TECHNOLOGY FOR AFFORDABILITY

To support its future mission capabilities, the U.S. Navy needs affordable acquisition programs and a responsive industrial base. To achieve a "technology for affordability" will require advances in science and technology, both hardware and software. Models and simulations represent a key thrust area. This proposal describes how a "family" of interrelated system dynamics models will be able to simulate the behavior of engineering, production, manufacturing and life cycle processes. Understanding the dynamic behavior of these processes will enable planners to reduce the cost of weapons systems acquisition. Modeling and simulation stands at the threshold of a new breakthrough in control over complex feedback systems. This proposal shows how that breakthrough can occur. The proposed project explores the development of linkage among models so that engineers can directly test the producibility and cost of their designs. The result will provide the USN with more cost effective, reliable and maintainable weapons systems.