ANALYSIS, DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION, AND DEPLOYMENT OF A PROTOTYPE MAINTENANCE ADVISER EXPERT-SYSTEM FOR THE MK92 FIRE-CONTROL SYSTEM

In an effort to meet the challenges presented by the fiscal realities of today's defense budget, the Department of Defense (DoD) is seeking to exploit technology that promises to decrease operating costs, while improving operational readiness. Efforts which reduce repair costs, s ystem down time, and the reliance upon outside technical representativ e are of particular interest. The development of the MK92 Maintenance Advisor Expert System (MK92 MAES) is one such effort. This paper descr ibes the design and development of the MK92 MAES for the diagnosis and repair of the MK92 MOD fire control system deployed on U.S. Navy guid ed missile frigates. System development is presented in terms of an ex pert system life cycle model which includes a thorough cost/benefit an alysis, a novel approach for knowledge acquisition, an implementation strategy using a visual expert system development environment, and a p hased deployment strategy. The system was developed by faculty and gra duate students at the Naval Postgraduate School in cooperation with th e Naval Warfare Center Port Hueneme Division.