Technical Evaluation Report On The Flight Mechanics Panel Symposium On Flight Vehicle Development Time And Cost Reduction

There is a current perception that time and especially that cost of new tactical aircraft systems are increasing at an ever accelerating rate that is greater than the rate of improvement of the capabilities of the machines. The purpose of this symposium was to provide a forum to identify and discuss the elements that contribute to the increased time and cost development, and to explore the question of what can be done to arrest and reverse the trend. Another aim of this symposium was to encourage others in the nontechnical area to join with the technical people in attacking these problems resolutely. The meeting was considered successful in focusing attention on this situation, showing what technologies can do to reduce development time and cost growth, and highlighting key areas that must be addressed to reverse the trend. The final recommendation of the symposium was to make sure that military and government leaders get this message. The Conference Proceedings are published separately as AGARD CP424 (ADA-198663.) Keywords: Product development; Engineering costs; Cost engineering. (edc).