REDUCING THE COST OF TEST AND EVALUATION FOR MILITARY HELICOPTERS AND SYSTEMS THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF INTERNATIONAL TEST AND OPERATIONS PROCEDURES (ITOP)

The reduced availability of funds and the high cost of testing demand that the testing and acquisition community find new, more innovative ways to reduce the cost burden on acquisition programs. A more encompassing approach to cost reduction during testing is the basic concept of developing international test and operations procedures (ITOPs). An ITOP is an agreement among four nations (the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany) that documents state-of-the-art proving ground techniques for technical testing of military materiel. The primary purpose of the ITOP is to allow exchange of test data among signatory nations, thus eliminating the need to retest. Currently, there are eight ITOP areas that cover a wide range of programs (e.g., ground and sea surface vehicles, communications, ammunition, and aviation programs). To date, 22 working group of experts (WGEs), which are spread across the eight ITOP areas, have formed to develop common test techniques, data requirements, facilities, and reporting formats for specific recurring acquisition programs. Each WGE is comprised of representatives from the participating countries and is considered its own ratifying agency. This paper will examine the overall benefits of the ITOP program. Specifically, how ITOPs: a. Provide confidence in accuracy and quality of test data. b. Provide acceptance of other countries’ test data for evaluation, thus eliminating re-testing which saves time and money. c. Facilitate acquisition of foreign equipment. d. Promote interoperability. e. Promote cooperative developments and technology transfers. f. Capture the expertise of the world’s testing experts. By addressing these areas, the ITOP process has demonstrated a 4:1 return ratio on their investment, with $3 million invested and a $13-million documented savings in testing. Because of today’s shrinking acquisition budgets, this type of cost savings is necessary. Test organizations must begin to benefit from the consolidated efforts of other organizations and countries in all phases of testing: planning, execution, and reporting. The ITOP process addresses all three of these phases, providing significant overall cost reductions for the program manager and the acquisition process as a whole. The results of the WGE on Helicopter Underslung Load Equipment (HUSLE) test procedures are also presented to illustrate the detail and scope of an ITOP document.