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Article: COTS ruggedization simplified: yes, the military often buys the same parts from the same supplier you do. But how best to ensure that these civilian parts meet the military's requirement?(Testing And Analysis)
- Article from:
- Printed Circuit Design & Manufacture
- Article date:
- December 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 UP Media Group, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The use of commercial parts in military systems is now commonplace. In fact, the use of military parts is no longer a viable option, as the availability of such rigorously specified, tested and guaranteed parts wanes. Many of the manufacturers of the military versions, i.e., "rail parts," either no longer exist or are no longer interested in such cost expenditures for so little return. The military customer represents less than 1% of the semiconductor market today.
Making the best use of "commercial-off-the-shelf" (COTS) parts in a military environment becomes the challenge. The use of COTS parts has been approved by the military for more than a decade, but the ...