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Leveraging Duotech's Airborne Test Bed to Optimize Development Budget and Schedule

Developing advanced airborne electronics systems—such as RADAR, RWRs, or electronic warfare sensors—requires more than lab simulations and theoretical modeling. These technologies demand real-world, airborne testing to validate performance, identify anomalies, and optimize system integration. However, access to airborne platforms is often expensive, difficult to schedule, and outside the control of the development team. These barriers lead to increased costs, delayed timelines, and substantial program risk. At Duotech Services, we’ve recognized this gap, and we’ve built a solution.

The Challenge: Limited Access to Real-World Airborne Testing

For many aerospace and defense developers, the only opportunity to test embedded systems in-flight comes through coordination with the actual end-use platform or through third-party airborne services. Both routes often present serious obstacles:

  • High operational costs
  • Lengthy scheduling timelines
  • Limited test flexibility and availability

This creates a critical constraint during development. Systems go untested until later phases, when design changes are more expensive and schedule impacts are more severe. Program managers are left balancing budget overruns and shifting delivery dates—challenges no team wants to face in today’s fast-moving defense landscape.

Duotech Services: A Smarter Approach to Embedded System Testing

As a trusted defense contractor with decades of experience supporting airborne mission systems, Duotech Services offers a full spectrum of test and evaluation capabilities. We specialize in helping customers de-risk their development programs through accessible, agile, and cost-effective solutions.

One of our most impactful offerings? Our in-house airborne test assets—a solution built from real development challenges we’ve faced ourselves.

Duotech's Airborne Test Bed: Real Testing, Real Results

Cessna 425 Pressurized Test Aircraft

Our Cessna 425 aircraft is fully equipped and configurable as an airborne electronics test platform. Customers can integrate their systems into the aircraft’s payload and harness real-world test data without depending on military aircraft availability.

Features and advantages:

  • Pressurized cabin for high-altitude testing
  • Flexible rack-mount integration
  • Rapid turnaround for system swap-outs
  • Operated and supported by experienced flight and test teams

Commercial Drone Test Assets

For early-phase testing, or when a full manned aircraft isn't necessary, our drone fleet offers a nimble and low-cost solution. These platforms are ideal for testing signal propagation, antenna performance, and small form-factor systems.

Benefits:

  • Extremely fast deployment
  • Repeatable flight paths
  • Ideal for pre-flight validation before scaling up to manned testing

Proven Results from Duotech's Internal Programs

We don’t just offer these resources, we rely on them ourselves. During the development of our proprietary RADAR and Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) systems, Duotech used both the Cessna 425 and drone platforms to:

  • Rapidly validate signal processing algorithms in real-world conditions
  • Detect and resolve airborne integration issues early in the development cycle
  • Accelerate hardware-software refinement without waiting on external platforms

This agile, internal test approach shaved weeks—and in some cases, months off of our development schedule. It also gave our engineers higher confidence in final performance specs before customer delivery.

Comprehensive Testing Beyond the Air

Duotech’s airborne assets are just one part of our broader test ecosystem, which is designed to serve full product life cycles. Our facilities include:

  • Automated Test Equipment (ATE) Design & Sustainment Custom and legacy ATE development to ensure long-term testability
  • Environmental Testing Resources Simulated altitude, temperature, vibration, and humidity testing for MIL-STD compliance
  • EMI/EMC and Anechoic Chamber Testing On-site chamber supports electromagnetic compatibility and shielding validation

Together, these capabilities allow customers to move seamlessly between lab, ground, and airborne test environments—all under the guidance of a single, experienced engineering team.

Integrated Testing for Our Customers

At Duotech, we know how critical testing is to mission success. That’s why we don’t just reserve these tools for internal use—we make them available to our customers.

Whether you're looking to:

  • Integrate a new sensor payload
  • Validate RF performance in a live airborne environment
  • Or reduce delays by owning more of your test schedule

Duotech can help you do it smarter. We provide:

  • Platform integration support
  • Data collection systems
  • Test planning and execution
  • Pilot and flight test support teams

Our customers get faster data, fewer delays, and greater control over development and risk management.

Reduce Risk and Gain Control with Duotech

Real-world airborne testing doesn’t have to drain your program budget or delay your timeline. With Duotech’s in-house airborne test bed and integrated test environment, you can accelerate development, improve system performance, and meet your schedule targets with confidence.

Ready to reduce program risk and speed up development?


Contact Duotech Services today to learn how our airborne test capabilities and full-spectrum engineering support can help you reach your goals faster and smarter. Contact us today at business_development@duotechservices.com to start your next project with a trusted defense partner.