KC-135 SIMULATOR SYSTEMS ENGINEERING CASE STUDY

The Department of Defense (DoD) continues to develop and acquire joint systems and to deliver needed capabilities to the warfighters. With a constant objective to improve and mature the acquisition process, it continues to pursue new and creative methodologies to purchase these technically complex systems. A sound systems engineering (SE) process, focused explicitly on delivering and sustaining robust, high-quality, affordable products that meet the needs of customers and stakeholders must continue to evolve and mature. SE is the technical and technical management process that results in delivered products and systems that exhibit the best balance of cost and performance. The process must operate effectively with desired mission-level capabilities, establish system-level requirements, allocate these down to the lowest level of the design, and ensure validation and verification of performance, meeting cost and schedule constraints.

The SE process changes as the program progresses from one phase to the next, as do the tools and procedures. The process also changes over the decades, maturing, expanding, growing, and evolving from the base established during the conduct of past programs. SE has a long history. Examples (e.g. case studies) can be found demonstrating a systemic application of effective engineering and engineering management, as well as poorly applied, but well-defined processes. Throughout the many decades during which SE has emerged as a discipline, many practices, processes, heuristics, and tools have been developed, documented, and applied. Several core life-cycle stages have surfaced as consistently and continually challenging