Textron Systems Electronic Systems, a Textron Inc. business, announced that its Model 527™ Radar Signal Simulator has been selected for preflight testing of F-35 Lightning II electronic warfare (EW) systems.

Under a three-year indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract with Lockheed Martin, the company will provide advanced, handheld radar simulators for EW preflight testing on all variants of the F-35, which is expected to be utilized by both U.S. and international customers.

The Model 527 is designed for end-of-runway and walk-around preflight testing, to determine the status of installed EW radar warning receiver systems. Both operational readiness and threat recognition are verified across antennas, transmission lines, radomes, cockpit displays and controls.

Textron Systems' advanced threat modeling software allows a variety of threat simulations including simple, continuous-wave, pulsed single emitters, and multiplexed radio frequency emitters modeling several threats simultaneously. Once these have been developed within the system, personnel can progress through them easily on the flight line with a thumb switch to verify aircraft operation.

“The F-35 is one of the world's most advanced tactical aircraft, designed to deliver powerful new capabilities to the warfighter. Our Model 527 and larger family of preflight testers give aircrews the confidence they need in their mission-critical systems, before they even leave the ground,” said Senior Vice President and General Manager Steve Mensh.

Textron Systems' Model 527 is compatible with threat file sharing, along with the company's family of preflight confidence testers. This includes the Joint Service Electronic Combat Systems Tester (JSECST™), which has an installed base of more than 500 systems in numerous countries around the world, and the Advanced Architecture Phase, Amplitude and Time Simulator (A2PATS™) Laboratory Electromagnetic Environment Simulator.