COST AND EFFECTIVENESS EVALUATION OF AUTOMATED CARGO DELIVERY SYSTEMS IN ARMY AIRCRAFT

Abstract

Abstract : In the first phase of the two-phase study, methodologies were developed to (1) measure the degree of automation of a given cargo handling system and (2) evaluate the gains and penalties resulting from automating cargo handling functions in Army aircraft from a cost/effectiveness point of view. Basic to the study were the effects of cargo handling equipment in Army aircraft on aircraft payload, cargo handling time, manning, aircraft availability, aircraft vulnerability and costs. Several cargo handling systems were evaluated in the second phase of the study. These systems ranged from manual to very highly automated and were evaluated in the CV-2, CV-7, CH-47, and a hypothetical 10-ton STOL. Elements not affected by the cargo handling system were held constant whenever possible.