Logistics testing

Summary form only given. The author focuses on logistics supportability issues and how they are addressed in the US Air Force system-level test and evaluation (T&E) programs. Acquisition program managers increasingly face the problem of fielding systems that achieve the required readiness and sustainability posture at an affordable life-cycle cost. A comprehensive engineering effort coupled with sequential full-scale development and realistic operational testing are important phases of this process. It is argued that current and future weapon system acquisitions will have to incorporate new technologies and sophisticated designs in order to accomplish their intended mission roles. These designs and their performance characteristics must be fully integrated with the planned logistics support concept to produce an effective and supportable system that meets the wartime and peacetime requirements of the operational user