The Effects of Equipment Age on Mission-Critical Failure Rates: A study of M1 Tanks

Abstract

Aging equipment has become a key concern of Army leaders striving to maintain high operational readiness. Army leaders anticipate that equipment age will pose a continually increasing challenge over the lengthy period in which current equipment is expected to remain in the Army's fleet, anticipated until about 2030 in some cases, as it develops and fully fields its next generation of forces termed the future force. In response, the Army has initiated a recapitalization (RECAP) program to rebuild and/or upgrade selected systems, such that combat capabilities are maintained and maintenance costs are kept affordable. To date, the Army plans to rebuild or upgrade 17 systems-including the M1 Abrams, M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle, M88 Recovery Vehicle, and other systems that are expected to remain in the inventory for the next 15 to 20 years (Brownlee and Keane, 2002; Army Recapitalization Management, 2003). These modernization plans continue to evolve, however. To help determine the scale of RECAP required to maintain the desired level of operational readiness capability, and to facilitate RECAP program design, statistical analyses of the relationship between age and Army equipment failures are needed. This report describes a RAND Arroyo Center study, sponsored by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology (OASAALT), on the impact of age on the Ml Abrams mission-critical failure rate. The Ml Abrams is of particular interest because it is often considered the centerpiece of the Army's heavy ground forces, because it has a high average fleet age that will continue to advance, and because it is scheduled to remain a key part of the force for as many as 30 more years. Consequently, it has been one of the key systems being targeted by the RECAP program.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2004
Accession Number
ADA426683

Entities

People

  • Brian Williams
  • Eric Peltz
  • Lisa Colabella
  • Patricia M. Boren

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Army Equipment
  • Business Administration
  • Data Sets
  • Databases
  • Department Of Defense
  • Failure Mode And Effect Analysis
  • Geographic Regions
  • Infantry Fighting Vehicles
  • Information Science
  • Logistics
  • Maintenance
  • Maintenance Costs
  • Maintenance Management
  • Management Personnel
  • Military Equipment
  • Organizational Structure
  • United States

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.