COTS contribution to the ERS success story

Electronic militarized systems are becoming more technologically advanced and are deployed more rapidly than ever. The success of these systems requires a more timely and advanced level of support than before. The Electronic Repair Shelter (ERS), part of the the Army's Integrated Family of Test Equipment (IFTE), is a mobile tactical repair facility which provides this advanced support for printed circuit board test and repair for the GS level of maintenance. The ERS, which uses Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Equipment and Non-Developmental Items (NDI), has had an aggressive acquisition schedule with significant accomplishments. The development of the ERS began in April 95 and 18 months later the engineering model for ERS successfully passed a rigorous user assessment at Fort Hood, Texas. A Milestone I/III production decision memorandum was issued on 4 November 1997. First Unit Equipped is expected in the 4th quarter of FY98, with initial operating capability (IOC) by the first quarter of FY99. This paper describes the ways in which the application of COTS equipment is affecting the life cycle of the ERS in areas of cost, schedule, and performance.