Availability Modeling for Complex System Design

According to the Manual For The Operation Of The Joint Capabilities Integration And Development System (JCIDS), Availability is one of three Sustainment Key Performance Parameters (KPP). A Complex System (CS), which may be a System of Systems (SoS), represents a growing majority of contractor developed defense systems. The primary purpose of the CS is to provide a needed capability, inherently improving mission availability and probability of success by using multiple systems to accomplish a mission. To date, availability is determined by factors such as the legacy system requirements and current maintenance task times. Current availability improvement approaches only monitor Key Performance Parameters (KPP), attempting to improve an already existing requirement. In current aircraft programs Inherent Availability (Ai) and Operational Availability (Ao) are requirements. An engineer must understand the overall environment in which the system will operate, along with the commander’s intent for the system’s use and criticality to the CS mission.