Integrated Family Of Test Equipment (IFTE)

The Integrated Family Of Test Equipment (IFTE) program is a critical Army initiative funded under budget line item 0200MB4000, designed to provide standardized, cost-effective, and cyber-compliant test and diagnostic capabilities for field and sustainment maintenance across a wide array of Army weapon systems. The program's overarching goal is to enhance operational readiness and reduce logistics footprints by equipping maintainers with advanced tools for fault isolation, diagnostics, and repair.

IFTE supports Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) and aligns with the Department of Defense (DoD) Automatic Test System (ATS) Strategy, ensuring interoperability and future-proofing maintenance operations for current and emerging platforms. The program is composed of several key components, notably the Maintenance Support Device (MSD), the Wireless At-Platform Test Set (WATS), and the Next Generation Automatic Test System (NGATS).

The MSD is a general-purpose, at-platform automatic test system available in rugged and light configurations, supporting quick diagnoses and fault isolation for over 70 Army weapon systems. Its objectives include hosting interactive electronic technical manuals, providing software loader/verifier capabilities for mission accuracy and cybersecurity, and enabling predictive logistics through real-time fault data collection. The procurement plan includes MSDs and WATS kits, which are essential for testing and diagnosing diesel engine systems and supporting the Army's extensive ground vehicle and watercraft fleet.

The Wireless At-Platform Test Set (WATS) is a complementary tool to the MSD, providing both wired and wireless diagnostic adapters for ground vehicles and watercraft. WATS enables maintainers in the 91 and 88L Series Military Occupational Specialties to perform comprehensive diagnostic tests and collect real-time fault data, thereby supporting maintenance management in an information-enabled environment. The integration of WATS with MSD and diagnostic software enhances the Army's predictive logistics capabilities and supports the Digital Logbook and Global Combat Support System-Army (GCSS-A), connecting maintainers to the logistics enterprise.

The Next Generation Automatic Test System (NGATS) is a mobile, rapidly deployable, and reconfigurable general-purpose automatic test and diagnostic system. NGATS consolidates off-system test requirements and replaces multiple single-function, aging, and costly automatic test systems, such as the Direct Support Electrical Systems Test Set and previous IFTE Base Shop Test Facility versions. The budget funds the acquisition of NGATS units, which will support platforms including Abrams, Bradley, CROWS, CREW/Duke, HMDS, MFoCS, and ongoing developments for Blackhawk, M777, LRPF Paladin ERC-A, and AMPV. NGATS is Joint Services NxTest compliant, ensuring interservice testing and diagnostic support capability.

From a procurement perspective, base funding is allocated to acquire MSDs, WATS kits, and NGATS systems, supporting both base requirements and modernization of sustainment-level maintenance. The program justifies these investments by emphasizing the reduction of intermittent electronic faults, improved cost-effectiveness compared to system-specific testers, and support for approved Army force structure requirements. The acquisition strategy leverages contracts with established defense contractors, with production lead times and delivery schedules designed to meet operational needs.

In addition to hardware procurement, the IFTE program includes investments in software support, technical and logistics data, new equipment training, shipping, technical publications, initial spares, production engineering, program management, quality assurance, system engineering, technical support, and test and evaluation. These objectives ensure that the deployed equipment is fully supported throughout its lifecycle, with continuous improvements in diagnostics and maintenance management. The program also fulfills requirements under Section 1815 of the FY 2008 National Defense Authorization Act, supporting homeland defense missions, domestic emergency responses, and military support to civil authorities.