Vertical commonality is successful for the Army TACMS missile

Abstract

Vertical test equipment commonality implemented in support of two level maintenance for the Army TACMS missile led to a concurrently engineered development program. The customer prime contractor and subcontractors united as a team in pursuing an integrated concurrent design. The author concentrates more on the factors that govern the integrated design rather than on the design itself. A brief description of the system and then a little more detail on the influence of commonality on design approach, concept, and requirements serve as a backdrop for a discussion on personnel interaction and lessons learned. The expected benefits of lower test equipment costs, improved quality, and mature organic depot support at initial operational capability (IOC) were all realized. The experience on this program suggests that concurrent engineering should be implemented from the viewpoint of specifying system requirements that force the process.<>