LEVERAGING GOVERNMENT AND COMMERCIAL INVESTMENTS

Abstract

It is tempting to conceive a program that is self-contained and to fiscally control the all the necessary developments. Such a path will lead to a program that is technically stovepiped and extremely expensive. For the test and evaluation (T&E) community, products are often developed only for single application. We do not exist in such times. The use of other program’s products and commercial products is basically required. This is the path that the Hardened Subminiature Telemetry and Sensor System (HSTSS) has taken. The HSTSS philosophy required that the technologies common to telemetry systems be examined for reduction in cost, size, ease of use, and above all the survivability under high-g or high shock environments. It was clear that HSTSS could not support all of these requirements for transmitters, batteries, electronic packaging, and sensors and be realistically affordable with a good return on investment. This paper describes how the HSTSS program has accomplished the development of new batteries, transmitters, and data acquisition devices based upon a leveraged acquisition strategy.