4.4.2 The Process to Tailor COTS to ROTS for Military Applications

Abstract

AbstractThe defense industry has shifted away from detailed design specification‐based procurement to Off‐The‐Shelf procurement to reduce cost and development time, while taking advantage of increased availability and performance.The spectacular growth of the commercial electronic industry gives the military system developer a myriad of appealing options. However, despite the increased availability and affordability of commercial hardware, the complete solution to a given problem is often not found in supplier catalogs because of system level requirements (size, weight, power, performance, networking, and interface) and stringent environmental requirements (temperature, humidity, and vibration) levied on military hardware.Transition from the myth of Commercial Off‐The‐Shelf (COTS) to the reality of Ruggedized Off‐The‐Shelf (ROTS) is a difficult challenge. The challenge is to understand the product, the supplier capability and environment, and in response, tailor the requirements. Tailoring refers to the entire COTS selection and modification process, including changes to product requirements and system requirements.The focus of this paper is to define the process of tailoring a partially compliant COTS product to ROTS to meet the functional, environmental, and packaging requirements of a military application. To illustrate the process, an example of the tailoring of hardware from COTS to ROTS for the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MoD) Nimrod Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft 4 (MRA4) project is presented.