Reliability growth of mobile gun system during Production Verification Test

Abstract

Product verification test (PVT) plays an important role in the verification and demonstration of key performance parameters (KPPs) and system reliability of the autonomous or manned systems. Considerable effort was put into improving reliability of the Stryker MGS before and during PVT. In this publication, the authors discuss a successful conduct of PVT for Stryker MGS, during which the unprecedented reliability growth rate of 0.38 was achieved. The publication describes implementation of systems engineering principles employed during the MGS program, as well as system aborts (SAs) data analysis conducted using reliability growth analysis (RGA) and design actions report and tracking (DART) system. During reliability growth testing, it becomes very important to have a proper understanding of the test data that triggers proper engineering analysis and consequently fuels reliability growth of the system during its developmental testing. In order to substantially improve reliability of the system during product qualification test (PQT) or PVT, it is imperative to have well defined failure definition scoring criteria (FDSC), established engineering root cause analysis (RCA) process, and fast implementation of verified design fixes (DART) that address observed failure modes. This publication discusses the reliability methodology utilized during PVT of MGS as well as some of the systems engineering principles employed in order to actively improve the design of MGS. Such an approach completes the test- find-fix-test (TFFT) cycle, further improves MGS Reliability and meets the requirements for the mission equipment package (MEP). Substantial efforts were made not only to capture both positive and negative outcomes of this program, but also to mature the MGS program into a design for reliability (DFR) methodology that can be utilized in future programs with greater success.