Testing COTS for military use

Acceptance of commercial-off-the-shelf parts (COTS) is becoming prevalent for aerospace, missile, and other mission-critical military systems, so fewer manufacturers need to rigorously test their products in order to have them categorized as "mil parts." Nevertheless, having gained approval for military applications, COTS parts must prove their ability to withstand harsh environments with unquestioned reliability in each new design.

Verifying that a COTS part can perform military-grade service requires careful testing and validation by a supply chain not used to such stringent measures. Regardless of who tests them—the vendor, a certified middleman, or the system assembler—these parts need the stamp of guaranteed performance.

Failure-analysis techniques using optical microscopes, micro-sectioning, scanning electron microscopes, and simulation and modeling provide extra evidence about failure prediction. With the increasing use of COTS in military applications, proper testing by commercial manufacturers can ensure long-term reliability short of the true military standard testing of years past.

Contact Greg Reed at editor@aatr.net .