Operational Criteria for the Design of Missile Readiness Testing Programs and Equipment
Abstract
The increasing complexity of modern weapons and the growing importance of their near-instantaneous readiness for action have forced development of very rapid readiness testing procedures, which of necessity, had to be at least partially automated for speed. Because much of the automatic checkout equipment (ACE) was developed to meet immediate needs, without careful integration of its design of the prime equipment and ground support equipment, technical misfits and inefficiency have resulted. This memoranda demonstrated how missile readiness (the probability that the missile is operative and ready to launch at any future time) is influenced by equipment, weapon systems, and operational factors. It also aims at developing aids toward determining an effective readiness testing program for each component, and hence for the entire missile or weapon system. The report develops a mathematical model that relates missile readiness to relevant physical and operational factors. The first part of the model assumes no physical constraints inhibiting the design of the ground system. For this, the designer need only develop a readiness testing program compatible with the system concept and missile design, assuring adequate safety and yielding the best potential missile readiness. A numerical demonstration is included. The second part of the model assumes a constraint on the design problem, such as limited silo space for test equipment. In the model, the missile is considered a combination of several independent components, but to broaden the usefulness of this work, extensions to a system concept are included.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1961
- Accession Number
- AD0268940
Entities
People
- J. R. Brom
- S. I. Firstman
Organizations
- RAND Corporation