TECHNOLOGY FOR AFFORDABILITY - HOW TO DEFINE, MEASURE, EVALUATE, AND IMPLEMENT IT?

In recent years the stated emphasis for new aircraft development programs has been that affordability must be the driving factor. It has also been stressed that since the Life Cycle Cost (LCC) of an aircraft, as well as other complex systems, gets locked in early it is the conceptual and preliminary design phases where affordability issues and technologies must be addressed. However, experience has indicated that there are communication gaps between designers, technologists, and cost analysts when addressing affordability. In addition, LCC models are often inadequate, not user friendly, or do not provide both the top down and bottom up sensitivity analysis capabilities to relate economic considerations to key design parameters when making system, component, or part design trades. The evolving emphasis is Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD) to provide Technology for Affordability. This paper will shed some light on technology for affordability and provide a methodology on how to define, measure, evaluate, and implement it.