November 2015 Edition

Recent Headlines:

Defense:

Lockheed Martin Corp. Awarded C-5 Galaxy Reliability Enhancement Contract Mod – Defense

Lockheed Martin Corp., Marietta, Georgia, has been awarded a $32,515,190 contract modification (P00315) to previously awarded contract FA8625-07-C-6471. Contractor will provide for the C-5 Galaxy reliability enhancement and re-engining program Lot 7 rapid repair and response over and above effort.

Navy Launches Independent Review of Littoral Combat Ship Remote Minehunting System – USNI News

The Navy has chartered an independent review of its criticized Remote Minehunting System (RMS), a key component of its Littoral Combat Ship mine countermeasures mission package, which may affect the service’s decision to move forward with LCS testing and RMS acquisition.

Lockheed Martin Corp. Awarded F-22 Sustainment for R&M Maturation Program Contract Mod – Defense

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, has been awarded a $7,566,978 modification (P00567) to previously awarded contract FA8611-08-C-2897. Contractor will provide F-22 sustainment for Reliability and Maintainability Maturation Program Project SE21, Stores Management System wrap around tester cable sets (quantity of 20) and self testers (quantity of 2).

Radar Upgrades Ensure Situation Awareness – Hanscom AF

A Battle Management program to improve the reliability and maintainability of U.S. Air Force long-range radar systems reached full operational capability recently when all the operational long-range radar sites were certified and deemed suitable and operationally effective.

F-22 Raptor Retrofit to Take Longer, but Availability Hits 63% – Flight Global

The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor may be the world’s greatest air superiority jet, but the supercruise fighter came with some major structural flaws that are still being addressed.

Army Researchers Extend Missile System Shelf Life – Army

As consumers, many of our items contain a “use by” or “best before” date. In the aviation and missile community, the same principle applies to its weaponry arsenal.

Engineer Receives top DoD Academic Award for “Analysis of the Army’s Apache Key Reliability Issues – Redstone Rocket

An Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center engineer’s academic performance and thesis research earned him a top academic award with the Naval Postgraduate School.

U.S. Navy awards Raytheon $159M for Phalanx Production – AeroTech News

The U.S. Navy awarded Raytheon a $159.9 million contract to manufacture, inspect and test Phalanx Close-in Weapon Systems.

U.S. Army Chooses Honeywell to help keep Chinook Helicopters Mission-ready, Reliable  – Intelligent Aerospace

U.S. Army officials needed an industry partner to keep the organization’s fleet of Chinook CH-47 and MH-47 helicopters running and mission-ready. They found that partner in Honeywell Aerospace (NYSE:HON) in Phoenix.

The Army has been Trying to kill that Rampaging Blimp Since 2010  – Fortune

Yesterday’s runaway Army blimp is an appropriate metaphor for the Pentagon’s costly two-decade zeppelin program.

Automotive:

Consumer Reports Criticizes Reliability of Tesla Model S  – Reuters

Consumer Reports said it would no longer recommend Tesla’s Model S sedan due to reliability concerns, in a blow to the luxury electric-powered car initially awarded the highest-ever score in the U.S. magazine’s performance ratings.

Here’s the Reason Tesla can get Away with Reliability Issues  – Fortune

The company’s unconventional approach to customer service has helped mollify consumers who are unhappy about issues with early models.

Lexus tops Consumer Reports Reliability Survey, as Advanced Transmissions Trip up Rivals – US News

Elaborate new transmissions are helping automakers meet rising fuel economy standards, but they’re also requiring more trips to the repair shop.

New Transmission Technology Problems Emerge – Consumer Reports

While problematic infotainment systems continue to be among the top issues reported by new car owners, Consumer Reports has identified an emerging trend of increased troubles with new transmission systems developed to improve fuel-economy, based on an analysis of its 2015 Annual Auto Reliability Survey.

Reliability Suffers as Automakers Push Technology Envelope – ET Auto

Owners of vehicles with advanced fuel-saving technology and digital multimedia systems, including the Tesla Model S sedan, are hurting reliability, Consumer Reports magazine found in its annual survey of vehicle reliability.

Energy:

Microgrid Focuses on “Reliability, Survivability and Resiliency”  – Public Power Daily

The significant amount of research conducted at the University of California San Diego’s campus means that “reliability, survivability and resiliency” are the ever-present priorities for a microgrid located on the 1,200-acre campus.

Mass Transit:

Metro Acknowledges Breakdowns Might be Adding to a Ridership Decline  – Washington Post

Metro, in an unusual acknowledgment, says breakdowns and other service failures appear to be contributing to a steady, years-long decline in ridership that is causing financial stress for the transit agency and could lead to fare increases.

Space/Aviation:

NASA Gives 99-Percent Probability Of 5.0 Earthquake In LA  – CBS Los Angeles

If scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena are correct, a moderately-sized earthquake is expected within the next two-and-a-half years.

Medical/Health:

Leadership Engagement & the High Reliability Organization Framework Across the MHS  – Health

Today, numerous efforts developed in response to the 90-Day Military Health System Review conducted in 2014, are underway to transform the MHS into a High Reliability Organization.

Scientists are Getting Closer to Developing a Blood Test for Alzheimer’s Disease, but how Reliable is it Really?  – BABW News

According to a press release from Eurekalert, doctors at the Rowan University of Osteopathic Medicine have made considerable strides in developing a blood test that would signal for the earliest warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

GAO Report Shows Lack of Reliable Data Across VA Facilities – Healthcare Informatics

A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that certain Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) data, particularly the number of patients VA providers and support staff are assigned to, has proved unreliable across VA’s 150 medical facilities.

Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) for Medical Devices – Science Direct

Risk analysis techniques received increasing attention in the health care sector in the last 30 years. These techniques are diffused for health care processes, and less for devices.

Industrial:

Reliability Working Group Looking For Industry Contributors – Global Mining Standards and Guidelines Group

The Reliability Working Group (RWG) is an operator focused group whose purpose is to provide a network and forum for reliability professionals in mining to exchange knowledge and share reliability best practices in a mining context, resulting in improved asset reliability, productivity, safety and lower operating costs.

Industrial Reliability in Hydraulics  – Fluid Power World

The key to a reliable hydraulic system lies in keeping it cool, clean and dry. The industrial hydraulic environment is a piece of cake compared to what the mobile hydraulic industry is put through.

A Selection Criterion for Pump and Valve Reliability – Processing Magazine

Demand for highly engineered materials in process industries follows from the need for reliable equipment and accessories, for optimum service life with seldom-interrupted operations.

Electronics:

IC Complexity Driving New Reliability Testing Focus – Cascade Microtech

Many semiconductor industry observers are noting a renewed “laser focus on integrated circuit (IC) reliability” (Hogan, 2015). So why the paradoxical and dramatic recent rise in the emphasis on semiconductor reliability testing?

Wolfspeed’s GaN High-Power Amplifiers Meet Long-term Reliability Goals for Lockheed Martin’s Space Fence program  – Semiconductor Today

Wolfspeed of Raleigh, NC, USA, a Cree Company that supplies gallium nitride on silicon carbide (GaN-on-SiC) high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) and monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs), has partnered with security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin of of Bethesda, MD, USA to provide GaN high-power amplifiers (HPAs) for the US Air Force’s Space Fence, which aims to significantly improve the timeliness with which operators can detect space events that could potentially threaten GPS satellites or the International Space Station.

MLCCs are Specified for Medical-Grade Reliability – Electronic Specifier

Murata has developed and released two series of monolithic ceramic capacitors, specified for medical-grade reliability. Benefitting from quality control and process management expertise, the series suits use in critical circuits (GCR series) and non-critical circuits (GCH series) within implanted medical devices such as pacemakers, cochlear implants, insulin pumps and gastric electrostimulators.

Commerical:

Are you Reliable? – EDN Network

How reliable are the products you design or work on? Do you give the matter much thought?