The operational effectiveness of most military electronic/avionics weapon
systems is dependent to a significant degree upon the effectiveness and
suitability of the power supply selected to deliver the required power to the
host weapon system when needed. It is vitally important that program managers
understand that, at the heart of their weapon systems, power supplies are a
complex combination of multiple design considerations dedicated to the unique
requirements of the system they serve. As such, this section is intended to
provide program managers greater insight into the aquisition and technical
risk issues, with the emphasis on technical risk, affecting their selection of
the right power supply to meet their needs. This higher level insight will
reduce not only the potential for power supply failures and their impact on
more serious mission failures, but also the Total Ownership Cost (TOC) of the
weapon system itself.
This section provides fundamental information to
enable the program manager to provide the necessary leadership and direction.
Included in these fundamentals is a compilation of information, not normally
found in the public domain, which was collected during the development of this
document from the invaluable experiences of our committee members
representing the power supply industry. This section covers the following
topics:
