Developing strategies and tools for the efficient trial and acceptance of marine and weapon systems in an integrated electric propulsion warship

摘要

Whilst naval marine engineers have always prided themselves on a broad outlook in supporting all aspects of their ships operational capability, the procurement of IEP ships further emphasises the importance of this expansive role. The marine engineer officer, whilst still owning the 'dieso in to propellers turning' process, must be ever more aware of his part in transforming 'dieso in to bullets out'. The key to success in this role is an effective ship design that matches the propulsion, power and distribution systems to both current and potential future combat system requirements and then proving that the integrated ship meets the design criteria. However, the constant drive to reduce costs and the sheer scale of shore testing facilities required for large scale IEP projects such as the UK's Future Aircraft Carrier (CVF) have meant that the risk associated with testing and acceptance is being driven towards the harbour and sea trials phases of a ship's life. In addition, the limited time available for sea trials, when balanced against the highly flexible nature of IEP system architecture, has resulted in the development of limited testing strategies based around the ship's normal modes of operation. Consequently, this reduces the opportunity to fully characterise all aspects of a new warship's capabilities within a traditional contractor's sea trials period. For these focused trials strategies to be effective, it is important that the risks associated with not exploring a particular capability within a 'system of systems' are fully understood and managed. This paper discusses how best to understand, manage and mitigate these risks through an examination of the implications of aligning marine system acceptance with overall combat system acceptance. Starting with a review of the factors influencing the timing of IEP system integration testing and trials, comparison is then made with the current status of weapon system acceptance in the Royal Navy. Lessons from recent trials in RN ships and the development of a quick look analysis software package to prove weapon system performance have been used to illustrate some aspects of the interaction between the combat and IEP systems alongside the possible benefits of an interface between the combat system highway and PMS. In conclusion, the paper identifies that a full characterisation of the performance of marine systems in an IEP ship will increasingly be linked to the proving of the combat system and therefore the acceptance of both systems might be improved through an alignment of management tools and strategies.