The total life cycle systems management [TLCSM] imperative for military systems holds the program manager accountable for "total system performance (hardware, software, and human), operational effectiveness, and suitability, survivability, safety, and affordability". Condition Based Maintenance Plus [CBM+], Reliability Centered Maintenance [RCM] and prognostic health management [PHM] for critical subsystems, such as propulsion, are considered essential program elements in meeting this responsibility for total life cycle sustainability. A key enabler for CBM+, RCM and PHM is adequate and accessible reliability data bases [RDB] as a primary source of the information needed to design and develop cost effective system provisions for initial deployment of new or upgraded propulsion systems. In addition, cost effective sustainment of military propulsion systems implies continued maintenance and enhancement of RDB to address the inevitable emerging reliability issues that were neither anticipated nor detected during propulsion system design and development. The expectations of TLCSM and the resultant deployment of CBM+, RCM and PHM will place increasing demands on RDB in terms of data collected, archived and processed to provide actionable information for maintainers, engineers and leaders responsible for maintenance process and configuration management, and mission planners and operational leadership. The scope of RDB coverage will expand to include records of individual propulsion system usage and other variables affecting propulsion system reliability. Integration with associated cost and logistics data bases will facilitate CBM+ & RCM application. Advanced analysis tools will support proactive oversight of deviations from expected reliability using machine intelligence to alleviate information overload on RDB users. RDB will evolve based on, and supporting, advanced models of propulsion system reliability that are automatically updated in response to field data and provide timely and dependable forecasts of propulsion system reliability, maintenance effort and logistical requirements.
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