Right to Repair

[Kirkhill]

Right to repair has come up in numerous threads - specifically wrt tanks, HIMARS and F35s.

It is a sovereignty issue but it is also a practical issue for the US forces preventing them from benefiting from 3D printers and field repairs.

It is also a major issue in the UxV field where the US procurement industry supporting the US forces can't compete on speed with the hacker communities supporting countries like Ukraine and others that don't respect US patent law.

US special operations leaders frustrated by inability to modify their own equipment

The military must wait for manufacturers to fix or upgrade equipment, leaving them with outdated capabilities as technology evolves quickly, they said.

www.militarytimes.com

Western UAVs prove ineffective in Ukraine — media

Experts noted that US-made Switchblade UAVs, previously regarded as "essential kit" during combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, are now incapable of dealing with Russian electronic warfare systems

tass.com

Ukrainian Troops Criticize Western Drone Quality

Ukrainian troops question the effectiveness of Western-supplied drones, citing electronic warfare challenges and failed attempts to cross the front line.

voennoedelo.com

Why The US Can’t Adopt Ukraine’s Innovative Approach To Unmanned Warfare Systems

It is widely accepted that drones have changed the conduct of modern war dramatically. The war in Ukraine, in particular, is driving the rapid evolution of drone technology. Evidence of how far thi…

www.techdirt.com

....

Laws need to adapt to the situation.

 

[BdaDug]

Right to repair has come up in numerous threads - specifically wrt tanks, HIMARS and F35s.

It is a sovereignty issue but it is also a practical issue for the US forces preventing them from benefiting from 3D printers and field repairs.

It is also a major issue in the UxV field where the US procurement industry supporting the US forces can't compete on speed with the hacker communities supporting countries like Ukraine and others that don't respect US patent law.

US special operations leaders frustrated by inability to modify their own equipment

The military must wait for manufacturers to fix or upgrade equipment, leaving them with outdated capabilities as technology evolves quickly, they said.

www.militarytimes.com

Western UAVs prove ineffective in Ukraine — media

Experts noted that US-made Switchblade UAVs, previously regarded as "essential kit" during combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, are now incapable of dealing with Russian electronic warfare systems

tass.com

Ukrainian Troops Criticize Western Drone Quality

Ukrainian troops question the effectiveness of Western-supplied drones, citing electronic warfare challenges and failed attempts to cross the front line.

voennoedelo.com

Why The US Can’t Adopt Ukraine’s Innovative Approach To Unmanned Warfare Systems

It is widely accepted that drones have changed the conduct of modern war dramatically. The war in Ukraine, in particular, is driving the rapid evolution of drone technology. Evidence of how far thi…

www.techdirt.com

....

Laws need to adapt to the situation.

Laws are not the problem, are they. Don't contracts just need to change? Customers need to put their contracting feet down and draw a hard line. And then, of course, resist the ensuing political lobbying pressures.

 

[KevinB]

Laws are not the problem, are they. Don't contracts just need to change? Customers need to put their contracting feet down and draw a hard line. And then, of course, resist the ensuing political lobbying pressures.

It is more than that. Most contracts have a TDP option in them, and the USG has often not chosen to opt for that.

If you do not own the rights to something…

Most current contracts are now just accepting the upfront costs and TDP ownership goes to the government.
The problem with a lot of legacy item TDP’s is (and @Kirkhill will love this) is the TDP just says what the end item is. It will have dimensions, materials, heat treated and coating specs required— but it doesn’t necessarily tell you how to get there.

Additive Manufacturing works well for some materials and designs, but not all materials print well, or can be printed at all.

I have seen some terrible issues across the M240 fleet down here (and a Machine Gun is pretty simple at the end of the day) when the USG has placed bids based on TDP, and because third party suppliers were not considered, the part failure can lead to some nasty he said she said, when it turns out the third party part wasn’t actually a copy of the OEM item and lead to a catastrophic failure.

 

[Kirkhill]

It is more than that. Most contracts have a TDP option in them, and the USG has often not chosen to opt for that.

If you do not own the rights to something…

Most current contracts are now just accepting the upfront costs and TDP ownership goes to the government.
The problem with a lot of legacy item TDP’s is (and @Kirkhill will love this) is the TDP just says what the end item is. It will have dimensions, materials, heat treated and coating specs required— but it doesn’t necessarily tell you how to get there.

Additive Manufacturing works well for some materials and designs, but not all materials print well, or can be printed at all.

I have seen some terrible issues across the M240 fleet down here (and a Machine Gun is pretty simple at the end of the day) when the USG has placed bids based on TDP, and because third party suppliers were not considered, the part failure can lead to some nasty he said she said, when it turns out the third party part wasn’t actually a copy of the OEM item and lead to a catastrophic failure.

Given that position then the OEMs need to start building cheaper units that can be swapped out rather than repaired.

Make the M151 Jeep a disposable reality.

 

[KevinB]

Given that position then the OEMs need to start building cheaper units that can be swapped out rather than repaired.

Make the M151 Jeep a disposable reality.

I’d suggest the Government(s) and Industry are better off understanding they are in a partnership.
Items where it is practical should able to be repaired at the lowest level possible. If it makes sense for a part to be printed - then provide the government with a license to do so.

I note a comment posted elsewhere on here where an aviation unit was complaining about grounded Blackhawks due to ‘a simple part’ they could print locally. Whereas Sikorsky was making them send the whole assembly back. Other here are better suited to discussing Aviation Safety than me, but less than 20 years ago there was a major issue with gyroscopes in the Blackhawk fleet that had caused several crashes and those were linked to non OEM sources. I don’t think that the end user (or coal face maintenance) is always the best arbiter of what can be repaired locally.

 

[Kirkhill]

I’d suggest the Government(s) and Industry are better off understanding they are in a partnership.
Items where it is practical should able to be repaired at the lowest level possible. If it makes sense for a part to be printed - then provide the government with a license to do so.

I note a comment posted elsewhere on here where an aviation unit was complaining about grounded Blackhawks due to ‘a simple part’ they could print locally. Whereas Sikorsky was making them send the whole assembly back. Other here are better suited to discussing Aviation Safety than me, but less than 20 years ago there was a major issue with gyroscopes in the Blackhawk fleet that had caused several crashes and those were linked to non OEM sources. I don’t think that the end user (or coal face maintenance) is always the best arbiter of what can be repaired locally.

That really all comes down to cycle time. If things cannot be effectively repaired on line then they must be taken off line to an appropriate depot and replaced on line. Ukraine is pulling factory depots, protected by private air defence systems it seems, as close to the fronta as they can. They also need enough vehicles in the system to manage the LOOBs off line. And transport and recovery vehicles to increase the rate of movement.

The other thing that would be necessary is a cultural change. This is not my rifle. This is not my tank. It is not to be cherished. It is a tool to be replaced like a dull chisel, one that is sent back to the shop for sharpening.

It also means finding factory employees, or robots, willing to work 2nd and 3rd line support.