Army Program Extends Missile Shelf Life with NDT
Posted: 2015-10-20
Source:
AMRDEC Public Affairs
As consumers, many of our items contain a 'use by' or 'best before' date. In
the aviation and missile community, the same principle applies to our
weaponry arsenal.
The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering
Center, in conjunction with Program Executive Office Missiles and Space and
U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command, has a
program designed to determine if missile's can be used past their initial shelf
life. AMRDEC, one of six U.S. Army Research, Development, and
Engineering Command centers, executes this program within its Engineering
Directorate.
"This program tests missiles to make sure they are still safe and reliable as
the system ages," said Megan Shumate, AMRDEC general engineer. "All
missiles have an initial shelf life from the date of manufacture. The Stockpile
Reliability Program evaluates the missiles as they approach their shelf life
expiration to see if we can extend the useful life of system to make the
Army's return on investment greater."
The SRP is the sole mechanism for assuring the continued safety, reliability,
performance and availability of the U.S. Army missile inventory per Army
Regulations 702-6 and 740-1. AMRDEC, PEO MS and AMCOM collaborate
to plan, execute and manage the SRP for all U.S. Army missile systems.
The SRP consists of component testing, flight testing and surveillance to
collect data on the tactical stockpile. Additionally, users in the field submit a
Missile Firing Data Report for all combat and training firings. These four
sources provide an overall inventory analysis.
The component test is conducted annually through a statistical sample of
missiles. All components are tested to see if they have degraded over time. It
provides the best data for predicting continuing performance. Most of the
SRP testing is conducted at Redstone Arsenal in partnership with Redstone
Test Center.
"Every person involved in this process is a team," said James McGinnis, AI
Signal Research Inc. "We provide support to RTC but we are all accountable
to make sure the job gets done right."
The flight test fires a statistically representative sample of the tactical
inventory. Flight testing provides an indication on how well the missile
performs in various temperatures and environments. It gives the SRP the
best snapshot of current reliability.
The surveillance program consists of visual inspections and non-destructive
testing. Visual inspections of missiles are conducted by a Quality Assurance
Specialist for Ammunition Surveillance for stockpiles worldwide. Some
surveillance programs are conducted at depots while others are conducted
across portable test equipment that can be deployed worldwide. This non-
destructive test provides immediate identification and segregation of failing
missiles to ensure readiness.
"As we continuously test and evaluate the system over its life cycle, the data
and analyses are summarized in a report where we provide a shelf life
extension recommendation for the missile system," Shumate said. "We've
been able to double the shelf life of most missile systems through the
Stockpile Reliability Program. This provides a huge cost avoidance to the
Army because they can maximize the useful life of their current inventories
while avoiding having to purchase new missiles as often."
Due to the success of SRP the average shelf life for missile systems has
been extended from 7.9 to 22.6 years.
AMRDEC partnered with PEO and AMCOM to provide technical support to
Foreign Military Sales customers and the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force
through its Joint SRP and Field Surveillance Programs. The FSP and Joint
SRP offer a multitude of benefits to the joint servicemen and foreign
partners.
A Joint SRP reduces the quantity of U.S Army assets destroyed for
component and flight test purposes. The partners share in the lessons
learned and technology advances to improve missile reliability or
maintenance.
"Our goal is to make sure that any missile is safe and reliable for the
Warfighter to use in tactical operations," said Jimmy Kennamer, ASRI senior
engineer and team lead. "When we identify and remove failing missiles, the
Warfighter can be confident that the weapons they are using will work when
they need them."
Image:
During a Stockpile Reliability Program surveillance mission, Chris Johnson
(left) and Lee Hicks (right) both ASRI Engineering Technicians return a
HELLFIRE missile to container after testing is complete.
the aviation and missile community, the same principle applies to our
weaponry arsenal.
The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering
Center, in conjunction with Program Executive Office Missiles and Space and
U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command, has a
program designed to determine if missile's can be used past their initial shelf
life. AMRDEC, one of six U.S. Army Research, Development, and
Engineering Command centers, executes this program within its Engineering
Directorate.
"This program tests missiles to make sure they are still safe and reliable as
the system ages," said Megan Shumate, AMRDEC general engineer. "All
missiles have an initial shelf life from the date of manufacture. The Stockpile
Reliability Program evaluates the missiles as they approach their shelf life
expiration to see if we can extend the useful life of system to make the
Army's return on investment greater."
The SRP is the sole mechanism for assuring the continued safety, reliability,
performance and availability of the U.S. Army missile inventory per Army
Regulations 702-6 and 740-1. AMRDEC, PEO MS and AMCOM collaborate
to plan, execute and manage the SRP for all U.S. Army missile systems.
The SRP consists of component testing, flight testing and surveillance to
collect data on the tactical stockpile. Additionally, users in the field submit a
Missile Firing Data Report for all combat and training firings. These four
sources provide an overall inventory analysis.
The component test is conducted annually through a statistical sample of
missiles. All components are tested to see if they have degraded over time. It
provides the best data for predicting continuing performance. Most of the
SRP testing is conducted at Redstone Arsenal in partnership with Redstone
Test Center.
"Every person involved in this process is a team," said James McGinnis, AI
Signal Research Inc. "We provide support to RTC but we are all accountable
to make sure the job gets done right."
The flight test fires a statistically representative sample of the tactical
inventory. Flight testing provides an indication on how well the missile
performs in various temperatures and environments. It gives the SRP the
best snapshot of current reliability.
The surveillance program consists of visual inspections and non-destructive
testing. Visual inspections of missiles are conducted by a Quality Assurance
Specialist for Ammunition Surveillance for stockpiles worldwide. Some
surveillance programs are conducted at depots while others are conducted
across portable test equipment that can be deployed worldwide. This non-
destructive test provides immediate identification and segregation of failing
missiles to ensure readiness.
"As we continuously test and evaluate the system over its life cycle, the data
and analyses are summarized in a report where we provide a shelf life
extension recommendation for the missile system," Shumate said. "We've
been able to double the shelf life of most missile systems through the
Stockpile Reliability Program. This provides a huge cost avoidance to the
Army because they can maximize the useful life of their current inventories
while avoiding having to purchase new missiles as often."
Due to the success of SRP the average shelf life for missile systems has
been extended from 7.9 to 22.6 years.
AMRDEC partnered with PEO and AMCOM to provide technical support to
Foreign Military Sales customers and the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force
through its Joint SRP and Field Surveillance Programs. The FSP and Joint
SRP offer a multitude of benefits to the joint servicemen and foreign
partners.
A Joint SRP reduces the quantity of U.S Army assets destroyed for
component and flight test purposes. The partners share in the lessons
learned and technology advances to improve missile reliability or
maintenance.
"Our goal is to make sure that any missile is safe and reliable for the
Warfighter to use in tactical operations," said Jimmy Kennamer, ASRI senior
engineer and team lead. "When we identify and remove failing missiles, the
Warfighter can be confident that the weapons they are using will work when
they need them."
Image:
During a Stockpile Reliability Program surveillance mission, Chris Johnson
(left) and Lee Hicks (right) both ASRI Engineering Technicians return a
HELLFIRE missile to container after testing is complete.
