  This paper describes the system architecture of a newly constructed radio
telescope - the Boolardy Engineering Test Array, which is a prototype of the
Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder telescope. Phased array feed
technology is used to form multiple simultaneous beams per antenna, providing
astronomers with unprecedented survey speed. The test array described here is a
6-antenna interferometer, fitted with prototype signal processing hardware
capable of forming at least 9 dual-polarisation beams simultaneously, allowing
several square degrees to be imaged in a single pointed observation. The main
purpose of the test array is to develop beamforming and wide-field calibration
methods for use with the full telescope, but it will also be capable of limited
early science demonstrations.
