MTS Systems Corporation (NASDAQ: MTSC), a leading global supplier of high-performance test systems and sensors, was awarded the Fairmount Society Lifetime Associate status by the Wichita State University Foundation in recognition of the longstanding collaboration between MTS and the University's National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR). 

NIAR is one of the most highly regarded research and development organizations in the aviation industry - providing aerospace manufacturers with the state-of-the-art test resources they require to realize major engineering advances. It carries out a wide array of component and materials tests on both commercial and military aircraft.

The cooperation between MTS and NIAR spans decades. During that time MTS has made significant investment in equipment and expertise to assist NIAR's research activities. Three years ago, MTS played a key role in NIAR establishing its Aircraft Structural Test and Evaluation Center (ASTEC), providing and fitting the facility's industry-leading structural test controls, data acquisition equipment and mechanical testing systems. Covering 130,000 square feet, ASTEC is among the world's largest aircraft structural testing centers, with the capacity to accommodate the largest of aircraft (or multiple aircraft simultaneously). It provides NIAR with a test facility that is twice the size of its previous structural test lab and means that full-scale tests can be undertaken on aircraft as large as a Boeing 787. 

"Working together with MTS over the course of many years, sharing knowledge and experiences with its team has enabled NIAR to substantially expand the scope of our test operations. This has been instrumental in the growth of our test capabilities to meet industry demands, as well as the development of more effective test techniques," said NIAR's Executive Director, John Tomblin Ph.D.

"Supporting research activities is a core value for MTS and we are very proud to be associated with the groundbreaking aerospace research being done at NIAR. Through the efforts made by NIAR's exceptional scientists and engineering staff, major innovations are being seen that will have lasting benefit to the global aviation industry," said Dr. Jeffrey Graves, MTS President and CEO.