Simulation in design and acquisition
	Bill Highlander, Vice President, United Defense, California, expounds the benefits of the new simulation system for developing military hardware and software
				Simulation-based acquisition, a new strategy for developing and delivering systems for the US military, promises revolutionary advances by combining culture, process, environment, and technology to develop, field, and sustain quality products quickly and economically. A subsidiary benefit of simulation-based acquisition (SBA) is the opportunity for the military and contractors to work closer together, eliminating an arm’s length relationship that marked past weapons development. No longer do the players come to the table wearing poker faces. Government and industry representatives participate on integrated product/process development teams (IPPD) to share ideas and concepts. Further, in a virtual environment, the user is no longer ignored until hardware is ready for testing. SBA can shorten the acquisition cycle from 15-20 years to eight-10.
				The Crusader crew station trainer simulates all positions individually or as a crew, allowing instructor control and performance measurement.
				Design to test Officials at Oshkosh Truck Corporation say that the SBA process allowed the army five-ton truck to go from design to test without a hardware prototype. The vehicle met all performance requirements and easily exceeded the reliability availability maintainability requirement. Dan Hancock, president of Allison Transmission, says SBA is a paradigm shift rather than an upgrade in process. Suppliers, working from computer databases containing solid model representation, have delivered parts for the prototype advanced amphibious assault vehicle 40 to 60 per cent faster, depending on the difficulty of casting. Hancock raises some red flags about SBA. Small business may not have the technology or finances to participate. A short list of eligible suppliers could hamper competition. Of greater concern is the potential for the compromise of a company’s sensitive information and processes. But the potential for SBA is both dramatic and not yet fully realised. General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) is applying much of the concept to the development of the advanced amphibious assault vehicle. Art Veitch, president of GDLS, claims SBA techniques help in conducting trade studies for the whole system and subsystems. Decisions on technology options and design experiments are abetted by the approach. Hundreds of thousands of dollars of design cost savings and increased productivity are benefits already realised. Companies are undergoing cultural shifts as they adapt to new business climates. At United Defense, Virginia, the moniker of metal-bender diminished as the company became an integrator of systems, electronics and software during the past decade. Software engineers now outnumber mechanical engineers. An iterative process Application of IT is a major change factor. Hardware and software allow sharing of technical databases, models, and process. The development process can follow a spiral rather than linear path. The process is iterative, where multiple options are repetitively developed, analysed and evaluated with ever-increasing levels of fidelity and detail until the optimal solution is derived. IPPD team members represent many disciplines. Even when dispersed geographically, the team is linked electronically. Shared data bases, processes and tools permit comment and alteration in a real time. A key enabler of SBA is modelling and simulation. The tools available realistically portray the form, function and fit of systems. Computers used for modelling and simulation have produced remarkable results: in a study of the global automotive industry, the University of Michigan found that virtual reality provided a 30 per cent improvement in design efficiency, with an additional 40 per cent expected within seven years. Engineering phase Studies also disclose the value of good decisions made early. Design decisions made before the end of the engineering and development phase determine 90 per cent of total ownership costs. If SBA allows faster, better design, the costs are a lot less. Thomas W. Rabaut, President of United Defense, points out that his company started using elements of the process even before it was named SBA. “The amount of SBA applied to our systems depends on where the product is in the acquisition cycle, the complexity of the product and any unique requirements. Our Crusader, Bradley A3 and Grizzly programmes have already benefited greatly,” he said. “Our aim is to apply the process on future systems from the gleam in someone’s eye until the last model is decommissioned”. The company devised a process where the total system and its subsystems are represented first by models and gradually by a mix of real components and finally by hardware during product development. At first, the system is a series of low-resolution simulations. As more definition is provided models become more refined, eventually being replaced by actual hardware and software. These iterations result in products with few surprises when production begins. This process has been dubbed simulation-emulation-stimulation. According to government and industry officials, SBA also suits the Crusader programme. It’s design constraints on size and weight, extensive electronics for command and control, need for information dominance, application of new technology and a demanding fielding schedule needed a high-tech solution to mitigate development risk and assist integration. Crusader relies on extensive modelling and simulation for the construction of a high fidelity virtual prototype. By linking computer-aided design/computer-aided modelling hardware models, software architecture and system time-lines, the team developed a visual, comprehensive, dynamic model of the system. Crusader now has moved beyond the purely virtual model and is replacing portions of the prototype with actual hardware. Integration of systems Leading companies now have laboratories to aid the development and integration of systems. The old days of building a hard prototype from paper drawings, testing, fixing and re-testing have long gone. When a full SBA process is possible, it is highly likely that all engineer drawings will exist only on computers. Another advantage of SBA is the concurrent development of training systems. United Defense is developing trainers for the Bradley A3, Crusader and Grizzly in this fashion. Employing the same software in the object system and trainer means they can be fielded together to aid new equipment training or refresh training at less cost. Whenever software is upgraded for the vehicle, the trainer can be altered also. Some of the rocking and knocking of military vehicles can be accurately simulated, too. The simulation-based training systems also protect the environment. Manoeuvre and gunnery training can be repeated without the cost of live ammunition or tearing up the ground. Training soldiers for hazardous tasks in a virtual setting is entirely without risk. Soldiers also contribute to product development as a close relationship between contractors and users ensures soldier needs and ideas are considered as the design evolves. The team environment is critical during development. Engineers across the country can access new technical data at any time. The infrastructure consists of many tools for engineering and analysis such as thermal, lethality, finite element, survivability, human factors, software development, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and systems integration. This computing environment enables all data to be stored electronically and accessed locally or remotely. Dedicated transmission lines link team members to sharing information. System integration–virtual prototyping Conception to deliver system analysis and integration Safe source of information These elements create an integrated data environment/common development environment (IDE/ CDE). The IDE makes up a single, safe source of programme information available to all IPPD members, no matter where they are located. Tools include those necessary for mechanical engineering, configuration management, office automation, software engineering, business management and a reference library. The CDE provides consistent data formats to reduce risk and speed development. The IDE/CDE also will incorporate tools and processes for manufacturing. A comprehensive, up-to-date IDE is essential to the SBA approach. Through the IDE, all data is developed, stored and managed. Every member of the development group has 24-hour access to unfolding design information. It could appear that engineers in Picatinny, Minneapolis, and San Jose were working in adjacent cubicles. SBA also can save money by being accurate in the early stages. Studies confirm that 90 per cent of ownership costs of a system stem from decisions made before milestone II. If confidence is high that form, fit and function will need little modification, costs will go down and the product will be fielded sooner. For systems produced through SBA, product improvements will be added to the process. Platforms stay in the inventory longer and enhanced capabilities are integrated to keep a system viable. Many improvements are scheduled through hardware and software developments initially tested and engineered in the virtual environment. Maintenance will be eased by spare parts management and corrective actions. Inventories and logistics will be simplified. And at some point, SBA will determine when the weapon system is to be retired and used for target practice. From cradle to grave Eventually SBA will be applied from cradle to grave, but it is much more than just technology applications. Under no circumstances can today’s and tomorrow’s ships, planes and vehicles be operated by unskilled crew and maintained by shade tree mechanics. ©
	The Bradley advanced training system (BATS) crew trainer offers a high-fidelity simulation environment with actual vehicle tactical code BATS crew trainer Driver’s station Commander’s hand station Gunner’s hand station
	United Defense’s SBA capabilities The combat simulation and integration lab and training systems group (CSIL/TSG) in Florida applies simulation tools and processes to all United Defense product phases and programmes. The facility builds high-fidelity crew stations and desktop trainers, including desktop maintenance trainers, to support training on ground vehicles. The CSIL group, located in San Jose/Santa Clara, supports development, test and integration of combat systems, and provides software components for the training systems. A developing area is simulation and training, such as the Bradley advanced training system (BATS) that allows soldiers to learn vehicle operation before they see it. The ground systems division (GSD) York facility has capabilities including programme management, engineering design, prototype development, electronics lab, systems integration, integrated logistics support and on-site services of United Defense’s corporate technical centre.
		"SBA eliminates the arm’s-length relationships that marked past weapons development"