[Avionics Today 03-09-2015] Kitron AS will develop a Test Program Set (TPS) for evaluating and troubleshooting F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft avionics under a development contract awarded by Northrop Grumman. Under the four-year, $2 million contract, the Norwegian manufacturer will develop the TSP equipment, which consists of complex Interface Test Assemblies (ITA) that work with the LM-STAR test system developed by Lockheed Martin.
The TPS will be used at Kitron and Northrop Grumman repair facilities to evaluate and troubleshoot L-Band Pre-Selector (LBPS) Line Replaceable Units (LRUs), a module in the F-35’s Communication, Navigation and Identification (CNI) avionics suite.
Norway is one of nine partner nations participating in the F-35 program; three other countries will procure F-35 aircraft through the foreign military sales process. Under a separate manufacturing license agreement between Kitron and Northrop Grumman, Kitron also will manufacture and repair several subassemblies for the F-35 CNI.