Cost effectiveness via commonality: generic aviation boresight support for the tri-services

The Advanced Boresight Equipment program was conceived with the vision of producing a single, common system that would meet the current and future aviation boresight requirements for U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force. By doing so, the many aircraft-unique boresight systems in the current inventory, along with their associated logistical support, could be eliminated, resulting in huge life cycle cost savings throughout the tri-services. The technical challenges in producing a truly generic system are formidable. This paper examines the considerations inherent in designing a single system to meet all the different requirements and environments between the services, and explores the progress of the ABE program towards its objective of a common, cost effective, aviation boresight system.<>