Live Fire Test and Evaluation (LFT&E)

Abstract

This Program Element (PE) directly supports the Congressional statutory requirements for oversight of Live Fire Test and Evaluation (LFT&E). The primary objective of LFT&E is to assure that the vulnerability and survivability of Department of Defense (DoD) crew-carrying platforms and the lethality of our conventional munitions are known and acceptable before entering full-rate production. LFT&E encompasses realistic tests involving actual United States and foreign threat hardware or, if not available, acceptable surrogate threat hardware. The objective is to identify and correct design deficiencies early in the development process. A completed LFT&E program and test report is required before programs proceed beyond low-rate initial production (BLRIP). LFT&E also includes realistic modeling and simulation to examine survivability and lethality attributes not assessed during testing. The LFT&E program is essential, especially in view of the escalating costs of technologically sophisticated weapons systems. This program element also supports DoD’s Joint Live Fire (JLF) Program and other LFT&E related initiatives. JLF was begun in 1984 under an Office of the Secretary of Defense charter to test fielded front-line combat aircraft and armor systems for their vulnerabilities as well as fielded weapons, both U.S. and foreign, for their lethalities against their respective targets. Funds are also used to support other initiatives related to quick reaction requests from theater and other areas of personnel survivability. This program element includes funds to obtain Federally Funded Research and Development Center expertise in performing analyses in support of described tasks, as well as travel funds to carry out the LFT&E program. This program was reduced in FY 2012 and the outyears as part of the Secretary's Task Force on Efficiencies. This program element is budgeted in Budget Activity 6, RDT&E Management Support, to support LFT&E management activities for the oversight of RDT&E of new systems, as well as RDT&E of fielded systems.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
R2 Budgetary Justification
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2012
Source ID
0605131OTE_6_0460_PB_2012
Change Summary Explanation
Service Agency Name
Operational Test and Evaluation, Defense

Entities

Organizations

  • Operational Test and Evaluation Force

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Air Defense
  • Aircrafts
  • Armor
  • Body Armor
  • Defense Systems
  • Department Of Defense
  • Efficiency
  • Explosive Devices
  • Fuel Tanks
  • Lethality
  • Manportable Equipment
  • Military Acquisition
  • Production
  • Task Forces
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Vehicles

Readers

  • Aerospace Engineering.
  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Munitions and Ordnance Engineering

Related Documents