IFDIS Delivery to Support F/A-18 Readiness Program

TQS accomplished another successful Test Program Set (TPS) delivery under the SBIR Develops Innovation for Sustainment (SDIS) Joint Air Force/NAVAIR IFDIS Development Project. This contract derives from and extends TQS’s on-going Intermittent Fault Detection and Isolation System (IFDIS) capability development to support the F-16 and F/A-18 weapon system readiness improvement programs under a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract. The latest TPS delivery enables IFDIS testing of the F/A-18 Head Up Display (HUD) avionics chassis assembly by supplying TQS’s innovative TPS software and Interface Test Adapter (ITA).
The TQS designed and delivered IFDIS provides a unique capability to test avionics chassis for intermittent failures in an operationally relevant environment (vibration, temperature extremes, and Gs) that cannot be found by traditional avionics Automatic Test Equipment (ATE). IFDIS then precisely pinpoints failure locations so repairs can be made by Depot technicians. Repairs of these IFDIS-found connection failures (opens, shorts, and intermittent) are usually easy accomplished once their exact locations are known.
The payback to the DoD in increased time-on-wing has been demonstrated to be very significant – more than tripling the Time-On-Wing operating hours they had previously been experiencing, and thus avoiding significant supply chain cost, delay, and down-time.
TQS’s award-winning IFDIS is the result of a competitively awarded SBIR funded project that TQS began developing in 2001 and has since delivered six IFDIS systems and 18 weapon system TPSs to the DoD which have provided improved operational availability for the Warfighter.
Because of TQS’s success under the SBIR program developing and delivering the IFDIS, future IFDIS-related work is awarded sole-source to TQS per U.S. public law. TQS’s SBIR contract requirements provide customers with a faster, easier and more streamlined process for future IFDIS requirements direct to the sole OEM.
TQS is the only authorized provider of the IFDIS to the DoD (and U.S. Government).

The TQS designed and delivered IFDIS provides a unique capability to test avionics chassis for intermittent failures in an operationally relevant environment (vibration, temperature extremes, and Gs) that cannot be found by traditional functional Automatic Test Equipment (ATE). IFDIS then precisely pinpoints failure locations so repairs can be made by Depot technicians. Repairs of these IFDIS-found connection failures (open, short, and intermittent) are usually easily accomplished once their exact locations are known.

The payback to the USN in increased avionics Time-On-Wing (TOW) for IFDIS tested items has been demonstrated to be very significant – more than tripling the TOW operating hours they had previously been experiencing, and thus avoiding significant supply chain cost, delay, and down-time.

TQS’s award-winning IFDIS is the result of a competitively awarded 2001 SBIR funded project by which TQS has since delivered six IFDIS systems and 23 weapon system TPSs to the DoD which have improved operational availability for the Warfighter.

Because of TQS’s success under the SBIR program in developing and delivering the IFDIS, future IFDIS-related work is awarded sole-source to TQS, per U.S. public law. Because of TQS’s successful SBIR IFDIS-related contracts, acquisition of follow-on IFDIS work is subject to a streamlined award process to TQS, providing customers with a faster and easier procurement experience.

TQS is the only authorized provider of the IFDIS to the DoD (and the U.S. Government).

IFDIS