PERFORMANCE TESTING OF SHIPBOARD ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS

Performance evaluation of shipboard electronic systems entails debuggi ng the systems in a laboratory environment, placing them in service an d relving on svstem operators to provide feedback. General testing can be performed at selected sites by system designers, but each site whe re equipment is to be installed can offer unique problems. It is impos sible to predict all the scenarios. Unique problems are more the rule than the exception when equipment is destined for Navy ships. Ship dep loyments make for difficult logistics when sending test teams to evalu ate system failures. So, out of necessity, if newly installed equipmen t receives the proper inputs and generates the proper outputs, it is a ccepted and becomes the sailor's responsibilitv to maintain. In cases where documentation is ambiguous or incomplete, it is left to the sail or's ingenuity to continue testing and training on equipment. This is generallv obtained through computer simulations and back-to-back testi ng which can provide results for ideal conditions, but does not take t he dynamics of interference into account. Remote site testing is the o nly way to get a true representation of equipment performance and trai ning problems. Electronic system operators on board Navy vessels are f ortunate, thev have help. There exists an organization available near major naval ports worldwide whose existence is to test electronic syst ems performance. The testing utilizes electronic systems as they would normally be configured for operations. This organization is the Shipb oard Electronic Svstem Evaluation Facility (SESEF).