6.5.1 Maintenance Performance Modeling to Sustain System Operational Requirements for Complex Military Platforms

Abstract

Both military and commercial asset management practices are receiving renewed scrutiny to reduce the logistic cost of ownership. Asset managers are being asked to analyse and improve on maintenance practices. This paper describes the application of computer modelling techniques to evaluate the effectiveness of existing and alternate maintenance solutions. Modelling using computer simulations is widely applied to new system development and allows complex processes and structures to be analysed and quantitatively evaluated. However, less work has been undertaken in applying modelling techniques to analyse existing in-service maintenance systems performance against potential alternatives.Specific characteristics of a stochastic model for complex military platforms have been identified to assure that model implementation accurately represents suggested maintenance processes. Systems Engineering methodology is used to create and analyse targeted maintenance models in question: reactive and proactive variants. Existing maintenance process has been described and performance measurement criteria have been identified. In conclusion the models' effectiveness has been evaluated and complemented by its sensitivity analysis. The objective is to present the case study of maintenance modelling applied for the complex military platform.