1.1 Scope. This standard covers the policy guidance and general
requirements for the preparation of specifications for electronic equipment
for shipboard applications, including submarines. Requirements previously
contained in MIL-E-16400 are hereby superseded. This document provides
guidance for the use of commercial off the shelf (COTS) and ruggedized
equipment in addition to militarized equipment. Requirements are to be based
on the installation and intended use of the equipment.
1.1.1 Usage. The requirements of this document shall be tailored for all
shipboard applications. The development of detail requirements for airborne,
space, mobile and land based applications is in process. Requirements for
airborne, space, mobile and land based applications will be promulgated as
revisions to this document.
1.2 Use. This standard shall not be invoked on a blanket basis in end-time
specifications. Rather, each requirement contained herein shall be tailored to
the specific requirements for the equipment being acquired.
1.3 Classification. Electronic equipment acquisition
options available to the program manager include COTS, ruggedized and
militarized. The selection of the appropriate acquisition option is the
responsibility of the program manager, and should be dependent upon the
expectations for the equipment, availability of commercial equipment,
functional requirements for the equipment and cost-benefit tradeoffs. The
acceptable ranges for each option is illustrated in Figure 1 and is determined
by specifying the service requirements for the equipment. Service requirements
vary from what is considered minimally acceptable for installation in light
duty applications, to fully hardened requirements which are typically required
for mission critical equipment (see
4.1.4.3
). In general, non-mission critical equipment,
including most Command, control, communications, computer and intelligence
(C4I) equipment, does not have to meet the fully hardened requirements and may
shut down or go into a standby mode when the specified operating limits are
exceeded. However, so long as the support services and other interfaces remain
within their specified limits, the equipment must not be damaged by such
excursions. The specific requirements for each acquisition are the
responsibility of the program manager, and shall be tailored within the range
of acceptable limits provided herein.
1.3.1 Specification type. The end item specification may be a design
specification, a performance specification, or a hybrid of performance and
design specifications. If the acquisition strategy is to be COTS, the
specification type shall be performance. If the acquisition strategy is to be
ruggedized, then the specification type may be either performance or a hybrid
of performance and design. If the acquisition strategy is to be militarized,
then the specification type may be performance, design, or a hybrid of
performance and design. The decision regarding the specification type is
incumbent upon the program manager acquiring the equipment and is not to be
left to the discretion of a contractor.
1.3.1.1 Performance specification. A performance
specification is a specification in which the equipment is treated as a black
box, and the interfaces to the equipment are specified, as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2 is intended as an example, and does not include all service
interfaces (see 5.1.1, 5.1.2 and 5.1.3
). The interfaces described herein include environmental
conditions, support services, human factors, safety, operational constraints,
and suitability requirements such as reliability, maintainability, test
interfaces, supportability, operability or producibility. These elements of
performance shall be responsive to the individual acquisition program needs.
The foregoing interfaces are separate from those required for functional
requirements, such as input/output (I/O) and target tracking. The performance
specification permits the manufacturer to perform the hardware and software
design, and places a great responsibility upon the specifier to ensure that
all relevant characteristics are incorporated and that the equipment is
adequately tested to demonstrate that it will be suitable for the application.
1.3.1.2 Design specification. A design specification is an end item
specification in which the hardware and software are specified to the
component level. The contracting activity controls the product design and
production methods. It is the responsibility of the contracting activity to
ensure the equipment meets all relevant performance characteristics.
