On the importance of continuous development in the military domain

Abstract

A significant percentage of modern products and systems purchased from the defense industry are difficult for the buyer to adapt or develop for new needs after lessons learned on the battlefield. This results in the procured systems having unnecessarily short lifespans. This paper contains a literature survey of the implementation and adaptation of military systems, combined with the authors’ own observations from real cases of procurement in the military domain. Furthermore,this paper presents concepts for continuous development in the military domain, addressing several of the issues observed with modern systems. The term “continuous development” is here defined as the continuous modification, improvement and enhancement of military equipment or a military technical system over the course of its life cycle. The paper outlines how compatibility, flexibility and interoperability relate to unmanned aerial vehicles, counter unmanned aerial systems operations and electronic warfare operations, their role in continuous development and why these concepts are important on the modern battlefield. We contend that the ability to modify equipment increases adaptability, and therefore survivability, in conflict scenarios where new threats continuously appear. The paper concludes with recommendations of practical value for the defense industry on how equipment can be adapted to facilitate continuous development.