$92 Million Over Three Years for Mobile Diagnostic Tool
The US Army has contracted Boeing to produce additional Next Generation Automated Test System (NGATS) units, with a contract award worth up to $92 million over three years.
NGATS is a mobile diagnostic tool that provides real-time testing in the field, offering immediate solutions and enabling automated fault diagnosis of more than 100 components. It eliminates manual troubleshooting and disassembly of components, which reduces labour hours and aids in avoiding lead times that come with ordering parts and possible depot-level maintenance. One Armored Brigade Combat Team noted NGATS saved more than $26 million in repair costs in five months.
“This award demonstrates that NGATS is becoming the standard for fix effectiveness and readiness in the field, enabling operations in a contested logistics environment,” stated John Chicoli, Director of Boeing Global Services Vertical Lift and Special Operations.
In addition to Army platforms such as the Abrams, Bradley and Stryker, these versatile devices will be used in 2023 on the M109A7 Paladin and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. A similar test programme set is being developed by Boeing to address ‘no evidence of failure’ issues while maintaining readiness on the AH-64 Apache.
