BOUNCE
of the recoil system from $60,000 to $40,000.
Although the number of parts has been reduced, the system is as functional as but more reliable than the legacy system and meets all the threshold requirements. Incorporating the SLOS and the M20 breech with the recoil
redesign main-
tains functionality. As with any artillery weapon system, excessive movement dur- ing firing adversely affects performance, with the problem being most pronounced at high-charge zone, high-angle firings.
LAST STEPS: PROTOTYPING AND PRODUCTION PM TAS, ARDEC and RIA-JMTC developed an extensive prototyping effort that targeted program affordabil- ity and cost before making a full-rate production decision. Working with the U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Man- agement Command, ARDEC engineers obtained several Code F (unserviceable but repairable) recoil modules that were used in the prototyping effort. Te Code F modules from TACOM and PM TAS were sent to RIA-JMTC, which handled
teardown and inspection. RIA-JMTC, along with ARDEC engineers, oversaw reworking of legacy parts and manufac- ture of new parts from the technical data package, and RIA-JMTC assembled the recoil modules. Ten strength-of-design testing began. Te prototyping effort at RIA-JMTC gave the PM TAS-ARDEC team the opportunity to work directly with manufacturing experts at RIA-JMTC, who provided valuable feed- back on the technical data, highlighting design changes that increased manufac- turability as well as cost savings.
Te original acquisition strategy was
to decide if, after the completion of the prototyping effort, commercial indus- try or RIA-JMTC would produce the new system. However, as coordination for the make-buy decision proceeded, it became apparent during the prototyping that the best value for the Army, taking into account cost, schedule, performance and risk, was to have the M119A3 recoil redesign production effort performed by RIA-JMTC.
During the prototyping, PM TAS, the program manager, ARDEC and RIA-JMTC developed
a
When redesigning a system as complex as the M119 recoil system, the challenge is to improve reliability, availability and performance to meet threshold requirements while controlling the overall cost.
partnership
approach that leveraged each group’s strengths: Te ARDEC engineers pro- vided technical and engineering support, while RIA-JMTC provided manufactur- ing process support and valuable feedback on the technical data package. Tis rela- tionship, along with constant, open and candid communications, is the underly- ing reason the prototyping effort was so successful.
RIA-JMTC has all the critical tooling and machining needed to manufacture new parts and rework any reused legacy parts. Te hydraulic clean room, where the tear- down and assembly of the recoil modules is accomplished, features state-of-the-art
44
tools and fixtures. For the manufacturing portion, RIA-JMTC’s in-house test facil- ities cut testing expenses by more than half. Program discussions indicated that the estimated cost for industry to per- form the testing would have been $43.7 million; RIA-JMTC was able to execute testing for $20.7 million.
CONCLUSION In addition to providing a more reliable and less maintenance-intensive how- itzer, the recoil redesign project is an example of expanding the operational capabilities of the field artillery while maintaining cost. Te largest portion of savings for the recoil redesign program is gained from reusing and modifying 65 percent of the legacy system parts, making an existing system better at a fraction of the cost.
Even in the current resource-constrained environment now facing the Army, the need for modernization does not stop. Te future challenge will be to keep up with this high demand for modernization with limited resources. By maintaining strong relationships with the combat development community and the organic industrial base, which have proven that they can produce a high-quality product on time and within budget, PM TAS has set the conditions to meet future mod- ernization needs for light field artillery.
For more information, contact the author at
wade.perdue.mil@
mail.mil.
MAJ WADE PERDUE is an assistant product manager for PM TAS. He holds an M.S. in strategic leadership and management and a B.S. in health care management from the College of West Virginia. He is Level II certified
in program management
and is a member of the Army Acquisition Corps.
+ Army AL&T Magazine July-September 2015
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