Automated Test Equipment (ATE) Cable Assemblies

F-16 and B-1 Experience

When a military airplane is being prepared for flight, whether it is in forward operations during a conflict or on a routine mission within the US, it is mandatory that key systems are checked to assure proper operation during the sortie. The automatic test equipment used by the military ground crews must be easy to use, reliable, and very durable. The military demands that the cable systems used in their ATE kits are world class, and Icore is a major solution provider for these applications.

Icore currently designs and manufactures automatic test equipment cable assemblies in support of the B-1 and F-16 aircraft, and our assemblies are deployed around the world in some of the most demanding situations that an aircraft could experience. Our cable assemblies are designed to survive brutal punishment while being dragged along the tarmac, pulled over and under aircraft, mated with connectors on the aircraft at many points, over, and over, and over. Our cables must perform in frosty cold winter snow, tropical rain storms, coastal salt spray, and sand-blown deserts, without fail, every time.

The electrical function of our cable assemblies is critical - it sends the signals that tell the maintenance crew whether or not a vital aircraft system is ready for the mission at hand. Our cables are electrically sound, and have built-in design features that allow them to be easily repaired if damaged. In the hurry to turn an airplane in battle, a field mechanic may from time to time damage a cable beyond repair, and Icore supports our cables with a warranty and a rotable inventory. Our field support team stands ready at all times to support the fleet, with quick turn-around replacement cables.

Many of the aircraft still in military service are older than the pilots flying them. So are the connectors to key systems on those aircraft. In some cases, the original manufacturer of the interconnect equipment is no longer able to produce the components for the aircraft. In those instances, Icore can deploy our unique ability to reverse engineer the aircraft connection system and manufacture compatible mating hardware for our customers.