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Future military aircraft must achieve higher reliability to improve operational readiness, increase sortie rate, improve survivability, and reduce maintenance and operational costs. One way to accomplish this is to utilize new technologies and approaches to integrate the functions of the utility subsystems. Utility subsystem failures can lead to serious damage or aircraft loss (e.g., gear locked up). During Phase 1 of the Air Force Study Contract SUIT (SUbsystem Integration Technology), Rock well identified the significant aircraft improvements attainable through the collaborative design, integration, and control of the utility subsystems. A systematic integrated design methodology was implemented during Phase 1 to identify and the integrate common subsystem functions and common parameters.

This paper describes the systematic integration methodology utilized to assess the subsystem design process and identify integration technologies across different aircraft utility subsystems. The methodology was developed in support of the Air Force Study Contract SUIT (SUbsystem Integration Technology). Traditionally, the design of aircraft utility subsystems has been accomplished individually by each subsystem designer who is responsible for insuring that subsystem interfaces are defined according to a set of accepted industry practices and guidelines. Each subsystem design is optimized with respect to its driving parameters and retains the previously defined interfaces. The task of the airframe or engine integrator is to install these subsystems in the aircraft or the power plant and to control the subsystem interfaces. Therefore, the utility subsystem suite that exists in modern aircraft has not been designed from the ground up in an integrated collaborative manner.