Provides engineering scale, broader range of solutions and strong market position in expanding mass transit opportunity

East Aurora, NY | October 4, 2019–Astronics Corporation (Nasdaq: ATRO), a leading provider of advanced technologies for the global aerospace, defense, and other mission critical industries, announced today that it has acquired the primary operating subsidiaries from mass transit and defense market test solution provider, Diagnosys Test Systems Limited (Diagnosys). Diagnosys is a developer and manufacturer of comprehensive automated test equipment (ATE) providing test, support, and repair of high value electronics, electro-mechanical, pneumatic and printed circuit boards focused on the global mass transit and defense markets.

Astronics has acquired 100% of the equity of the three primary operating subsidiaries of Diagnosys, which are Diagnosys Holdings, Inc., Diagnosys Ferndown Limited and Diagnosys Electronics (I) Private Limited for $7 million in cash. The terms of the acquisition allow for a potential earn-out of up to an additional $13 million over the next three years based on achievement of new order levels of over $70 million during that period.

The PPS is a new, high-current power system for experimental and light sport aircraft.

East Aurora, NY | July 24, 2019–Astronics Corporation (Nasdaq: ATRO), a leading provider of advanced technologies for global aerospace, defense, and other mission critical industries, announced the release of the new Vertical Power Primary Power System (PPS) for use on aircraft flying with an airworthiness certificate in the experimental and light-sport categories.

The PPS offers an entirely new approach to the master, starter, and charging circuit for experimental and light-sport aircraft. It combines the functions of multiple high-current, electro-mechanical components into a single solid-state device that installs in minutes with plug-and-play simplicity. The PPS improves system reliability, saves space, and eliminates the need for the builder to research and design a homemade solution. For light-sport aircraft manufacturers, the PPS will improve customer satisfaction and lower costs through reduced installation time, weight savings, and increased reliability. The PPS is suitable for both new and retrofit installations.
__________________

Lufthansa Systems is currently engaged in various AI initiatives and projects covering flight scheduling, turnaround processes and passenger apps 

Raunheim, Germany | June 13, 2019–Air traffic is growing at an average annual rate of five percent. In 2035 around 40,000 aircraft will share the airspace – twice as many as today. Already today there are sometimes bottlenecks, in the air as well as on the ground. This can lead to delays or even flight cancellations, resulting in frustrated passengers and high costs for the airlines. To meet these challenges, the industry is looking for solutions based on artificial intelligence (AI). As one of the world’s leading airline IT specialists, Lufthansa Systems is involved in various projects in this field.

“Artificial intelligence is almost ubiquitous today, and its potential is huge. This is why we have been working on this topic for years,” explained Mubashir A. Tariq, Head of Innovation and Portfolio Management at Lufthansa Systems. “AI solutions are based on the extensive data that is already available from the many different solutions used by Lufthansa Systems’ broad international customer base. The aim is to make even more effective use of the limited resources available without compromising the stability of the systems”.

The trick is to use this data in a smart and practical way. Lufthansa Systems founded a subsidiary in 2015 to handle this. zeroG employs around 50 data scientists and data engineers. They are highly sought-after experts in the field of intelligent data use and the development of AI solutions, and they also have a deep understanding of airline processes. In all of their AI projects, Lufthansa Systems and zeroG involve their customers in the development process early on in order to adapt the solutions to specific conditions and work with the widest possible range of real data.

Deep Turnaround is all about avoiding delays in ground operations, specifically the turnaround process. Using video recording, an algorithm analyzes the turnaround process (e.g., passengers disembarking, cleaning starts, catering on site, fuel trucks missing) and keeps everyone updated on the current status in real time. If necessary, the parties involved can take measures to speed up the process or counteract any bottlenecks to ensure a punctual turnaround.

The aiOCC project is investigating how to simplify the work of ops controllers. In collaboration with zeroG, an AI solution is being developed which analyzes historical data and uses the findings to suggest ways of optimally adjusting current flight operations in the event of irregularities. Machine learning is also being used here, meaning that the system continually learns and gets smarter the longer it runs. aiOCC is now in an early research phase with selected customers of NetLine/Ops ++.

Intelligent network planning is the focus of a research project carried out with Lufthansa Group Hub Airlines and zeroG. AI will be used to analyze the behavior of revenue management systems in order to make forecasts for optimal network planning.

To improve the digital passenger experience, Lufthansa Systems has developed a mobile SDK for integration in passenger apps which calculates waiting times at airports using an AI-based prediction model. This makes it easier for passengers to plan how much time they need to reach the gate. The inTime SDK can be easily integrated into any existing passenger app offered by an airline.

“The various concepts are being developed and tested together with airlines,” Tariq said. “From our perspective, AI will fundamentally change the way software solutions are developed. Instead of programming fixed or parameterized business processes, the algorithms of the future will be derived from data. AI-based technologies are paving the way for the digital future.”

Expanded functionality in Lido/AMM Airport Moving Map / External Bad Elf GPS receiver successfully tested with KLM on flight deck

Raunheim, Germany | February 26, 2019– Displaying one’s own aircraft position on airport maps helps pilots navigate between the gate and the runway. This function in the Lido/AMM Airport Moving Map from Lufthansa Systems can now be combined with the external Bluetooth GPS receiver from Bad Elf. This GPS is easy to install on the flight deck and considerably cheaper than using GPS information from conventional avionics systems. The small Bad Elf GPS devices accurately show the own-ship position on the airport map. This helps pilots, especially when navigating unfamiliar airports, and improves their situational awareness.

The new function was successfully tested with the customer KLM Royal Dutch Airlines during live operations between March and October 2018. “Since 2015 we have been using the digital Lido/mPilot maps across our entire fleet,” said Maarten Koudijs, Manager Digitizing & Navigation Support at KLM. “The Lido/AMM tests with the Bad Elf GPS device continually improved our setup. We also had test flights on different aircraft types, including B737, B777, B787 and A330. We are very pleased with the result of the field tests and are currently reviewing whether to introduce Lido/AMM with GPS-based own-ship position.”

Taken together, the navigation applications from Lufthansa Systems have thus far supported the following aircraft interface devices (AIDs) for integrating GPS information: the AID from Boeing ONS, the UTC Aerospace Systems Tablet Interface Module® (UTAS TIM) and GroundLink AID+ from Teledyne. Other cheaper GPS solutions, by contrast, are often not precise enough for use at airports. This new cooperation with Bad Elf led to the solution: a portable, external GPS device that is smaller than a conventional smartphone and can be simply certified for use on the flight deck. The Bad Elf GPS connects to the digital maps either via Bluetooth or cable, and no further installation is necessary. The new function has already been integrated into Lido/mPilot for iOS and Lido/eRouteManual for Windows. All that an airline needs to use it is the Bad Elf GPS Pro+ accessory.

“Displaying the own-ship position in Lido/AMM is not new in itself, but it has not often been requested by customers to date. We are therefore delighted that, thanks to our cooperation with Bad Elf, we can offer a more cost-efficient solution that is also fast and easy to integrate,” explained Dr. Bernd Jurisch, Head of Flight & Navigation Solutions at Lufthansa Systems. “We are confident that more airlines will now use this feature, which will further improve safety while navigating at airports.”

Lido/mPilot is Lido´s mapping solution for the iPad. Lido/eRouteManual is the Windows-based app for navigation maps. Both applications include all important route information, including altitude data, airways and airport information. The systems can access data such as GPS information, speed and the direction of the airport in order to display the position and orientation of the aircraft on the integrated Airport Moving Map (Lido/AMM).

Bad Elf has been offering external GPS receivers for improved situational awareness in electronic flight bag applications to private, military, and commercial pilots since 2010. Further information about Bad Elf can be found online at https://bad-elf.com/airlines

Astronics Will Highlight ATS 5034 SLT Platform at the Upcoming International Test Conference

East Aurora, USA | October 30, 2018– Astronics Corporation, a leading provider of advanced technologies for the global aerospace, defense and semiconductor industries, announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary, Astronics Test Systems, has received the Global SMT & Packaging Journal’s 2018 Global Technology Award in the test equipment category for its ATS 5034 System-Level Test (SLT) Platform.

The Global SMT & Packaging Journal presented the award on October 17, 2018 at the SMTA International 2018 conference in Chicago, Illinois. The ATS 5034 SLT Platform received the award based on the following criteria: innovation, speed/throughput improvements, quality contribution, cost benefits, environmental consideration, ease of use/implementation, and maintainability. Jon Sinskie, Astronics Test Systems’ Executive Vice President of Semiconductor Test, accepted the award on the company’s behalf. Astronics will highlight the ATS 5034 SLT Platform at the International Test Conference (ITC) in Phoenix, Arizona, October 30 through November 1.

“Our goal is to help customers reduce cost of test and ensure optimal performance of their critical electronics,” commented Sinskie. “We are honored to receive this recognition and I congratulate our team on developing such a groundbreaking solution. This platform’s capabilities to test a variety of devices for a myriad of applications are simply unmatched in the industry.”

About the ATS 5034 SLT Platform

The ATS 5034 SLT Platform uses system-level test to examine at-speed and functional performance characteristics of the device under test (DUT) to find defects missed during traditional ATE functional testing. Essentially, it tests the device in “mission-mode” or its end-use environment.

Achieves Milestone of 10 Billion Semiconductor Devices Tested To Date

East Aurora, NY | July 10, 2018– Astronics Corporation (NASDAQ: ATRO), a leading supplier of advanced technologies to the global aerospace, defense, and semiconductor industries, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Astronics Test Systems, announced the shipment of its 2,000th semiconductor tester and that its equipment has tested more than 10 billion semiconductor devices to date. For the past two decades, Astronics Test Systems has served as a partner to the world’s largest semiconductor device manufacturers, helping to ensure that critical electronics go to market with zero defects.

Since 1996, Astronics’ test solutions have evolved
from low-volume system-level test (SLT) to massively parallel test solutions, including burn-in tools and system-level testers, to keep pace with the increased volume and complexity of semiconductor units under test. Astronics’ custom test solutions ensure optimal performance of complex electronic products by providing increased test coverage at a lower overall cost of test.

“This is an exciting time to design custom test solutions for our semiconductor customers. We are honored by the trust that these companies continue to place in our ability to tackle increasingly complex test challenges,” said Jim Mulato, President of Astronics Test Systems.

Innovations in semiconductor technology are driving the momentum for SLT. Moore’s Law not only reduces the size of transistors, but also causes a proportional increase in untested transistors as well as yield overkill, also described as “throwing away good parts.” Astronics SLT solutions improve fault coverage despite these new test challenges.

Automotive semiconductor devices are newcomers to SLT and gaining more attention in the test industry. Astronics Test Systems will be at SEMICON West, presenting “Key Considerations for an Automotive Semiconductor SLT Strategy,” at the Test Vision 2020 workshop. To learn more, visit Astronics Test Systems in booth 2405, July 10-12, 2018 at SEMICON West in San Francisco, California, or online at Astronics.com.

Scalable version of the platform makes incorporating an SLT strategy easier and more affordable for more test scenarios

East Aurora, NY | October 30, 2017–Astronics Corporation (NASDAQ: ATRO), a leading provider of advanced technologies for the global aerospace, defense, and semiconductor industries, announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary Astronics Test Systems (ATS) is introducing an expansion of the ATS 5034 System-Level Test (SLT) Platform. Featuring new semi-automatic solutions in a scalable system, the ATS 5034 now offers lower volume, higher mix, small lot, and/or longer test duration options for semiconductor manufacturers.

With this introduction, the company now delivers configurations that facilitate the industry’s fastest, easiest development path from single-site to massively parallel system-level test for semiconductor packages of all types.

Click here to view the entire release