting Forward Looking Infrared (ATFLIR) Pod. Because most of the technologies used by the EOPT are now obsolete, an SE item was needed to replace the EOPT system. As previously reported, developing a replacement for the EOPT was an opportunity to implement net-centric diagnostics within the F/A-18 automated maintenance environment (AME). This paper describes the second year of a two-year Technology Transition Initiative (TTI) in which the goals were to redesign the tester hardware to mitigate obsolescence by leveraging Local Area Network eXtensions for Instrumentation (LXI) technology, and to design a net-centric diagnostics framework (NCDF) to enable the bi-directional exchange of test data and maintenance data for smarter testing in both the on-aircraft and off-aircraft maintenance environments. This paper will focus on the practical realities of implementing a net-centric diagnostic solution in today's Navy/Marine Corps maintenance environment. This includes a report of the results of first article testing (FAT) as well as descriptions of the numerous design challenges, configuration management challenges, network challenges, and security challenges that were overcome, and those yet to be overcome, in order to move this technology from a working prototype to a fielded piece of support equipment.