Technology Associates, Inc

Description

Since providing technical and authorship lead for the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff study of the production base for Precision Guided Munitions in 1984, our staff has been continuously involved in the developments affecting the production of defense systems, from technology issues such as the impact of robotics on aerospace manufacturing to policy issues such as stockpiling versus capacity enhancement. Immediate, operational and long term impacts of spares support and parts obsolescence on systems have been evaluated, as well as the ongoing erosion of subcontractor and supplier bases for many components. We are uniquely qualified to identify program production risks and to suggest risk remediation alternatives. Our personnel's thirty years of accumulated experience in this arena, stretching back over fourteen years, has included site visits to approximately one thousand contractors supporting defense systems, covering every major type of manufacturing operation and many critical micro-industries. Micro-Industry Analysis - Aerospace Gears Our team provided the majority of the staff and expertise required to perform the Aerospace Gear Industry Analysis. The study examined the dwindling base of domestic suppliers of aerospace qualified gears, covering technical, organizational and financial aspects of their decline. Risks associated with bankruptcies, debarment and foreign acquisition were identified and quantified. The report summarized the condition of this sector of the production base, projected its near term future, and made recommendations to moderate the impact of this declining sector on defense systems. Assessment of Technical Feasibility Our experience includes feasibility assessments, ranging from scientific viability of a concept to suitability of off the shelf hardware for specific applications. Typical of our assessments, the analysis of a proprietary non-electronic seeker technology relied on bolometric estimates of target signature energy available and thermodynamic modeling of phase transitions of an operating fluid used to generate control signals. A non-electronic seeker has the potential to survive extremely high accelerations such as those likely to result from electromagnetic launch, while providing extremely good terminal ballistics in a hit-to-kill scenario. Regrettably, the analysis indicated that achieving control signals from this seeker sufficiently strong to operate guidance systems was unlikely. A modest amount of effort was sufficient to avoid a large investment in a technology that have proved fruitless. Our senior scientist provided technical lead in an assessment of the feasibility of applying non developmental hardware to a SEAL delivery vehicle to enhance capabilities. Taking advantage of extensive experience examining vision systems used in industrial robotics, and after examining the vehicle being considered, he assembled a list of potential systems, capable of being incorporated into the SEAL vehicle, and analyzed their capabilities and limitations in this environment.

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