Testing for mission-critical applications
James Mulato, President of EADS North America Test and Services, discusses the state of test platforms in the defense, aerospace, and semiconductor markets.
Larry Maloney, Contributing Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 11/1/2009 1:00:00 AM
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JAMES F. MULATO James Mulato was named president of EADS North America Test and Services division in 2008, having previously served as the division's executive vice president. Prior to joining EADS North America, Mulato was chairman and CEO of the EADS North America Defense Company and its wholly-owned test company, Access Research Corp. He came to EADS in 2000 after holding technical and management positions over a 15-year period at Lockheed Martin and Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. Mulato is a graduate of The Ohio State University College of Engineering and also earned an MBA from Florida State University. Contributing Editor Larry Maloney conducted a phone interview with James Mulato on test platforms for the defense, commercial aerospace and semiconductor markets. Read the continuation of this interview. |
Q: How has defense test fared during the economic slump?
A: Our division has enjoyed steady growth in defense test, and it remains our number-one priority. We also see good potential in emerging programs, such as the Navy’s eCASS (enhanced Consolidated Automated Support System), which will modernize test systems for ships and maintenance depots. This is the successor to CASS, developed two decades ago.
Q: Which defense applications have been most active?
A: Engine test has been a very reliable revenue generator. Early this year, we won a five-year contract to produce the new SETI (Shaft Engine Test Instrumentation) system for testing US Navy and Marine helicopter engines. SETI’s advantages over older systems include increased flexibility, lower logistics and manpower requirements, and reduced fuel use during engine test runs.
Prior to this contract, we developed JETI (Jet Engine Test Instrumentation) systems for land-based and aircraft carrier installations. Another significant area has been use of our high-density VXI switching technology for the Radio Frequency Distribution and Control systems on nuclear subs.
Q: Beyond defense, what test applications look most promising?
A: There are two other key markets. The first is the semiconductor industry, where we offer burn-in and environmental-stress-screening systems. Like other suppliers, we’ve been hurt by cutbacks in capital spending by semiconductor firms in response to the economic downturn. But this market will come back, and we offer a unique system, featuring individual, temperature-controlled thermal arrays for each CPU under test. Our 5030 system can simultaneously perform burn-in for up to 32 devices, each with its own recipe of parameters, such as voltage, temperature, and burn-in time.
The second significant focus is commercial aerospace, where we offer ATE (automated test equipment) solutions for the airlines and the OEMs that supply electronic platforms, such as avionics systems, to Airbus and Boeing. In fact, EADS developed ATEC (Automatic Test Equipment Complex), which is the de facto standard for testing commercial airline fleets.
Over a 30-year period, EADS has developed a library of more than 4000 test program sets for that market. In addition, we are continually upgrading test solutions for older aviation equipment to prevent obsolescence.
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Q: What do these applications have in common?
A: They all represent critical electronics systems that must work reliably all the time, and our mission is to ensure that performance by developing tailored test solutions. Essential to this process is establishing what we call very close “E-to-E,” or engineer-to-engineer, communications with customers. That helps us get to the right solution faster. It also puts us in a position to benefit from another key trend.
Most avionics manufacturers not only supply to the commercial aircraft industry, but also to the military market. Moving forward, these OEMs want to control their cost of test by deploying test systems that can be configured for both commercial and military applications. Already, we’re working on core building blocks for use across both platforms.
Read the continuation of this interview.
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