Aeroflex introduces synthetic instrument system

The Synthetic Multifunction Adaptable Reconfigurable Test Environment (SMART^E) is based on Aeroflex’s proprietary technology for providing synthetic test systems to meet the requirements for testing radar, satellite payloads, and T/R (transmit/receive) modules and subsystems for phased-array radar antennas. In this fifth generation of the technology, the chassis has evolved to accommodate commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) LXI modules; it now supports multiple vendors and multiple industry-standard platforms (including LXI, PXI, cPCI, and GPIB).

The SMART^E 5000 can be configured for testing electronic warfare (EW) and military systems; radar; communication, navigation, and identification (CNI) systems; and general-purpose microwave products. SMART^E also features system declassification of embedded facilities now mandated for most military systems. Aeroflex reports that the SMART^E has demonstrated a throughput that is 10X greater than that of comparable rack-and-stack systems.

The system works with Windows, C/C++/C#, and National Instruments’ TestStand, and a standard test library enables users to customize the built-in tests.

Prices start at $500,000 for an 8-GHz capable system and can range up to more than $1 million for more complex test environments (up to 40 GHz). Aeroflex, www.aeroflex.com.