Technology Analysis
There are a great many
situations in which an overview of all the relevant
technologies or an analysis of a specific one is needed,
e.g.:
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Choosing which projects to fund to
develop the technology that will best match a military
need
-
Choosing which of several technologies
will best solve a problem
-
Identifying the technology with greatest
long-range potential
-
Understanding whether a particular
technology will meet a need, and what further
development is required
-
Understanding the DoD fit – How will the
technology fit with OEM, depot or D-, I- or O-level
operations? How will it be taken into widespread
production?
-
Understanding the potential technical and
business risks of a technology change.
Understanding and
evaluating a technology is a complex undertaking.
Those most closely involved with the day-to-day use of the
technology (our warfighters, depot engineers, operational
personnel) are usually the people with the best
understanding of the needs. But the people with the
broadest knowledge of the available options are usually in
the laboratories, OEM engineering staff, and engineers in
civilian industry. We find that, while each case is in
some way unique, there are broad similarities between
applications that can guide our choices.
Our technology analyses
are sometimes very simple and direct, with a clear
recommendation for a specific application. In other
cases we are able to offer a range of options with their
capabilities and limitations. In still other cases the
analysis is very complex and detailed, covering al the
technical and cost data, capabilities, drawbacks and risks
of a specific technology. Below are some of our more
detailed analyses of general interest that have been cleared
for public distribution:
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