Mitigating the impact of false alarms and no fault found events in military systems

Abstract

False Alarms (FAs) and No Fault Founds (NFFs) impose a devastating impact on aircraft systems. An entire aircraft can be grounded because of a single avionic for which there are insufficient spares available. If an FA or NFF causes a particular Line Replaceable Unit (LRU) to be called out incorrectly, that same LRU could be called out in many aircraft, possibly shutting down the entire fleet. We will mention results of the studies in the literature addressing the various aspects and impacts of the FA and NFF phenomena. There are multiple and complex causes for FAs and NFFs and it is beyond the scope of technicians to come up with mitigating solutions. Military systems are experiencing these NFF phenomena as well. In this paper, we explore the NFFs experienced by Turkish Air Force (TurAF) F-16 avionics, which are causing problems for maintenance and increase operational costs and aircraft downtimes. As is the case with many avionics repair facilities, whether military or civilian, the NFF issue requires closer scrutiny for the root-causes and evaluation of its impact on cost and aircraft operational time. We will discuss the impact of FAs and NFFs on TurAF F-16 avionics maintenance activities and evaluate measures that could or should be taken to improve the effectiveness of maintenance personnel in light of these complex events. We will conclude with recommendations that could assist in mitigating FAs and NFFs in military systems.