Advantages of digital convergence for functional test

With the ever-increasing complexity and clock rates of today´s weapon system electronics, digital functional test plays a critical role in depot test. This is likely to become even more so over the next in years as the next generation of weapon systems are deployed. At the same time that system complexity is increasing, the number of joint weapon system programs is growing. JSF and V-22 are just two high-profile examples. DoD initiatives like CIWG, Critical Interfaces Working Group, are driving toward a common test environment as a way to reduce the costs of TPS development and test systems. For complex joint programs, a common environment is widely viewed as an essential factor in minimizing the overall cost of test. In many ways, the DoD has succeeded in establishing a common test environment for digital test through digital test convergence. This paper discusses the parameters that define commonality and the implementation trade-offs