THIS PROPOSAL PRESENTS A PLAN FOR DEVELOPING AN ANALYSIS FRAMEWORK AND AN AUTOMATED LIFE-CYCLE COST MODEL FOR THE EVALUATION OF ICBM GUIDANCE AND CONTROL (G&C) SYSTEM OPTIONS.

THIS PROPOSAL PRESENTS A PLAN FOR DEVELOPING AN ANALYSIS FRAMEWORK AND AN AUTOMATED LIFE-CYCLE COST MODEL FOR THE EVALUATION OF ICBM GUIDANCE AND CONTROL (G&C) SYSTEM OPTIONS. THE PROPOSED FRAMEWORK INCORPORATES THE CONCEPT OF SYSTEM MISSION AVAILABILITY (MA) AND ALSO INCORPORATES MODELS FOR THE HARDWARE ARCHITECTURE, LOGISTICS SCENARIO AND MAINTENANCE POLICIES, AS WELL AS THE MORE TRADITIONAL RELIABILITY AND MAINTAINABILITY (R&M) PARAMETERS OF THE SYSTEM IN QUESTION. THIS METHODOLOGY PROVIDES A QUANTITATIVE MEANS FOR COMPARING COMPLEX G&C SYSTEM OPTIONS ON AN "APPLES-AND-APPLES" BASIS. FURTHER, THIS APPROACH PROVIDES A MEANS FOR EXAMINING THE MAINTENANCE CONCEPTS AND R&M REQUIREMENTS EARLY IN THE DESIGN PHASE OF EACH OPTION. BMO REQUIRES THE ABILITY TO MAKE DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE TRADEOFFS WITH RESPECT TO VIABILITY, AFFORDABILITY, AND OPERABILITY IN SEVERAL ENVIRONMENTS, AMONG MANY VARIATIONS OF COMPLEX SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATIONS. THERE IS A CLEAR NEED FOR A COMMON BASIS FOR MAKING THE COST AND SUPPORTABILITY COMPARISONS WHICH AFFECT THE ULTIMATE REALITY OF ANY PARTICULAR SYSTEM DESIGN. IT IS THE FOCUS OF THIS PROPOSAL TO SUGGEST THE DEVELOPMENT OF APPROPRIATE GENERIC MODELS. NO EXISTING MODELS OFFER SUFFICIENT SENSITIVITY TO PROVIDE THIS ABILITY.