The increasing complexity of highly integrated avionics in modern tactical and strategic aircraft is forcing the U.S. flight test community to rely more and more on modeling and simulation. The sheer size of an integrated avionics system "test matrix"—which now includes embedded electronic warfare (EW) elements—on aircraft such as the Air Forces F-22 and the Joint Strike Fighter precludes a fly-fix-fly approach that characterized past test programs. Today, with communication/navigation/identification, radar, missile warning and electronic countermeasures systems sharing apertures and computer processors, testing all possible combinations on open-air ranges would be cost and time prohibitive (AW ST Sept. 11, p. 58).
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