The Development of Military Equipments: Reliability and Nuclear Survivability Considerations

This paper discusses the development cycle of Army equipments including the influences exerted by various concerned agencies and individuals involved in the development cycle and the ways in which these pressures affect nuclear survivability and reliability. The design-to-cost philosophy is described. The viewpoints of both the contractor and Project Manager are given along with the features each considers most important (profit and performance for the former, cost and schedule for the latter). The importance of military standards and specifications and their impacts on reliability are discussed. This paper stresses the importance of considering nuclear survivability and reliability at the beginning of the development cycle plus the use of contractors with experience in nuclear survivability. The various nuclear radiation effects (neutrons, gamma dose, gamma rate, and EMP) on electronics are discussed, and the association between reliability and nuclear survivability is explored.