Hands On… …At Last

摘要

"Delivering capability is more than just the kit," said Air Commodore Jon Ager, Assistant Chief of Staff Capability Delivery (Air Mobility and Air Enablers) and the Senior Responsible Owner for the UK's A400 programme. "We are using a Defence Line of Development, which we call TEPID OIL comprising eight specific lines: Training, Equipment, Personnel, Infrastructure, Doctrine, Organisation, Information and Logistics." A Defence Line of Development is a matrix-based approach used by the Ministry of Defence to manage all major acquisition programmes. Air Cdre Ager is responsible for all eight lines and delivering critical capability milestones on the programme. He told AIR International: "The first three milestones are considered to be a tranche capability. We gave ourselves a self-imposed milestone zero, which was our ability to accept an aircraft, and logistically support and maintain it. Delivery of the first UK aircraft and our ability to operate it formed milestone one. That meant having all of the pieces required across the eight lines in place with people qualified, and a release to service [RTS] for the aircraft, so that on day one we had a capability. The aircraft arrived on the Monday [November 17] and it flew on the Tuesday - quite an exception."