The life of a typical military acquisition exceeds 20 years, yet the life of a typical civil product, especially in electronics is much less. This example is for hardware, but the critical integration of most of our modern hardware systems is via software. Not only does the software have to change to accommodate changing items, but as hardware improves software must continue to increase in capability. As long as the manufacturer s item changes do not affect form, fit, interface, or mission characteristics the acquirer has no problem. The problem is that the acquirer has no control over these changes, and when changes do affect form, fit, interface, or mission characteristics, these changes become a significant problem for any commercial acquisition.
Airworthiness is the primary safety characteristic of any aircraft.
It is the primary element proven in the testing of the aircraft. The FAA certifies the airworthiness of commercial items for aircraft, and these items must be certified in the system as well as individually. This recertification can range from a paper review to full flight test. The rate of change in commercial items can be significant. Considering the rate of change of commercial items, frequent recertification is a daunting prospect for the CM authority.