Radar Screens

Flight Termination System (FTS)

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The Flight Termination System (FTS) is a fully redundant turn-key range safety and test system for remote control and flight termination of airborne test vehicles. The FTS consists of SPC's Command Transmitter System (CTS) and custom control, interface, and monitoring subsystems. The system is fully programmable and is flexible enough to meet the changing requirements of today's modern test ranges.

The FTS control software features a LabVIEW-based graphical user interface (GUI) that can be easily customized to suit specific requirements. FTS software automatically coordinates communication and control among range-control subsystems, site-control subsystems, and CTS units. The user-friendly interface is simple and straightforward, yet provides considerable power and flexibility.

The FTS is generally deployed in one of two configurations listed below:

Multi-Site System
The Multi-Site System is a network of multiple CTS units spread over a large geographic area. Since many installations require several remote CTS units that are controlled from either a remote site or a centralized site, the FTS has been developed to control a fully redundant automated network of transmitters.

The system can be configured to operate as a single local site, or with up to eight remote sites over an extended range. Each CTS unit may be controlled locally (manually), or as part of the larger FTS system. The fully redundant central control unit also supports either manual or automated modes of operation.

Mission logging is performed by the Range Monitor, an independent subsystem that monitors commands to the CTS as well as transmitted RF tones. All activity is recorded for post-mission analysis.

One of FTS's major strengths is its flexibility. A fully programmable command library provides a variety of mission-specific command tones in addition to the required Command Destruct sequence.

Multi-Control System
The Multi-Control System has multiple operator consoles sharing control of a single CTS unit. Thus the FTS allows multiple missions to be run simultaneously with a single CTS unit. In this mode, multiple operator stations share control of the transmitter unit. The FTS control software ensures that the multitasking of the CTS unit is performed seamlessly and is completely transparent to the operators.

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