Belgium-based designer and manufacturer of small caliber weapons and associated weapon systems FN Herstal introduces a newly-developed Ground Support Equipment (GSE) test unit, called FN® D-Pod TU, and offers optimized level of integration, operational capability and maintenance on rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft.
The FN® D-Pod TU (for Test Unit) is an integral part of FN Herstal’s airborne digital suite for fixed forward-firing weapon systems that already includes:
- the FN® D-Pod (Digital Pod) featuring a .50 cal FN® M3P machine gun and optional 3×2.75’’ rocket launcher tubes
- the advanced FN® D-HUD (Digital Head Up Display) sighting solution
- the FN® D-PC (Pod Controller) acting as an Armament Management System for digital pods and rocket launchers.
ENHANCED INTEGRATION, OPERATIONAL CAPABILITY AND MAINTENANCE
The FN® D-Pod TU is composed of three complementary modules:
- FN® D-Pod EMU (Digital Pod Emulator)
As an integration tool, the FN® D-Pod EMU fully emulates the behaviour of the pod and its weapons. It can be either used in an electronic workshop and connected to any kind of digital Store Management System in order to perform initial integration testing, or directly plugged into the carrier pylon to check both the wiring of the aircraft and the two-way communication between the cockpit and the weapon system.
As a maintenance tool, it makes possible specific maintenance tasks on the FN® D-Pod LRUs.
- FN® D-AMS EMU (Digital Armament Management System Emulator)
The FN® D-AMS EMU’s main function is to emulate a Store Management System. It can operate, and ground fire, an FN® D-Pod without an aircraft, to test the weapon system after a maintenance operation for instance.
Just like the FN® D-Pod EMU, the FN® D-AMS EMU, when installed in a carrier, can perform an integration check both on the wiring of the aircraft and on the two-way communication between the cockpit and the weapon system.
- FN® D-MNT APP (Digital Maintenance Application)
The FN® D-MNT APP can be installed on any maintenance computer to which any digital product of FN Herstal’s fixed forward-firing solutions can be connected. This user-friendly application allows optimized system status checks, makes maintenance operations easier and quicker for technicians, and enhances logistics and troubleshoot management of the whole system.
With this new addition to the FN® airborne fixed forward-firing range of solutions, FN Herstal goes one step further in its commitment to provide one-stop shop service to their customers – both end users and OEMs – throughout the entire product life cycle.
