QUALTECH DIAGNOSTIC SOFTWARE SELECTED BY PRATT & WHITNEY FOR F135 PROGRAM

Diagnostic software maker Qualtech Systems Inc. of Connecticut has been selected by Pratt & Whitney (P&W) to provide real-time on-board diagnostics for F135 jet engines being developed for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The F-35 is a new class of fighter aircraft to be used by the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and foreign militaries.

 

The contract calls for Qualtech Systems to provide fault isolation development software tools and an embedded diagnostic reasoner – an on-engine problem solver – for integration into the P&W F135 Propulsion System as part of the company’s Joint Strike Fighter Engine Prognostics & Health Management (PHM) Program.

 

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, or JSF, is an advanced military aircraft currently in development that is being designed to capitalize on commonality and modularity to maximize affordability.

 

“This is a great win for Qualtech,” states Qualtech’s Chief Operating Officer, Kevin Cavanaugh “It is the result of the hard work we’ve put into developing this technology under NASA R&D contracts and our experience integrating it on military helicopters over the last seven or eight years. We’re excited to see our advanced diagnostics being applied on the most advanced fighter in the world and we’re very pleased to be working with Pratt & Whitney.”

 

The F135 engine is an evolution of P&W’s F119 engine, which powers the F/A-22 Raptor. Qualtech’s role on the program will be to model the entire propulsion system using Qualtech’s graphical modeling and testability analysis software and to support P&W contractual requirements for fault detection and isolation. Qualtech will then work closely with P&W engineers to integrate the diagnostics reasoning software onto the F135 computer system.

 

“We selected Qualtech on the strength of their technical solution, maturity and hands-on experience integrating diagnostic software on military aircraft,” said P&W’s F135 PHM Engineering Manager Steven Budrow, “The Qualtech technology can quickly achieve a diagnostic resolution by considering available health related information, both positive and negative, to quickly and accurately isolate the root cause.”

 

Recognized by NASA and Aviation Week for technology innovation, Qualtech brings a wealth of aerospace experience to the project; having built advanced diagnostics and health management solutions for Sikorsky helicopters, including the UH-60 and SH-60 turbine engines. Qualtech’s tools for modeling, analysis, embedded run-time diagnostics and field maintenance and repair are proven, mature and deployed worldwide. Other aerospace customers include NASA, Honeywell, and Boeing.

 

For more information visit http://www.teamqsi.com