A Simulation Study of Operational Availability of Canadian Armed Forces Equipment under Different Maintenance Regimes

摘要

This paper presents a study on operational availability (OA) of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) equipment. An OA conceptual framework for CAF equipment was developed and implemented in a discrete event simulation model to assess the impact of different maintenance regimes (planned, non-planned, and condition based). The basic premise of the condition based maintenance is that maintenance is conducted on equipment based on evidence of need, rather than any time or usage schedule. In the simulation, activity durations and maintenance decisions were represented by probability distributions. Preliminary results indicated that the OA framework captures general trends of CAF land equipment availability and that the maintenance regimes, particularly the condition based maintenance, would have a great impact on OA. A sensitivity analysis was also conducted to examine options for improving OA of military equipment.