182 research outputs found

    A Hierarchical Core Reference Ontology for New Technology Insertion Design in Long Life Cycle, Complex Mission Critical Systems

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    Organizations, including government, commercial and others, face numerous challenges in maintaining and upgrading long life-cycle, complex, mission critical systems. Maintaining and upgrading these systems requires the insertion and integration of new technology to avoid obsolescence of hardware software, and human skills, to improve performance, to maintain and improve security, and to extend useful life. This is particularly true of information technology (IT) intensive systems. The lack of a coherent body of knowledge to organize new technology insertion theory and practice is a significant contributor to this difficulty. This research organized the existing design, technology road mapping, obsolescence, and sustainability literature into an ontology of theory and application as the foundation for a technology design and technology insertion design hierarchical core reference ontology and laid the foundation for body of knowledge that better integrates the new technology insertion problem into the technology design architecture

    Towards software performance monitoring: an approach for the aerospace industry

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    Software applications are becoming one of the most valuable assets for companies, providing critical capabilities and functionalities to perform a wide range of operations in the industry. This paper aims to provide a view on software application portfolio monitoring and its integration into business intelligence systems for aerospace manufacturing companies. The key research question addressed is how critical software has become for aerospace industry and how software applications could be monitored. This question has been addressed by conducting an in depth review of current literature and by interviewing professionals from different aerospace companies. The results are a set of key findings regarding software impact in aerospace industry, and a monitoring proposal based in a traditional business intelligence architecture. By incorporating condition monitoring methodologies into the software application portfolio of the enterprise, benefits in maintenance budget allocation and risk avoidance are expected, thanks to a more precise and agile way of processing business data. Additional savings should be possible through further application portfolio optimisation

    Revolution in the Defence Electronics Market? An Economic Analysis of Sectoral Change

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    Within the defence sector there have been marked changes in the nature of the composite industries. This is particularly true of the electronics industry which continues to grow in importance, with electronic components built into nearly every weapons system and piece of equipment. Given the “Revolution in Military Affairs” (RMA) it seems certain that this growth will continue, impacting on both product and process. The result, however, may not be the contestable open market many expect (and hope for) as Network Enabled Warfare may result in new entrants, such as IT specialist and increased competition. Alternatively the nature of the market may continue to benefit the incumbents. This paper presents an analysis of the changes taking place in the industry using firm-level, primary, survey-based, qualitative data on corporate conduct. The results suggest that in practice the incumbents do seem to be in a strong position. The new demands of the customer require much more than mere technical capability. Specialists who do not have established industry relationships, who do not understand industry “protocols” and who cannot communicate effectively with the customer are unlikely to survive. This suggests that rather than new entrants, there may in fact be exits from the industry and further consolidation.

    Selection of obsolescence resolution strategy based on a multi criteria decision model

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    A component becomes obsolete when it is no longer available from its original manufacturer in its original form. Component obsolescence is a significant problem in the electronics industry. There are different strategies employed to address this problem, for example, using an alternative part, life time buy, redesign etc. Often, techniques used in industry select one of these options based on the most economical solution as determined by minimizing direct costs. However, there are factors other than cost, such as the number of suppliers, time constraints, reliability of the solution etc., which may play a crucial role in determining an overall best decision. In addition, there are multiple stakeholders like design, operations, manufacturing, sales, service etc., who might have different opinions when it comes to obsolescence management. This research provides a multi criteria decision model that will consider the trade-offs among multiple factors and provide the decision maker solution that will be acceptable to a wide variety of stakeholders as well as being viable from the company\u27s perspective. The model is based on multi attribute utility theory. It will provide the stakeholders a platform to express their preferences and experience in the decision process. And, based on the overall utility value, the most suitable obsolescence resolution strategy for a specific application will be provided. The research provides a hypothetical case study in order to illustrate the application and usage of the model

    Development of a Full Mission Simulator for Pilot Training of Fighter Aircraft

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    With aircraft becoming more complex and avionics intensive and flight being almost autonomous based on waypoint navigation, software and displays becoming a significant component of the all glass cockpit of the modern day fighter aircraft, it is imperative that pilots are trained on missions using ground based full mission simulator (FMS) for routine flight as well as advanced missions. A flight simulator is as good as the real system only when it is able to mimic the physical system, both in terms of dynamics and layout so that the pilot gets the complete feel of the environment as encountered during actual sortie. The objective of this research paper is to provide a detailed insight into the various aspects of development of a FMS for pilot training with minimal maintenance operations for long hours of realistic flight training on ground. The approach followed by ADE in developing a FMS using a healthy mix of conventional flight simulation methodologies and novel approaches for various simulator sub-systems to tailor and meet the specific training needs, one presented. The FMS developed by ADE is presently being used by Indian Air Force for flight and mission critical training of squadron pilots

    Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS): Doing It Right

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    In the twenty-first century, the United States will likely encounter a wide-range of threats, such as those posed by terrorists, rogue states and other non-state actors—all of whom are taking full advantage of globally available, high-tech commercial systems (e.g., from night vision devices, through secure cell phones, to satellite photos). At the same time, technology is changing more rapidly than ever before, and the DoD must learn to embrace the fact that it no longer holds a monopoly on all military-relevant technology (many of the information-intensive innovations result from commercial activities). Furthermore, the rising costs of domestic commitments, such as Social Security and Medicare, coupled with the growing budget deficits, will create an inevitable downward pressure on the DoD budget. These changes have created an urgency for transformation within the defense establishment. We believe this necessary defense transformation will be heavily dependent upon the development of net-centric systems-of-systems; the determination to achieve lower costs, faster fielding and better performance; and a realization of the potential benefits of globalization and use of commercial technology. Greater use of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) systems and components is one strategy that can enable achieving the required DoD transformation, and help to ensure American military success in the twenty-first century. Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) is a term for software or hardware that is commercially made and available for sale, lease, or license to the general public and that requires little or no unique government modifications to meet the needs of the procuring agency. Because of their rapid availability, lower costs, and low risk, COTS products must be considered as alternatives to in-house, government-funded developments.Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research ProgramThis research was partially sponsored by a grant from The Naval Postgraduate Schoo

    The evolving dynamics of outsourcing: control and conflict a vendors perspective

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    This paper reports on unique longitudinal research conducted within a complex multi-vendor environment in the defence sector and describes the evolving relationship between the vendors and the defence client organization as they developed and implemented an outsourced HRM application development within Europe. The scale, technical complexity and multinational nature of the project drove the formation of a supplier consortium to deliver the project. The project was tracked over a period of four years and a contextualised process model was applied, focused on the design and configuration phase, to clarify complex social processes and to expose the key incidents that framed its evolution. The analysis demonstrated the critical nature of initial and antecedent conditions and how governance and strict contractual controls interacted to cause project failure. The study gives a unique insight into the vendor perspective in an outsourced context and shows how the interplay between bargaining and control led to the focal organization shifting between collaborative and compliant work processes

    Cooperative Airspace Security in the Euro-Atlantic Region

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    This paper offers an overview of existing arrangements and provides a discussion of policy challenges involved in constructing a regional Euro-Atlantic capability to jointly monitor and counter common airspace threats through the networking of military and civil air traffic control systems. It argues that a strengthened political, financial, and technical commitment to build a cooperative airspace security system is a “win-win” area for NATO-Russian engagement that would promote regional military transparency, deepen cooperation against airborne terrorism, and enhance regional crisis stability. Deeper and broader regional airspace security arrangements would also foster the culture of cooperation, transparency, and confidence built between all Euro-Atlantic states—large and small—through practical civil-military cooperation. In a May 2010 op-ed, U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden wrote of the “vital” need to “adapt” Euro-Atlantic security institutions “to the challenges—and opportunities—of a new era.” He noted the importance of “reciprocal transparency” of military forces, called for improved cooperative means to deal with “external challenges,” argued for more “effective conflict-prevention, conflict-management, and crisis-resolution” mechanisms to enhance stability, and reaffirmed the importance of territorial integrity and the indivisibility of regional security. “We seek an open and increasingly united Europe in which all countries, including Russia, play their full roles,” Biden stated. A careful examination of “bottom-up” cooperative opportunities in airspace security in line with this vision is in order at a time when policy makers in Washington, Brussels, and Moscow seek to design and agree on a common capability to defend the Euro-Atlantic against missile threats. Toward this end, an expansion of ongoing cooperative airspace security projects is a cost-effective and technically feasible undertaking that could promote both agreement and action on the rules of engagement, as well as on the sharing of information, technology, and costs in regional missile defense that involves Russia. In an effort to make Euro-Atlantic security “indivisible,” it might also be useful to learn from past experience with using this type of functional engagement for the purposes of reassurance. This paper begins by introducing a practical case of airspace problems over the Baltic. It continues with an overview of existing North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) approaches to the networking of military and civil air traffic control systems. It further describes the William J. Clinton administration’s efforts to build cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe through the Regional Airspace Initiative. The paper then offers an analysis of present airspace tensions in conflict-prone and non-NATO state areas in the region. Finally, it reviews the ongoing NATO-Russian Cooperative Airspace Initiative and recommends that this project be expanded geographically and to the sharing of military aircraft data as well as extended to U.S.-Russia counterterrorism cooperation across the Bering Strait
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