AH-64A Production Line Automatic Test Equipment

The AH-64A Apache is the most complex and highly integrated helicopter weapons/avionics system to ever enter production. Production testing to verify systems performance has presented many new challenges not heretofore encountered in previous attack helicopter systems. To meet these challenges extensive use of Automatic Test Equipment (ATE) and Computer Aided Test Equipment (CATE) specially designed for the AH-64A production program has been made. This paper describes test philosophy, test methods, hardware and software developed. Specific details will be presented covering the Design Engineering Laboratories Integration Test and Alignment System (ITAS) and DIT-MCO automatic wire harness tester. Data is presented which describes the computer controlled ITAS which performs production tests on all of the major Apache electronic and electro-optic subsystems, provides a laser alignment system for aircraft sensor boresighting and is used in conjunction with the onboard Fault Detection/Location System (FD/LS) to support troubleshooting. ITAS and DIT-MCO are currently being utilized to support full scale production of the AH-64A at the Hughes Helicopters, Inc., Mesa, Arizona Apache Assembly and Flight Test Center. Hughes Helicopters, a subsidiary of the McDonnell Douglas Corporation, is prime contractor for the AH-64 program. Conclusions are presented showing the benefits of using these state-of-the-art ATE systems to support production of the AH-64A.