LM-STAR® technology support solution

LM-STAR® was developed as a commercial, low cost, CASS compatible, scaleable tester for factory and depot use. Since its development in 2000, LM-STAR® has morphed over time into two major production variants. The first variant was produced in 2002 for support of the next generation F-16 Block 60 aircraft. The second variant is in production today for the F-35 on the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program. Other variants are being configured for support of CASS TPS and other military prime item systems. Numerous LM-STAR® configurations have been delivered in 2003 and will continue into 2005 on the current JSF System Design and Development (SDD) program. Depot support will be harmonized with the factory development environment to significantly reduce the total operating costs of the aircraft. Throughout the multi-year development of LM-STAR® we have defined, incorporated and implemented next generation commercial technologies (commonly known as NxTest) into an architecture that was developed to support an open framework and standard interfaces. These commercial based technologies were added to stay abreast with emerging avionic technologies for both the F-16 and F-35 aircraft. As LM-STAR® continues to embrace and support additional aircraft avionics, it will need to evolve and stay aligned with the latest commercial test initiatives. This paper overviews the technologies used and planned for LM-STAR®, all while preserving TPS harmonization from the OEM factory through end-item depot support.