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MTS-3060A SmartCan™ - Enabling ACE and Multi-Capable Airmen

ACE CONOPS
Agile Combat Employment (ACE) is a USAF operational concept that enhances warfighters’ resiliency and survivability through the use of a streamlined and reduced logistics footprint to support small, lethal, and survivable force packages via highly-maneuverable deployments. ACE demands multi-capable support equipment and Multi-Capable Airmen who can perform tasks across a number of systems supporting aircraft as opposed to the traditional, single-focused Airmen. ACE provides faster response to threats, reduced vulnerability to attack, and the ability to operate from austere locations for extended periods supporting combatant commanders.

SmartCan Demo
Mitigating Risks to ACE
Once deployed, the time and effort it takes to transition a unit from training to sustained combat operations is a key factor. For example, the time spent conducting armament functional tests on the aircraft designated for deployment at home station, only to have to repeat the process once deployed. Time spent conducting a repeated test would be a limiting factor in a near-peer conflict.

Another issue that negatively affects the overall outcome of time-sensitive deployments is the quantity and size of the required support equipment. Test equipment can be one of the worst offenders, requiring some units to pack thousands of pounds of unique, single-system test sets. The result is a maintenance support equipment model which is not agile, and cannot adequately handle a time-critical mission in a near-peer conflict.

A basic set of requirements for agile support equipment might look like this:
• Common across the Service or DOD
• Rapidly configurable to meet emerging needs
• Highly repairable at the point of use
• Micro-footprint
• Durable in adverse environments
• Rapid software (if applicable) update cycles
• Intuitive use to reduce training burden


SmartCan Test Kit


Enabling ACE with SmartCan™
Currently deployed O-Level armament test equipment is unable to test multiple aircraft with a single system — handheld or otherwise — limiting the successful execution of the ACE CONOPS. Marvin Test Solutions’ SmartCan Universal O-Level Armament Test Set is fully capable of replacing EVERY O-level armament test set in use today across any Service. In fact, some customers are able to consolidate and replace their fleet of armament test sets across several aircraft with a single SmartCan configured to support their armament. The SmartCan is a handheld test set that utilizes active testing to ensure aircraft are fully functional by activating every part of the armament system with munitions emulation and monitoring, enabling maintenance crews to rapidly conduct operational checks of the highest quality.
Faster Setup and Test Times
Flightline setup and test times are significantly reduced. F-16 test setup, when compared to the current legacy test set, was reduced from 45 minutes to 4 minutes (91% reduction). Similarly, F-16 test execution times for a pylon utilizing MIL-STD-1760 and a LAU-129 being tested for both AIM-120 and AIM-9X were reduced from 20 minutes to 3 minutes (85% reduction), and from 35 minutes to 4 minutes (89% reduction) respectively. F-15 testing demonstrated similar savings. Advanced cybersecurity features and protection are provided including data and test program set (TPS) encryption and a removable hard drive in the form of a SD card.

SmartCan Test Times


Reduced Logistics Footprint
The AA battery-operated MTS-3060A weighs roughly 4lbs, yet provides more than 30 measurement and multiple e-load channels, and generates the audio and video signals required to simulate missile functions for the AIM-9 and AGM-65 missiles. In addition, the SmartCan supports active, full-functional testing of MIL-STD-1760 by emulating JDAM, AMRAAM, AIM-9X, and other 1760-based weapons systems.

SmartCan Collage


Interoperability
The SmartCan is capable of supporting all legacy and smart weapon armament systems on all current and future fighters, bombers, armed helicopters, and UASs.

Furthermore, the SmartCan program load can include support for multiple blocks and multiple types of aircraft, providing a single flightline test solution for any size mixed fleet, increasing standardization, and reducing the test equipment footprint. The SmartCan enables the USAF to achieve ACE objectives by serving as a common flightline armament test set for all deployed weapon carrying aircraft. The intuitive features of the SmartCan ensure that airmen can quickly become experts in its use in minimum time, truly enabling Multi-Capable Airmen in the armament maintainer ranks as they can now support multiple types of armed aircraft on the flightline with a common test set.  

A Smarter Approach to Maintenance and Sustainment
The SmartCan features an innovative test language that further reduces development and integration costs, allowing users to develop, create and integrate their own test programs. With this capability under the users’ control, the USAF (or other Services) can choose to have the task of maintaining and creating test set programs at the program-office level without the need for contractor support.

Additionally, data collection, storage, and download capability exists to enable trend analysis and support emerging predictive maintenance analytics initiatives.

Test Set Commonality Enables Efficiency
Maintainers understand the shortcomings of currently fielded legacy armament test equipment and have expressed the need for a common solution that supports both legacy and Smart (MIL-STD-1760) weapons. They have expressed the desire to have a small footprint, handheld armament test set that functions across multiple types of armed aircraft, meets cybersecurity requirements, supports predictive maintenance analytics, and provides easy to use menu driven operation in all operating environments.

The SmartCan delivers those capabilities, enabling ACE and Multi-Capable Airmen on the flightline, ensuring mission readiness for the warfighter wherever and whenever deployed.

Resources to Explore
The SmartCan is part of Marvin Test Solutions’ comprehensive suite of armament and munitions test sets. Visit our website to learn more about why the SmartCan is the current choice of multiple air forces and supporting their fleets worldwide. Additionally, you will find links to our armament maintainer Blog.  

Finally, while there you can explore our KnowledgeBase for informative white papers and articles on the subject of armament test, including: