A framework for public/private collaboration on ATE

This paper will describe the Integrated Process Team developed between the US Air Force VDATS program team and the Lockheed Martin LM-STAR team. Independently, both groups have designed a common ATS solution to reverse the excessive life cycle sustainment costs associated with the proliferation of unique test systems throughout their customer base. Both groups recognized the similarities in instrumentation, hardware/software architectures and the overall program goals between the two programs. During the course of several investigative meetings, it became very apparent to the two groups that the only options facing each were to either compete or cooperate. Driven by their desire to support their common warfighter customer, the two groups formulated a strategy to investigate the cooperative path. What follows in this paper is a description of how the two groups overcame significant challenges to cooperation such as protecting intellectual property, preserving the competitive requirements of Government procurement, breaking down the misconceptions each party had of the other and setbacks/resolutions that have occurred in the first year of effort since signing the Team Charter in March 2009.