R&M 2000: Cutting the Tether

This paper discusses the impact of the R&M 2000 initiative and its realizable potential for cutting the logistics tether which constrains the flexible employment of aerospace weapon systems. Four trends are identified which point to the necessity for changing the approach to designing systems for the modern battlefield. Within this context the paper outlines the R&M philosophy, followed by concrete examples which reinforce the thesis that industry can both develop and implement the technology necessary to provide a 21st century combat capability. The myth that quality costs money is discussed with examples. The article concludes with a discussion of the enormous support infrastructure required for aircraft systems alone. The discussion points to the enormous reduction in men, materials, and facilities to be gained by smart engineering attention to reliability, maintainability, and quality within a system framework.