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SMTA Annual Meeting Keynote Touches On Military Electronics
October 4, 2002 |Estimated reading time: 1 minute
By Christine F. Della Monaca
Chicago -- The unique requirements of military applications drive special testing and handling of electronics in this area, according to the keynote speaker at the SMTA Annual Meeting here on Tuesday, September 24.
Michael C. Schexnayer, associate director for acquisitions for the Objective Force Task Force (OFTF) Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center, U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command (Redstone Arsenal), presented "Ultra-High Reliability in US Army Missiles and Munitions." Schexnayer's department falls under Army Material Command.
Schexnayer began by explaining that the Army is looking for weapons that will cause the fewest casualties. "We're not interested in hurting innocent people or soldiers," he said. "We want to embed intelligence in weapons so there's less collateral damage."
The Department of Defense is trying to make their decision-making process of what to buy and spend faster and as close to consumer practices as possible, Schexnayer said, while assuring ultra reliability. Reliability is defined as the probability that a system performs its intended function under stated conditions for a specified period of time, while maintainability is the probability that a failed system can be made operable in a specified interval of downtime, he added.
In the field, this translates into readiness, operating and service cost, stockpile reliability, and user satisfaction. Since missiles are not used often, stockpile reliability has to be determined by specific tests for environmental factors. "Environmental degradation drives field failures," Schexnayer explained. This is defined as sand and dust, humidity, rain, shock/vibration, electromagnetic effects, ESD, low temperatures, and high temperatures.
"Electronics have to survive and work when used 10 to 20 years after production," Schexnayer added. "And as for ultra reliability - guys have to operate three to seven days in combat without being resupplied."
Technology strategies include design to reliability, as well as condition monitoring and prognostics, modeling and simulation, and the concepts of "soft failures" and "self healing." The DoD is emphasizing reliability, including its continual assessment, in its acquisition strategies, as well as testing early and relevant, including more subsystem tests.