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The military must wait for manufacturers to fix or upgrade equipment, leaving them with outdated capabilities as technology evolves quickly, they said.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The military must wait for manufacturers to fix or upgrade equipment, leaving them with outdated capabilities as technology evolves quickly, they said.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

 

[KevinB]

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.

Yes but Ukraine is in a different situation than Canada (or the US).

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.

Despite some romantic thoughts to the contrary everyone already works like that.

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

You’re putting Ukrainian situations into a Canadian setting - which doesn’t fit.

2nd and third line are not factory personnel.
4th line is Depot / OEM, maybe at Corps or Army levels depending on theatre.

There are certain things that could occur to make some 4th line activities close to the Bde/Div level support, but they those need to be realistically aligned with consumables / not high level technical support requirements.

 

[Kirkhill]

Yes but Ukraine is in a different situation than Canada (or the US).

Despite some romantic thoughts to the contrary everyone already works like that.


You’re putting Ukrainian situations into a Canadian setting - which doesn’t fit.

2nd and third line are not factory personnel.
4th line is Depot / OEM, maybe at Corps or Army levels depending on theatre.

There are certain things that could occur to make some 4th line activities close to the Bde/Div level support, but they those need to be realistically aligned with consumables / not high level technical support requirements.

I appreciate that they are fighting a war in their backyard and we aren't.

 

[Kirkhill]

Jailbreak!

Army sent jailbroken tech to Middle East as part of ongoing hackathon - Breaking Defense

The hackathon now allows the Army to take new systems and work them into command and control structures to sync up with radars and sensors, all of which have previously never communicated with each other, according to Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.

breakingdefense.com

" Jailbreaking is a term that refers to reworking or eliminating the manufacturer software restrictions on systems."

Patent and Copyright lawyers lining up for miles.....

National Security exemptions no doubt.

 

[Kirkhill]

More on the jailbreaking hackathon....

Army advances historic, first ‘Right to Integrate’ hackathon, accelerating data sharing on the battlefield

FORT CARSON, Colo. — Soldiers, engineers and defense industry partners recently came together for the Army’s truly historic, first “Right to Integrate”...

www.army.mil

There is a story told about an argument between the Chief of Police and the Fire Chief about whether the doors on a public building should be locked in the name of security or left unlocked in the name of safety.

It sounds to me as if the US defense industry is finally resolving that debate after decades of favouring the Chief of Police and their patent structure.

The civilian world has been standardizing connections and communications protocols for a very long time.

 

[KevinB]

More on the jailbreaking hackathon....

Army advances historic, first ‘Right to Integrate’ hackathon, accelerating data sharing on the battlefield

FORT CARSON, Colo. — Soldiers, engineers and defense industry partners recently came together for the Army’s truly historic, first “Right to Integrate”...

www.army.mil

There is a story told about an argument between the Chief of Police and the Fire Chief about whether the doors on a public building should be locked in the name of security or left unlocked in the name of safety.

It sounds to me as if the US defense industry is finally resolving that debate after decades of favouring the Chief of Police and their patent structure.

The civilian world has been standardizing connections and communications protocols for a very long time.

Now the problem with standards is it often defaults to a lower common denominator, and will lock a design for ages.


Open Architecture has been a requirement on a number of things for years.
The first big ticket program to make it mandatory as opposed to desired was FVL, the main government complaint about the Sikorsky Defiant was the lack of a transparent OA setup.

 

[Kirkhill]

HASC adopts FY27 defense policy bill, adds right to repair language - Breaking Defense

Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., said the provisions would "streamline ... processes, cut red tape, and close loopholes" that make it impossible for troops to repair equiprment.

breakingdefense.com

a “right to repair” amendment was one of the few points of the night where both Republicans and Democrats found common ground — while also being one of the most consequential moments for the defense industry.

The measure, offered by a bipartisan duo of Reps. Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., and Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., would enable the Defense Department to obtain government purpose rights by default for “any technical data, computer software, or computer software” unless the contractor provides evidence that it needs to retain more restrictive intellectual property rights.

Senior Pentagon leaders such as Army Secretary Dan Driscoll have repeatedly made the case that they need additional authorities from Congress that undo the contractual restrictions that sometimes make it impossible for the military to repair its own equipment.

“What our bipartisan amendment does is to clarify and to create a clear set of rules, a default rule that will help to resolve disputes before they arise, that will streamline these processes, cut red tape, and close loopholes that have mired our military in endless challenges in trying to do some of the most basic things that we should be empowering our service members to do,” Goodlander said.

HASC Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., said that the amendment would force companies to choose between protecting their IP and working with the Department of Defense, pointing to a list of industry groups such as the Aerospace Industries Association and National Defense Industrial Association who have voiced concerns with the measure.

“Many will choose to protect their IP,” he said.

....

Their IP only has commercial value if they have customers.

With the DoD/DoW being their primary, if not sole source of revenue, and foreign sales largely managed by the DoD/DoW through the FMS programme and restricted by ITAR rules I am not clear as to what alternatives they have.

 

[Kirkhill]

Air Force Eyes Faster Software Updates for More Aircraft

The Air Force has embraced new technical approaches like open mission systems and rapid software updates for more of its aircraft.

www.airandspaceforces.com

"The Air Force has embraced new technical approaches like open mission systems and rapid software updates for cutting-edge aircraft like the B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Increasingly, though, the service is also working to apply these to its older, “legacy” aircraft, officials said this week"

"“Going forward, what we’d like to do is separate the flying safety side of the airplane from the mission systems,” Lamontagne said—that separation means that crucial parts of an aircraft’s software, such as the software for its radar, can be updated without the need to pull the entire platform out of operations.

"It’s an approach that the service has already adopted with the CCA program, allowing for fast and frequent updates. By comparison, Lamontagne said, legacy aircraft can sometimes go 18 months between updates."

....

I wonder if it would apply to those Brit F35Bs that are atill waiting to get engineering time to integrate their preferred stand-off weapons with the F35B.

I believe it was also a factor in the Brits opting to purchase JAGMs for their Apache revisions rather than incur delays waiting for the integration of Brimstone or Spear.

....

"Tools exist to manage these frequent updates. Rob Slaughter, CEO of the startup Defense Unicorns, said his company’s Unified Defense Stack-Fleet system can load new software packages onto a squadron or more worth of aircraft or other platforms using nothing more than an Android application on a tablet device."